Manchester City beat Everton 2-0 in what was decent Premier League game if not a thriller. David Silva was at his imperious best and by far the most influential player on the pitch at Goodison. The diminutive Spaniard has started the season in the kind of form to worry even the staunchest of Chelsea supporters and been a breath of fresh air for City. Silva dipped in and out of space in his preferred No. 10 role with a fluidity that Everton just found hard to deal with. However, this is not to say that Roberto Martinez' men were totally out-played. The Toffees gave a good account of themselves, largely closeing down the space well, and looked dangerous when the played the ball quick up to Lukaku and Kone. But appearing dangerous was about as far as they got with Romelu Lukaku's free-kick that struck the crossbar the closest Everton came. Here are the THREE things we learned from Everton's 0-2 loss to Manchester City ...

City have strength on the left

The Manchester City left-hand-side that left Bransilav Ivanovic looking like the 31-year-old centre-half-come-right-back that he actually is – rather than the marauding wing-back routine that he's been putting on – were again Manuel Pellegrini's main source of threat against Everton.

Sterling's move from Liverpool has allowed Silva to play in his preferred central position and seems to have – finally – brought the best out of Aleksander Kolarov. The left-back's goal will serve as a warning to all City's upcoming opponents if they haven't already headed it.

Tim Howard still Tim Howard

Alas, it wasn't to be. So often this is the story of Tim Howard; a secession of spectacular saves followed by a simple goalkeeping error.

Howard's always been a good shot-stopper but was caught completely out of position by Alexander Kolorov for City's opener. Which is a shame, really.

The addition of Raheem Sterling alloyed with Jesus Navas on the right-hand-side has meant that Manuel Pellegrini can play with real width this season. But while the former has quietly excelled, the latter has been found wanting for the same reasons as last.

Navas givea this Manchester City team balance but not a lot else. The Spaniard looks distinctly average in a team who should be serious challengers for the league.