Up next are two winnable league games, a key home tie against the most dangerous opponents in their Champions League group, and a very welcome home game against lower-league opposition in the League Cup. The League Cup draw that pit City with championship high-fliers Wolves put an end to a run of 10 consecutive away draws, nine of which had paired City with fellow top-flight opposition.

With such a change in fortunes, it could be that City's stars are beginning to align this season.

In more or less the same period, nearest rivals Manchester United will face considerably tougher opposition. Three of their next four league fixtures pit them against fellow challengers Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool, a level of quality that they have yet to taste so far this season. United, second only on goal difference, have as yet not played any team from the top half of the table and may be in a slightly false position, despite making obvious strides in the right direction.

By the time the second week in November dawns, there may well be a clearer view of just how strong City's title challenge is likely to be and exactly how hard United intend to chase them.

For City It goes without saying that home form will be key to progress on all four fronts. They have made the Etihad a fortress in previous years, but -- in seeing Leicester and Chelsea slip in to take the last three league titles -- lost a certain element of that invincibility on home turf that served them so well in their own title winning seasons of 2011-12 and 2013-14.

In the first of those successes, City only dropped two points at the Etihad all season. That came in a dramatically twisting 3-3 draw with Sunderland as the run-in to the title became increasingly fraught. Home form had been incredibly consistent right from the opening-day demolition of Swansea (4-0) to mark Sergio Aguero's debut.

The final league tally at home was: won 18, drawn 1. Lost 0, for 55, against 12, goal difference +43.

Strangely, given the impregnable home form, City were defeated in each of the cup competitions at the Etihad, going out of the FA Cup in a controversial 2-3 defeat to rivals United and losing the first leg of the League Cup semifinal (0-1) to Liverpool. In what was their inaugural Champions League season, group games against Napoli (1-1), Villarreal (2-1) and Bayern Munich (2-0) went smoothly, but defeats in Naples and Munich meant there was no further progress that season.

Under Manuel Pellegrini two years later, things went equally swimmingly in Manchester. After a patchy start under their new coach, with four away defeats in the first 11 matches, City claimed the title with a home record almost as impeccable as that posted under Roberto Mancini. Just one defeat, to Chelsea in midwinter, and one draw -- again against a dogged Sunderland as the going got tough towards the end of the season -- blotted an almost perfect copybook.

City's home record for the season read thus: won 17, drawn 1, lost 1. For 63, against 13, goal difference +50.

Once again a home defeat occurred in the FA Cup, this time in the quarterfinal with Wigan Athletic, but home form held strong in the League Cup, helping City past the same Wigan side plus West Ham on the way to winning the trophy at Wembley against Sunderland.

Ironically, if City are to emulate the form shown in those two memorable seasons, there is little room for manoeuvre, as the first home game of the season against Everton has already resulted in two dropped points (1-1). It is the only match so far this season, home or away, that City have failed to win.

There is little doubt then that four wins in the next four games would really set the standard for those hoping to challenge City's growing authority in the opening weeks of 2017-18. The power and panache of heavy wins over Liverpool and Crystal Palace suggest Pep Guardiola's side is already comfortable playing at home to teams who shut up shop or who come to give the home side a game. In the Champions league Shakhtar Donetsk were as game as Liverpool and were swatted away 2-0.

While the 6-0 win at hitherto undefeated Watford ably demonstrated what City can do away from home, it is closer to home where the decisive action will take place this season. Expect the next four fixtures to offer a taste of what is to come over the next eight months.