I saw Pep Guardiola's non-reaction to Man City fan gesture after another contract hint

Manchester City head into the international break on the back of a tight 3-2 win over Fulham, which didn't all go to plan for the Blues.

A stubborn Fulham performance and some City mistakes ensured Guardiola's men never really had control over a game where they fell behind and conceded late to set up a nervy finish.

Mateo Kovacic's brace and a Jeremy Doku stunner were enough to hold off the Fulham effort, and City remain a point behind leaders Liverpool at the second break of the season.

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These are the moments you may have missed from City's latest win.

Pep's concern before and after City goals

Pep Guardiola was furious when Adama Traore was given a free shot on goal, and City didn't heed the warning of Fulham's counter attacks when Andreas Pereira poked them ahead after a sensational Raul Jimenez assist.

The manager will have been relieved to see City level things up fairly quickly, but he didn't allow himself to get too carried away as he immediately jumped up off his seat and frantically tried to get the attention of goalscorer Mateo Kovacic.

Kovacic was pre-occupied, so Guardiola eventually pulled Phil Foden over to the touchline and passed on the message which was then given to City's number eight. Even after a goal, Guardiola had no time for congratulations or particular celebrations - he was only concerned with what was next.

As the players emerged for the second half, Guardiola gathered his players at the mouth of the tunnel for one last team talk - taking Manu Akanji to one side as coach Carlos Vicens spoke to Ilkay Gundogan. Within two minutes, the half-time reset had worked as Kovacic had his second. The players took the opportunity for another on-pitch huddle and this time Guardiola allowed himself a little more licence to celebrate.

Pep's reaction to fan banner

Pep Guardiola appeared genuinely appreciative when told of City fans' plans to unveil a banner against Fulham asking him to stay. His immediate reaction was to offer to reimburse the fans who had raised over £1000 to create the banner, and then declared his love for the club and fans - but wouldn't offer the answer they wanted over his future.

In his programme notes, he offered more encouragement to any fans looking for clues over his mindset, declaring: "it's a joy to be manager of this team. I love this job and I love my players." That isn't an admission he will stay, but after saying his decision would hinge upon whether he can see if his team still has the fire to compete for regular trophies, it seems he has no doubts about that so far this season.

But fans hoping for a public display of affection from the manager in response were to be disappointed. He walked out of the tunnel after the banner had been displayed, and went straight to his seat - Marco Silva going to him for a pre-match hand-shake rather than the home boss going to his away counterpart.

And by the time Guardiola and Silva had concluded a warm chat, the banner had been taken down.

Ederson bails City out

No City fan who has watched Rico Lewis this season will have complained when the youngster was included in the starting XI again, back at right-back after his midfield experiment seems to have started and ended in Newcastle last week.

Lewis excelled in Bratislava, but the danger of his roaming role against Fulham was the space he risked leaving for speedster Adama Traore who was always waiting on the left-wing on Saturday. In the first half, Traore beat Lewis for pace and strength one-on-one on the counter and looked certain to put the visitors in front - a situation that showed exactly what Guardiola will have feared when including Lewis over Kyle Walker.

But Ederson was alert and kept Traore out, earning thanks from both Manu Akanji and Ruben Dias who were still jogging back from the City corner moments earlier. Lewis also sent his goalkeeper a look of thanks as he picked himself up - and was certainly more alert after that scare.

De Bruyne watches on

Still out with injury, Kevin De Bruyne will miss the upcoming international break with problems in his pelvis - Pep Guardiola trying to explain how his issue is affecting his balance and can be tracked back to his surgery last year which kept him out for five months,

De Bruyne has taken the decision to withdraw from this months' internationals and also those in November as he seeks to manage his minutes during a season which could last for nine more months. Guardiola called that particular call the 'smartest, wisest decision.'

But despite being unavailable, De Bruyne still made his presence felt at the Etihad on Saturday, venturing pitch side wearing a long overcoat during the warm-ups to chat to members of City's backroom staff. He has attended previous home games during his absence and after watching the warm-ups he departed down the tunnel shortly before the starting XI made their way back to the dressing room.

He was seen in conversation with close friend and fellow injured man Nathan Ake during the game in the row behind the City substitutes, often speaking to the likes of John Stones and Kyle Walker through the game.