Ghosts of the Dragao were whispering. Whispering about holding midfielders and overthinks, whispering about Kai Havertz and gaping defences, whispering about throwing away matches that Manchester City had dominated.

The circumstances around the 2021 Champions League final in this very stadium still haunt those of a City persuasion but not the squad. How can they? Only Phil Foden and Ruben Dias are left from that defeat by Chelsa, a Covid final in front of half a ground and when travelling City supporters were drowsy from the drink in the baking sun down by the River Douro. Drowsier still after the performance.

Past glories and past failures cannot be on Enzo Maresca’s agenda, carving a fresh team with a tweaked identity, although starting a teenager in Ayyoub Bouaddi instead of the more seasoned Elliot Anderson could easily have ended as a nod to Pep Guardiola’s infamous decision to not operate with a conventional No 6 against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.

As it was, Bouaddi excelled, City making sure this continental campaign started positively through Erling Haaland’s double on a tempestuous night that saw reserve goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli allegedly pushed by home officials in the tunnel at half-time, sparking a brief brawl, with Dias having nudged Porto boss Francesco Farioli.

City had authority when it mattered, wasting a glut of chances before doing enough in the sort of feverish atmosphere where away fans simply could not be heard and one that could have seen a young team wilt.

It is four victories from four to start the Maresca reign. They search for complete performances that will doubtless come with more time. Winning while learning is no bad thing at all, with the style becoming more distinctive.

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City overcame Porto 2-0 in the Champions League

Haaland proved the difference between the sides in a bad-tempered tie at the Dragao

The match saw multiple clashes between the sides with tempers flaring during the tie

So insistent on penning Porto in, Matheus Nunes spent much of his evening pressing on the edge of the opposition’s box. That is all perfectly understandable until realising that he was the right back. At one point from a free kick on halfway, Maresca appeared to be asking Nunes to leave his station and push forward, making sure Marc Guehi came over to cover. 

They went man-to-man constantly, Bouaddi asked to fill in as Nunes galivanted. It’s high risk and high reward. If nothing else, this new City team will not die wondering.

Given the bounty of opportunities that were fashioned before half time, Maresca will rightly believe that this alteration to the set club style has started very nicely indeed. Three times Haaland found himself guilty of missing big chances. 

A truly confident Foden in full flight would have netted another, created by Rayan Cherki, with the Frenchman also coming up against an inspired Diogo Costa.

This method of playing spins on an axis. Mostly that will be anchored by Anderson, whose first weeks in City blue have drawn copious praise, yet Bouaddi’s introduction – a full debut – points to how Maresca may want to manage this squad.

In coming from Lille for £85million, Bouaddi was not cheap. His talent is unquestioned. He’s played in the Champions League before and dazzled for Morocco at the World Cup. Yet despite all that pedigree, he is still only 18 and to be thrown in shows a degree of faith not always obvious at the very highest level.

His positional understanding looked smart enough for the demands placed upon a sitting midfielder with a right back acting as a forward. His ability in tight spaces is well suited to City, that is obvious, but the breaking up of play and turning Porto around was something perhaps more surprising. 

One bit of screening and stopping Pepe from darting towards goal when City were out of position felt mature beyond his years.

‘Oh my God, Bouaddi was very good,’ Maresca said. ‘Against Coventry he lost two balls and after that he was inside our box, calm. This shows how good he is because any player, after you miss two passes, can panic.

‘You don’t expect it a guy who’s 18 to manage this game and he was top. I didn’t see him in any moment panic. This is the reason why he is here with us.’

Maturity was generally in short supply elsewhere, with tensions high and both teams embroiled in a flashpoint at the break. Guehi had clattered into Gabriel Viega and Porto raged for the harshest punishment. 

Ayyoub Bouaddi started in midfield for Enzo Maresca’s side and the teenager excelled 

Marc Guehi was involved in a clash with Gabriel Veiga on the stroke of half-time in the match

Porto had raged over the incident leading to both players clashing in the tunnel at the break

It continued after Szymon Marciniak blew for half time, tempers on the pitch (Enzo Fernandez close to the scene, of course) and with the temporary tunnel shaking as both sets of players went to their dressing rooms as a skirmish ensued. Eyewitnesses claimed that security had to separate players and Marciniak unusually intervened.

Porto wanted some of that needle and attempted to unsettle City, although didn’t truly worry Gianluigi Donnarumma until Alberto Costa’s headed wide from a corner.

‘How many times you see me or my bench stand up?’ Maresca asked. ‘Zero, for 95 minutes. How many times you see their bench? We know in this kind of game when you come here it’s always difficult or tricky. The environment, the way they grew up, I think we dealt it very well.’

Porto were already a goal down by the Costa chance, City ahead 94 seconds after the restart. Haaland finally produced when asked, bundling a header in. 

It owed much to the expanse of Maresca’s midfield, working possession from right to left until Cherki found Fernandez and Haaland obliged from the Argentine’s cross.

There was later something in this for the hosts, though. Porto crept forward, trying to force mistakes, and City reverted to a doggedness that even the best need, before Haaland stroked home a second in stoppage time, a 167th in blue and becoming the club’s third highest goalscorer ever in his inevitable surge towards history.