Referee Michael Salisbury's whistle to signal half-time was the starting signal for Pep Guardiola, who went in the wrong direction.
Guardiola found himself on the pitch, looking for Kevin De Bruyne near the penalty area for something that clearly could not wait for the locker room.
The two hugged, Guardiola slapped his captain on the waist while making a gesture of thanks, after recognizing the defensive effort that De Bruyne had made moments before, hindering West Ham's chances of scoring a goal. Value the effort, Guardiola, but the intelligent effort.
De Bruyne thwarted a play and then bought a free kick to stem the flow. It's what Jack Grealish has done for this City team in the past and yet the winger sat back down looking at De Bruyne on the bench, nodding approvingly.
That bit of De Bruyne's play is all Grealish, but Grealish doesn't do it anymore. He sits on the sidelines. At 29, his career (at City and beyond) is at a crossroads. Aside from De Bruyne's clever work, Savinho's emergence in recent games has put that issue more clearly into relief.
Savinho added two assists against West Ham and one at Leicester the previous weekend. It is one more than Grealish has achieved in the Premier League since the start of last season, during which time he has played 1,578 minutes of football.
Pep Guardiola found himself on the pitch, searching for Kevin De Bruyne near the penalty area for something that clearly couldn't wait for the locker room after Saturday's 4-1 win over West Ham.
Guardiola gave Jack Grealish a kick in the butt after the match in what seemed like direct comments.
Grealish's game is not just about numbers, but here is a stark comparison with a rival for the same position in City's front line.
And Guardiola gave Grealish a kick up the backside after the match in what appeared to be scathing comments when asked if Savinho's form could be a catalyst for the Englishman to return to his best.
“It's easy,” Guardiola began. 'No matter how hard you look at yourself, you'll see the competition. He has to compete with himself. Savinho is in better shape than Jack and that's why I played with Savinho.
'I want the Jack who won the Treble. I love you. But I try to be honest with myself about it. What happened to Savinho's delivery in the box? He is taller than the other wingers in that position.
And they have to fight. You can say, “Okay, that's unfair.” If you think that, then that's fine. But you have to show: “I'm going to fight with Savinho to deserve to play in that position.” Every day, every week and every month.
Guardiola insisted that “he has no doubt about the quality of Jack (Grealish)”
Every day. Fight against yourself. There aren't even any lines to read here. As City look to add Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush to their squad this month, a player who can operate both wide and down
In between, the message could not be clearer for Grealish, someone who was so integral to the club's greatest campaign.
Grealish spoke candidly last season about struggling with the post-Treble slump, and there were vague references to training levels. That should be a long time ago and the expectation was that this time it would hit the ground running after the heartbreak of missing out on England's Euro squad, especially after undergoing rigorous off-season training.
He hasn't, having only finished one of his six starts in the league, and now it's time to get on his feet. If not, others will pass it on.
'I have no doubt about the quality of Jack or any of these players. Otherwise they wouldn't be here,” added Guardiola. 'At 3pm they have to be at their best. It's not about what they have done or will do, it's around 3pm.
“I know he can do it because I saw him, I saw his level and I want that, in every training session and in every game. If not, Savinho… is there anyone in this room (who thinks) that Savinho does not deserve to play now? No. deserves. That's why I play it, because it produces.
Grealish performed fairly well in the defeat to Aston Villa on December 21 before being described as “not fully fit” for the Boxing Day draw against Everton.
Savinho was influential in creating chances for Erling Haaland in the rout of West Ham
Guardiola refused to believe City are back to their best so far as they recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since October.
Savinho and Haaland have begun to form an understanding that can see the club consistently win games again.
Guardiola spoke of how “almost all” City players want to “fight” to stop these mixed performances (and this was mixed, despite the scoreline) and praised Nathan Ake for playing through the pain barrier for the third game in a row. . Savinho seems to be another step forward, passing through an open door and others are missing.
“I'm still adapting, I don't speak English,” said the Brazilian. “When I start speaking English, I will feel comfortable in the group.”
His bond with Erling Haaland, who scored both of the Norwegian's goals, is definitely something to take advantage of. “He understands me and I understand him,” Savinho added. “I usually pass the ball to him because I know he won't waste it and score. Whenever he's in the box, I'm always looking to get the ball to him.”
Any more of that and City will win more games, and Grealish will have to be content to keep watching.