It should have been a bright new dawn but ended up being more of the same for Manchester City as it slipped to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea despite a debut-day opener from record signing Robinho.
The 32.5 million pound man paid off the first instalment of his British record price-tag by putting Mark Hughes' men ahead with a superb 13th-minute free-kick.
But it was downhill all the way after that as Chelsea scored three times without reply, through Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka to register a seventh straight win over City even though England captain John Terry was sent off for a professional foul.
It was a reality check Hughes did not need, although it should ensure expectations are lowered - until January's transfer window opens - and in Robinho the Blues have a talent to savour.
Given the amazing events of the last fortnight at what has now been dubbed 'Middle Eastlands' by the City support, it was perhaps no surprise Robinho should make the perfect start.
His pricetag ensures every move he makes will get monitored and a warm embrace with Luiz Felipe Scolari after the traditional pre-match handshakes did little to foster a feeling he has ended up where he wanted to be.
But any doubts over his commitment were swept away by the 24-year-old's reaction to a goal that could be a point historians will remember as the moment City's revolution began.
Carvalho was unhappy at the free-kick in the first place as Jo went down under minimal contact and Petr Cech was clearly agitated at the way his wall failed to take shape as he requested.
It just added to the theatre as Robinho ushered away all his team-mates, before reintroducing Vincent Kompany as a token presence. He then took aim and calmly stroked the ball into the corner.
There was nothing too elaborate about his reaction, just a gleeful run towards the halfway line, thumb in mouth as South Americans do, before being mobbed by ecstatic team-mates.
With Shaun Wright-Phillips - on his home debut after returning from Chelsea for under half the 21 million pounds that took him to London in the first place - keeping the visitor's defence on their toes with some mazy runs, all seemed set for an evening of celebration.
Unfortunately for the hosts, their lead lasted just three minutes as John Terry leapt for Frank Lampard's corner, saw his header strike Joe Cole and the rebound falling invitingly for Carvalho, who promptly lashed it into the roof of Joe Hart's net.
It was the start of a sobering period for City, which was outplayed for long stretches, with Robinho becoming largely anonymous.
Florent Malouda saw his cushioned header bounce back off the bar, then Nicolas Anelka wasted an excellent opportunity from Pablo Zabaleta's poor clearance as Deco's influence started to spread.
City was restricted to rare sights of goal, although Jo could easily have profited from one as his curling shot flew over after striking Carvalho.
Having established a loose stranglehold on the contest, Chelsea tightened its grip within eight minutes of the restart.
Lampard had already gone close once after Joe Cole's shot had been deflected into his path but City failed to heed the warning, offering its opponent far too much space down the middle of the field.
The move took Chelsea deep inside home territory and after skipping on