Manchester City sent out a message to their title rivals with an impressive 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Gabriel Jesus scored the only goal of a game in which they dominated, moving them to second in the table.
City controlled possession for much of the opening 45 minutes, but struggled to convert that dominance into chances.
Chelsea had one half chance in the first half, when Timo Werner crossed in for Romelu Lukaku after a swift counter-attack, only for the Belgian to fail to connect.
Gabriel Jesus had City's best opportunity when Gabriel Jesus chested the ball down in the area, only to see his volley skew high and wide.
But the same player opened the scoring shortly after the break, when he controlled Joao Cancelo's shot, twisted and turned and saw his deflected strike wrong-foot Edouard Mendy.
Jesus should have made it two after a blistering City move, but with the 'keeper stranded, he saw his goalbound effort cleared off the line by his compatriot Thiago Silva.
City continued to look dangerous and richly deserved their victory which moves them level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Here are the main talking points from Stamford Bridge
A statement win
Make no mistake, whatever Manchester City's manager, or their players said, this one mattered more.
They have dominated English football for the last few years, but there has arguably been no other side which have caused them as many issues as Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea.
Defeats in the league, the FA Cup and of course in the Champions League final ended their hopes of a quadruple last term and could have given them a psychological edge in the title race this time around.
But this was as routine an away victory as Guardiola could have wished for. Not many teams will handle Chelsea the way City did. They are still the ones to beat.
Pep’s lessons learned
Guardiola was accused of overthinking his selection during the Champions League final at the end of last season.
The lack of a defensive midfielder or recognised striker were two of the decisions which received the most criticism.
At Stamford Bridge, the City boss opted to start Rodri at the base of the midfield, while Gabriel Jesus was also in the starting XI.
In typical Guardiola fashion however, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded, with Jesus utilised as a left winger, with one of Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne playing as a ‘false nine’.
But it was the Brazilian's eye for a goal which handed City the lead, his instinctive turn and finish opening the scoring.
It's a win that will be particularly pleasing for Guardiola, having lost to Thomas Tuchel three times since his Chelsea appointment.
Two very different styles
It only took a glance at the teams before the game started to know what both managers were after from their starting lineups.
With Foden, De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus all in the team, City always looked likely to be on the front foot.
Meanwhile, with Werner in for Kai Havertz and a midfield three without the injured Mason Mount, Chelsea looked like a team setup to stop their opponents, rather than create themselves.
And that’s exactly how the game panned out. Even the home supporters grew frustrated at the approach, with slow distribution from Edouard Mendy symbolic of their approach.
Sterling’s struggles clear
If this was a glimpse into Manchester City ’s future, it could be a bleak one for Raheem Sterling.
This was the first time Guardiola was able to call upon the trio of Grealish, Foden and De Bruyne, with the £100million man one of three forwards.
There is a feeling that Foden and Grealish could swap positions, while Jesus’ ability to play on the left is an added bonus.
Silva and Riyad Mahrez are also capable of playing out wide, meaning there very well may be an odd man out.
And that could be England’s Euro 2020 hero, who has been linked with a potential move away from the Etihad next summer.
With Grealish looking more comfortable in his new surroundings and a plethora of other options, Sterling could find his opportunities become very limited.
Record signings go head-to-head
Jack Grealish and Romelu Lukaku's transfers this summer both saw their respective clubs smash their transfer record.
In total, the pair went for a combined £197.5m and both were signed with the sole target of helping their team win the title.
Lukaku has probably outshone Grealish in the early weeks of the season, scoring three times in his opening five matches back in England.
But at Stamford Bridge, it was the England man that showed supporters exactly why club bosses were willing to pay such extortionate fees.
Grealish was a constant menace on the left-hand side, linking up with Joao Cancelo time and time again, causing Chelsea a number of problems.
Meanwhile, it was a struggle for the Belgian striker, with Chelsea's pragmatic team selection leaving him isolated and frustrated.
His usual unerring ability to hold the ball up was also lacking and he looked like he was missing the incisiveness of a player like Mason Mount.
