Every top European club dreams of having an elite manager - just ask Manchester United fans - and two of the best met again in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City edged Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad in the 10th meeting between the two heavyweights of the coaching world.
The illustrious managers have an interesting record against one another, both enjoying spells of dominance and finding answers to their respective brilliance.
Tuchel's challenge became apparent when the teams were announced in the morning, as Edouard Mendy, Reece James, Ben Chilwell were all unavailable for one reason or another.
Already 10 points behind Guardiola's side, Chelsea ideally needed three points at the Etihad to keep their fading title hopes alive.
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After the first half, though, it was clear a draw would be a great result for the visitors.
They failed to test City goalkeeper Ederson, while the reigning champions had several efforts at Chelsea's stand-in stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Blues finally got their first opening shortly after the break, as forgiven striker Romelu Lukaku burst through the defence and tried to bend an effort around Ederson.
The Brazilian was quick off his line and palmed the strike to safety. It was a chance Lukaku simply couldn't afford to miss... and was punished in due course.
Kevin De Bruyne, who suffered a horrible facial injury in City's Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in May, scored an outstanding to goal to give his team the lead.
The Belgian midfielder danced past a desperate tackle from N'Golo Kante and curled a trademark effort around Arrizabalaga.
It was another reminder - just in case anyone forgot - of why he's arguably the best footballer in England.
The game opened up after that, but Chelsea failed to find an equaliser. City also wasted some great chances on the break, failing to take advantage of their opponents' desperation.
The managerial war between Guardiola and Tuchel started back in October 2013, when they first shook hands in the dugout and the latter was just a blip on the former's radar.
Tuchel was in charge of Mainz, a mid-table Bundesliga side where Jurgen Klopp spent 18 years as a player and manager.
Guardiola, meanwhile, was at Bayern Munich, the recently crowned European champions who were looking to start an era of domination in Germany.
The Spaniard was already a two-time Champions League winner and the man responsible for giving Lionel Messi the chance to flourish at Barcelona.
The game was a battle between David and Goliath, as Bayern stormed to a 4-1 victory at the Allianz arena before winning the return fixture 2-0 the following March.
Tuchel got his big break in the summer of 2015, replacing Klopp as Dortmund boss, yet he was powerless from stopping Bayern winning 5-1 in their first meeting since his appointment.
The current Chelsea manager did eventually get a point against Guardiola in March 2016 - recording a goalless draw at the Westfalenstadion - but Bayern went on to reaffirm their dominance by beating Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal final two months later.
Tuchel didn't meet Guardiola again until his appointment at Stamford Bridge 12 months ago... and his CV had improved significantly in the meantime.
The German had since won trophies in his homeland and in France, leading Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League final in August 2020. Fittingly, they lost to 1-0 to Bayern.
Speaking shortly after joining Chelsea, Tuchel revealed the impact Guardiola had on him during his early meetings.
"Pep has been a big, big influence," he admitted. "I have the feeling that every time I watch a game from him, I can learn something about football and I can learn something new."
Tuchel used those lessons to not just get one over on Guardiola, but three. Chelsea defeated City in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League to dash City's dreams of the quadruple.
The Spaniard was then left wondering what he could do to stop his rival and, rather than stick to his tried and tested methods, studied Tuchel's blueprint.
"He is so creative, one of the few managers I learn from to become a better manager myself," said Guardiola earlier this week. "He is excellent in all departments.
"Since he was at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and here, I have always enjoyed watching his teams, the way he is playing and his approach.
"I think he dignifies and makes world football better. When you find a manager that is always positive in the way they play it is good."
Guardiola's studies paid off as City secured a crucial 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September before completing the double on Saturday afternoon.
Although Tuchel's team were depleted, he will still be looking to find the answer against Guardiola once again in the coming weeks and months.
City might already have a couple of fingers on the Premier League trophy, yet the war between these two great managers will rumble on for many years to come.
