Bruising Man City defeats that pushed Pep Guardiola to record heights

Pep Guardiola was only interested in three points for Manchester City on Sunday, but the City Ground will always be a significant milestone for the decorated manager.

It was there that Guardiola clocked up his 300th Premier League game - the 19th to do so and only the fifth with one club - and with it his 221st win. That gives him a win rate of 73.5 per cent from his opening 300 games, a country mile ahead of the next best in the list with United supremo Sir Alex Ferguson trailing on 65.2 per cent.

Guardiola has enjoyed dizzying success at the Etihad, winning 16 major trophies and on course for another two to top off his eighth year at the club. The coach often tells staff that there is more to be learned from a defeat than a victory, and some of the few he has suffered as City manager have played a significant role in shaping the wins that have followed.

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December 2016: Leicester 4-2 City

Leicester were not enjoying the best run as defending Premier League champions, not that it would detract from the memories they had made the previous year. And they were still brilliantly set up to make life misery for a Guardiola side struggling for confidence and belief.

The home team were three up inside 20 minutes and Jamie Vardy made it 4-0 when he completed his hat-trick 12 minutes from time, only for two late City goals to give a glimpse of respectability to the scoreline. Worse was to follow afterwards, when Guardiola was widely mocked for his response to a question about City failing to win a tackle in the opening 35 minutes.

"I'm not a coach for the