Man City prove Pep Guardiola right about small clubs in thrilling Chelsea draw

No Stones, no Palmer, and plenty of problems as a result.

Manchester City missed their injured defender and their former winger caused them all manner of issues including a late, late penalty to level a thrilling game. But, at the end of 107 pulsating minutes of football it was Pep Guardiola and his players that were celebrating a 4-4 draw that sees them top of the Premier League for another fortnight at the very least.

Guardiola expects Chelsea to challenge for the league "sooner rather than later" and the hosts troubled City probably more than any other team have this season. City are in no way used to conceding four goals, although it says a lot about their mentality and quality that it still wasn't enough to see them defeated.

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Chelsea were the first team to play City after the Premier League title was clinched last season and the match at the Etihad was a non-event. As befitting the respective campaigns, the visitors were abject against a second-string City side and a 1-0 win bore little resemblance to the supremacy enjoyed by the Blues.

Mauricio Pochettino has either endured or enjoyed a mixed start depending on how you want to look at it, but the difference from May to now against City was striking. With two ex-City wingers in Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling pulling the strings, they showed a hunger and quality from the start that had been absent last season.

It seemed to take City by surprise, although Guardiola's side were no doubt hindered by the absence of Stones - as well as Nathan Ake, one of the players who could have taken his place before also suffering an injury this week.