Demolition job from Pep took Chelsea to school . . .

MANCHESTER CITY have laid down a huge marker in the title race. They went to the home of the champions and took them back to school.

It was one of the most one- sided displays I have seen from an away team in the Premier League against top-four rivals.

At some point in their career, every player will experience a game where they are second best in every department. For many of the Chelsea players on Saturday, that’s exactly what happened.

The absence of the injured Sergio Aguero actually helped Pep Guardiola’s side.

With the young, hungry trio of Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling in the front three, City pressed Chelsea from the front with such energy that they could not get out of their half.

With Guardiola and Jose Mourinho in such good form, it is little surprise that this season is shaping up to be a battle between the Manchester powerhouses for the Premier League title. Everything is clicking into gear for Guardiola (below), but as we saw last season, he can be unwilling to compromise on his style when things start to go wrong. Do not forget that Guardiola won his first 10 games in all competitions last season before finishing third, eight points adrift of Tottenham in second and some 15 points behind champions Chelsea. Mourinho is more pragmatic and at Manchester United he has a team of destroyers who have scored four goals in more than half of their fixtures in all competitions so far. You cannot yet rule out Chelsea or Spurs — but the way Guardiola’s men dismantled Antonio Conte’s side was frightening. That outstanding quality gives City the edge.