The Blues had left it late to beat RB Leipzig after losses to Newcastle and Wolves, yet the performances were enough to keep the manager convinced that they have the quality and appetite to fight on multiple fronts this season. For all the worries of a drop-off after the Treble, it hasn't been significant.
Arsenal were another team under the microscope this season, with nobody sure how leading the Premier League for so long last season before being overtaken in the final months would affect them. They had started this campaign well, but how would they cope against the champions, who proved again last year they had their number when it mattered?
Yesterday's narrow defeat could have ended up with any result but the conclusion from the performance will have been the same for Guardiola and City: Arsenal will take some beating this season. If they can cause the Blues the problems that they did, they can do it to any other team in the league.
As with any big game, the build-up was full of subplots. Would City miss Rodri (and Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones) more than Arsenal would miss Bukayo Saka (and Gabriel Martinelli)?
Could the Gunners' status as one of only two unbeaten sides in the Premier League survive an abysmal record against the Blues that has seen them lose their last 12 league meetings?
If the starting XIs confirmed that neither side was close to their strongest on paper, referee Michael Oliver's decisions in the first half showed that Howard Webb has got a bigger headache as he tries to restore faith in his officials.
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