A career first for Pep Guardiola! Man City boss hits unwanted milestone in 882nd game on the touchline after thrilling 4-4 draw against Chelsea

Pep Guardiola has hit an unwanted milestone, after seeing his team both score and concede four goals in a single match for the first time as a coach.

WHAT HAPPENED? The statistics boffins at OptaJoe posted on Twitter: "This is Pep Guardiola's 882nd game as a manager, and the first to see his team both score and concede four goals in a single match." It's extremely rare for Guardiola's sides to concede that many goals, as solid defences were the foundation for his success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before his move to City. The Premier League champions had a rare off-day at the back against an exciting young Chelsea side, but they gave as good as they got going forward in a contest that will go down as an all-time classic.

4 — This is Pep Guardiola's 882nd game as a manager, and the first to see his team both score and concede four goals in a single match. Rollercoaster. pic.twitter.com/gzKwRCDdgp

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Cole Palmer's stoppage time penalty gave Chelsea a deserved point against his former club, who threw the lead away on three separate occasions. The 4-4 draw leaves City one point clear at the top of the Premier League table, with Chelsea down in 10th. However, Pochettino's side seem to be growing in quality and confidence with each game, and European qualification should be well within their reach.

WHAT NEXT FOR GUARDIOLA? These kinds of stats won't bother Pep too much; he'll be more focused on his team's start to the 2023-24 campaign, which has been impressive, if not always at the level we expect of his City side. He'll now switch attention to prepping for a huge clash on Saturday 25 Nov, when the Sky Blues host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.