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Current defending champions and leaders of the title race up until Liverpool's game against Bournemouth yesterday, Manchester City, lost out on a golden opportunity to reclaim the table's top spot as Chelsea handed the visitors a stunning 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The Manchester-based outfit enjoyed much of the ball-possession in the first half, but failed to convert it into scoring shots. On the other hand, French midfielder N'Golo Kante launched a fine shot into the top corner of City's goalpost just before half-time to give the hosts a big advantage and a lead.
In the second half, the visitors suffered further setbacks as David Silva and Leroy Sane retired to the bench with injuries, and with a goalscorer like Sergio Aguero already unavailable, they started falling behind.
Late in the game, Chelsea defender David Luiz nodded a corner kick past City goalkeeper Ederson to double the lead and virtually seal the game for the hosts.
Let us examine some key talking points from the contest.
#1 No centre forwards were featured in the starting lineups of Chelsea and Manchester City
The team sheets of neither side featured a centre forward, with the likes of Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud (both of Chelsea), and Gabriel Jesus (of Manchester City) starting the game on the bench.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri sent a clear message to under-fire Morata and Giroud by opting to go with Eden Hazard as a false-nine, alongside Pedro and Willian turning up on either side of him. In the pre-match talk, Sarri hoped that his new method would bring in positive changes now that his team had more space to operate.
In the case of Manchester City, their most important scorer, Sergio Aguero, has been recovering from injury, so was unavailable, and manager Pep Guardiola decided to overlook his deputy striker Gabriel Jesus due to a recent lack of form. Jesus hasn't scored in the competition since the month of August.
So England international Raheem Sterling was given the role of finishing, with Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane operating on either flanks. It was clear Pep opted for such a selection for City's front-three due to their pace.
#2 Manchester City dominate first half, but Chelsea snatches the opportunity when it mattered the most
Chelsea continued with their recent pattern of submissive openings in league games, like against Tottenham last week and against Wolves earlier this week. They were still a lot better compared to earlier fixtures, but City were really good in the meantime.
Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane missed out on a couple of easy opportunities very early on in the game, and one may have felt that the initial scares would snap Chelsea awake and make them work with renewed vigour, but that was not to happen either.
Manchester City played a good pressing game and also dominated the possession charts - up until the hosts grabbed the single breakthrough opportunity for them in the first 45 minutes, and worked that into City's net.
In fact, Hazard's pass to Kante who in turn scored the goal, was only one of six passes completed by a Chelsea player in the attacking third during the first half. City meanwhile had completed 53 such passes.
#3 Manchester City and Pep Guardiola pay the price for their player overworking tendencies
Lets face it, the sky-blue side from Manchester is one of the biggest front runners to this season's Premier League title. After a record-breaking run last season where they finished with 100 points from 38 games, they extended it to this season as well, accumulating 41 points from 15 outings - a mind-blowing 2.73 points per game that is.
City's unerring consistency has entirely been due to its players' efforts, as they turn in week in and week out, giving it their all. But recently, City's consistency started taking a hit, as all the hard work started taking a toll on the players' fitness, and thereby their effectiveness as well.
In Aguero's absence, Gabriel Jesus ran out of form, and Raheem Sterling isn't as threatening in his makeshift central role, while several key players also started developing fatigue issues by turning in for continuous games without a break in between. De Bruyne's injury added to their woes.
Even Guardiola himself may have been aware of that fact, which might be why he instructed his side to put so much effort into starting the initial half hour of the game on the front foot - so as to try and reach a safe perching spot, before they ran out of their peak physical condition.
But the plan backfired, and not only did Chelsea resume the second half with a goal advantage, but they were also able to extend the lead by making use of David Silva and Leroy Sane's exits due to injuries.
#4 The air of obscurity surrounding Maurizio Sarri's intentions with N'Golo Kante is finally starting to clear up
The French World Cup winning star is typically a Central Defensive Midfielder, having perfected his role during his formative years at SM Caen and later at Leicester City as well, with whom he went on to win the PL title in the same role.
On his switch to Chelsea, Kante was played in his CDM position by former boss Antonio Conte, and he went on to win another PL with his new side as well.
But since Sarri took over, Kante has been made to play in an advanced position, with Jorginho often being made the CDM instead of Kante. The player did not seem to cope with the new conditions, in addition to being named by Sarri as the weakest link of the Chelsea chain in their recent defeat against Tottenham.
Things changed yesterday, as Kante not only played further up the pitch than he usually does, but he also influenced the game on many levels, with City keen to maintain their possesion and Kante's presence upsetting their rhythm.
It then went a notch higher, him scoring from a brilliantly timed shot to take his tally to two goals this season - equivalent to his combined numbers for both Chelsea and Leicester together, up to the end of last season.
#5 Title race for the 2018-19 Premier League thrown open to Liverpool as well
In fact, the Chelsea vs Manchester City game had not one winner, but two winners. While Chelsea won the contest on their turf, Liverpool indirectly won another contest and also got a chance to stake their claim for a bigger prize - the league title.
With all sides completing their 16th round of games, Liverpool enjoy a fragile 1-point lead at the table top with 42 points, whereas Manchester City are hot on their heels with 41 points. It is also the first time since late 2017 for any side to eclipse City to grab top spot on the charts.
They may feel fortunate to host two low intensity games - against Everton and Crystal palace before Christmas, after which come away ties with Leicester and Southampton.
Despite today's loss, almost everyone expects Guardiola and co to breeze through these fixtures, as Liverpool await them on January 3 2019.
The match may potentially decide the eventual winner of the season, and though City will have a home advantage, they will know Liverpool are not ones to be trifled with.
