Pep Guardiola joined José Mourinho and Antonio Conte at the top of the Premier League after guiding his Manchester City side to their third successive league win. The Spaniard's side, which once again didn't include Joe Hart, overcame a sub-par West Ham 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
This is only the second time in history that both Manchester clubs have won their first three league games of the season.
However, the gloss might be taken away from City's celebrations if Sergio Aguero feels the wrath of the Premier League disciplinary committee, after cameras picked him up swinging an elbow at West Ham's Winston Reid.
If Aguero does pick up a three-match ban it will mean that he will be ruled out when Guardiola and Mourinho renew their rivalry at the first Manchester derby of the season, scheduled for September 10th at Old Trafford.
Fellaini got a 3 match ban for the same incident. So should Aguero
— Harsha (@VintageMUFC) August 28, 2016
Guardiola's side were seldom in trouble throughout the match, though palms will have gotten increasingly sweaty when Antonio pulled one back for the Hammers just prior to the hour mark after Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho had given City a two-goal cushion inside 20 minutes.
Sterling left it late but scored an imperious finish in injury time towards the end of the match to put the result beyond doubt, where he rounded West Ham goalkeeper Adrián and fooled the remaining defenders by slotting the ball over the line from the tightest of angles. It was a magnificent finish from a player who looks to be finding his feet under the guidance of Guardiola.
All eyes will be on Old Trafford after the international break where the first face-off between Guardiola and his rival José Mourinho will be a box office attraction all to itself, never mind the fact that it's a Manchester derby.
Eurosport's Tom Adams has called the true ramifications of this before anyone else:
And with both sides on 100% records too, something's gotta give when the blue and the red sides of Manchester clash in just over a week's time.
