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A second-half strike by Gabriel Jesus was enough to give Manchester City a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday's lunchtime kickoff.
The hosts made four changes to the side that saw off Tottenham last weekend. Thomas Tuchel recalled Edouard Mendy, Timo Werner, Reece James and N'Golo Kante to the starting lineup.
Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden made their first Premier League starts for Manchester City this season. Nathan Ake and Fernandinho were among those who dropped to the bench.
The visitors started the game on the front foot and dominated possession in the early stages, with Chelsea content to sit back and try to hit on the break.
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Manchester City deployed a high line and pressed Chelsea aggressively each time they lost the ball.
It was, however, the hosts who had the first notable chance of the game as Lukaku showed excellent hold-up play to release Timo Werner on the counter. The German, however, saw his goalbound shot deflected to safety by Kyle Walker's block.
Rodri and Gabriel Jesus went close for Manchester City but neither side could find a breakthrough to ensure we entered the break all square.
Manchester City continued their dominance in the second half and got a deserved lead in the 53rd minute.
A short corner kick routine saw the visitors play around the edge of the Chelsea box before Joao Cancelo sent a shot at goal which fell to Gabriel Jesus. He expertly controlled the ball and wriggled his way around the pressure from defenders with his deflected shot leaving Mendy flat-footed in the Chelsea goal.
Lukaku had the ball in the back of the net soon after but the goal was rightly chalked off for offside. Meanwhile Jack Grealish had two great chances to double his side's lead.
Ultimately, Manchester City held on for victory to condemn Chelsea to their first loss of the season.
The win sees the defending champions climb to second spot in the table while Chelsea drop into third place.
Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Pep Guardiola finally gets one over Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea manager and enters the record books in the process
This fixture has been a recurring one in recent months, with this the fifth time that both sides have traded tackles since the turn of the year.
Manchester City came into the game having lost each of their last three fixtures against Chelsea. The most painful was their loss in the final of the UEFA Champions League in May. The Blues also knocked them out of the FA Cup and had a league triumph at the Etihad.
In essence, Pep Guardiola had not registered a victory over Thomas Tuchel since he became the Chelsea manager. Much of the pre-game talk surrounded whether the Catalan could finally break the jinx.
Most of those losses were characterized by Guardiola deviating from his regular tactics in a bid to get one over the Chelsea manager. However, he returned to basics for this game and the result was his side dominating proceedings from start to finish.
The victory also saw the Catalan enter the record books, as it was his 221st win since becoming Manchester City manager five years ago.
The record took just 303 matches to achieve and saw him overtake the late Les McDowall, who spent 12 years as City between 1937 and 1949.
#4 Gabriel Jesus steps up for Manchester City
Gabriel Jesus' career at Manchester City has been a bit of a paradox. On the one hand, the Brazil international has contributed immensely to the successes enjoyed by the club in the last four years. This has seen him amass a trophy count that is the envy of many players around the world.
However, at no point has the 24-year-old been essential as the club's focal point. Many even saw him as one of the extra accessories in Manchester City's winning machine.
Sergio Aguero's departure in the summer offered Jesus an opportunity to play a starring role. However, most of the window was characterized by City's ultimately futile pursuit of Harry Kane.
Furthermore, Guardiola stated last week that City do not have a guy who can score '20-25 goals a season'. This was an indictment on the sole out-and-out striker in the squad.
Gabriel Jesus issued the perfect response by scoring the match-winner and the manner in which he took the goal underlines his natural striking instinct.
Whether that will be enough to give him an extended run of play in front of goal remains to be seen.
#3 The Premier League table gives an indication of what will unfold this season
Chelsea and Manchester City are among the favorites to win the Premier League this term. The defending champions have the most talented squad in the league, while the Blues augmented impressively during the last transfer window.
The last few seasons in England's top-flight have been characterized by a runaway leader being crowned with more than a handful of matches to go.
Manchester City and Liverpool have shown remarkable superiority to the rest of the competition. In the process, making a mockery of those who crown the Premier League as the most competitive in the world.
However, this season points to one of the closest title races in recent memory and the early signs suggest that this could be the case come May.
Chelsea came into the game level on points with Liverpool at the summit but their defeat to Manchester City saw them drop into third spot.
Furthermore, Manchester United's shock defeat to Aston Villa at Old Trafford means that the top four teams are all tied on 13 points.
It is highly likely that the top of the table will change before the end of the matchday, with Brighton, Liverpool and Everton all within a victory of steering clear.
However, the major contenders have shown their readiness to go toe-to-toe with one another in the title race this season.
#2 Chelsea concede a Premier League goal from open play for the first time this season
One of the most remarkable managerial feats of recent times has been Thomas Tuchel's transformation of the Chelsea defense.
Prior to the German tactician's arrival, the Blues struggled to shut out opponents under the management of Frank Lampard.
That has all changed in the last few months of Tuchel's management and Chelsea are now one of the most compact sides on the entire continent.
This defensive solidity was the foundation from which the Stanford Bridge outfit claimed European glory last term. They continued where they left off this season.
Coming into the game against Manchester City, Chelsea had conceded just one goal in their first five league matches. That goal came from the penalty spot against Liverpool.
They had yet to be breached from open play but Gabriel Jesus had other ideas with his well-taken goal in the 53rd minute.
#1 Manchester City were deserved winners against Chelsea
Chelsea put up one of their worst displays under Tucchel's management, with perhaps only the remarkable 5-2 defeat to West Brom being worse.
The Blues looked lackluster against Manchester City and familiar problems in attack came to the fore.
The hosts failed to fashion a single shot on target, with Romelu Lukaku cutting a frustrated figure upfront.
Chelsea's poor performance should, however, not take away from Manchester City's dominance and the Cityzens were good value for the win.
They showed their intent from the blast of the first whistle and dominated proceedings from start to finish.
The visitors were more adventurous throughout the game and had more shots, corner kicks, possession, shots on target and passes than their opponents.
Manchester City should have ended the game with a more convincing victory. But they were let down by poor finishing, with 100 million man Jack Grealish the biggest culprit.
