Manchester City's 6-0 win against Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon was the 13th time that the club have scored six or more goals in a game under Pep Guardiola, just one short of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United record.
Guardiola's side continued their recent resurgence by thrashing the Tractor Boys and extending their unbeaten run to six games, winning four and drawing two in that period.
City are now fourth in the Premier League with 38 points after 22 matchweeks, and while a title charge seems improbable, they have at least put themselves in good position from which to qualify for the Champions League.
The champions' thrashing of Ipswich was the 13th time that they have scored at least six goals in a Premier League game under Guardiola, matching the number of times Arsene Wenger achieved this feat with Arsenal.
However, it should be noted that Guardiola has been in charge of City for 326 top-flight matches, while Wenger led the Gunners out 828 times and Ferguson led United out on 810 occasions.
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Can Guardiola ever surpass Ferguson's legacy at Manchester United?
Guardiola's achievements in England are arguably not given the respect they deserve, with rival fans and commentators linking City's success to the club's financial riches.
The unresolved court case regarding their alleged breaches of the league's spending rules has fuelled such narratives, but it is difficult to tarnish Guardiola's success with the potential faults of the club itself.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles - double the amount Wenger managed - and though he is still short of Ferguson's record 13 titles, it took the legendary United boss 21 seasons to reach that total, whereas Guardiola has won six in eight full seasons.
The former Barcelona boss also holds the record for the highest ever points tally by a manager - 100 in the 2017-18 campaign - and has won the last four league titles on offer.
Ferguson's decorated career as Red Devils boss saw him guide the club to two Champions League triumphs, and while Guardiola has often been criticised for his failure to win Europe's premier competition more often, he did help secure City's first ever Champions League trophy in 2022-23 as part of a treble.
It is hard to compare Ferguson and Guardiola given both coached their respective side's in completely different contexts, but it would be wrong to suggest that the City boss is not at least worthy of being in the conversation with Ferguson as the Premier League's best ever manager.
Lewis Nolan
