In a week which displayed football's grubby, cynical underbelly then this match helped restore a little faith in the beautiful game.

Celtic and Manchester City produced an enthralling, exhilarating and breathless clash which has a strong claim to go down as a Champions League classic.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City had swept all before them as they chased a record-equalling 11th consecutive win but they were not fully prepared for the cauldron of noise created by the home fans. "The loudest game I've ever played in" was Craig Gordon's verdict.

And yet it would be wrong to script this as a tale of a plucky Scottish side riding the waves of a fervent, intense support. Around the madness of six goals the nation's champions went toe-to-toe with Britain's best side, built on a mix of high pressing and fluid movement between their attacking four.

Statistics alone can't capture the excitement of watching these two teams slug it out in such an entertaining contest but the numbers can help to show why the match unfolded as it did.

Scott Brown and Nir Bitton provided a platform for Celtic's attackers to roam at will while harrying and harassing the visitors at every opportunity when required to defend. This was their best display as a pairing with the Celtic skipper staying true to his pre-match promise of a more aggressive but controlled display.

Brown rarely wasted a pass, completing 42 of his 46 attempts when handed the ball while Bitton completed 85% of his 41 passes, without this Celtic would have been overwhelmed by the relentless nature of Guardiola's men.

The duo were the most constant source of supply for Moussa Dembele, who once again showed glimpses of his pedigree and overall potential in the biggest matches. Fresh from bagging a double, the Frenchman entered the media mixed zone in his kit with blades of grass still stuck to his face and a smile as wide as the Clyde.

The 20-year-old gave Nicolas Otamendi and Aleksandar Kolarov a torrid evening, showing strength, pace and ingenuity to leave the City backline bamboozled. Dembele's hold up play helped the hosts drive up the field at speed with the only blemish on his copybook being the slack pass to Brown, which led the Raheem Sterling's goal.

"They are strong in the long balls, and they have amazing wingers," Guardiola said when praising the hosts' display, in particular wide men Scott Sinclair and James Forrest. While Celtic were certainly effective when spreading the play, City were not adverse to going long either to escape the midfield battle and open up space, attempting 69 passes from distance to Celtic's 66.

With Rodgers a very public disciple of Guardiola's work at Barcelona, it was little surprise to see his team mirror City's approach to building from the back with combinations down the flanks a regular feature. Erik Sviatchenko and Kieran Tierney linked up more than any Celtic players while City's right sided pairing of Zabaleta and Sterling a constant menace on a frenetic night.

Guardiola's teams have always been built with an obsession over possession and with the exception of Nolito, City's outfield players all had a pass completion rate of over 80%.

At Celtic's Lennoxtown training base they will pour over these numbers in a bid to iron out the creases ahead of the rest of the Group C campaign. For the rest of us it will be the six thrilling goals and atmosphere, which will live long in the memory.