Manchester City overtook Chelsea in the Premier League table and climbed into the top four of the division thanks to a 3-1 win over the Blues on Saturday afternoon.
Noni Madueke gave the visitors the lead three minutes after kick-off, but Chelsea never took advantage. City equalized just before half-time and scored two unanswered goals in the second half, with Erling Haaland opening the scoring before setting up Phil Foden in a brilliant display.
However, it was largely a flawed affair at the Etihad Stadium, which explains why both teams are fighting for Champions League qualification rather than the Premier League title.
How the game developed
“They will definitely be back soon,” Enzo Maresca said of Manchester City before kick-off. “I have no doubts.” The defending champions clearly had not regained their composure quickly enough to prevent Chelsea from taking the lead after three minutes.
The Blues capitalized on two frantic moments of indecision from debutant Abdukodir Khusanov. After diving under a high ball, the £42million recruit from Lens headed a back pass which Nicolas Jackson devoured and crossed to Madueke to give Chelsea an early lead.
The hosts regained their composure late on and created a wealth of chances in the first half, which also gave Chelsea a few chances to score. Most of City’s threat was channeled through Buccaneer figure Josko Gvardiol. After the strong full-back failed twice, he finally found the net.
Matheus Nunes’ attack backwards was repelled by a ball from Ilkay Gündogan over the goal. Marc Cucurella was caught off guard by an unusually direct approach and failed to stop his Portuguese counterpart, who crashed into a hesitant Robert Sanchez and sent the ball into Gvardiol’s grateful stride.
City stuck to their commitment to bypass Chelsea’s press after the break. Just moments after Haaland sent Omar Marmoush for a wayward attempt following a long drive from Ederson, the Norwegian goal eater took the burden.
Haaland cleverly fended off Trevoh Chalobah, spanned a 70-yard drive and crossed over to Sanchez, who was stuck in no man’s land.
An air of nervous energy pervaded the Etihad Stadium as memories of City’s frequent errors still remain vivid. Phil Foden’s coolly executed third goal dispelled these doubts. After another long pass forward, which Kevin De Bruyne passed on, Haaland sent his teammate to the game-winning shot.
City’s win moves them into the top four ahead of the Blues and Newcastle United and just three points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest. Chelsea, on the other hand, have slipped to sixth place, only above the very strong Bournemouth side because they have scored more goals this season.
Check out the player ratings for Man City 3-1 Chelsea here.
Khusanov’s Premier League career was three minutes and 36 seconds old when he conceded a goal and received his first yellow card in the competition. In comparison, Omar Marmoush proved he was dangerous in the first 40 seconds when he fired an early shot.
Exhausted from his failed dive for the first ball, Khusanov was caught up in the shaky four-in-the-morning logic as he attempted to head a pass from the edge of his own penalty area back to Ederson.
The Uzbekistan centre-back cleared his head to avoid further mistakes but was caught within ten minutes of the restart, shortly after narrowly escaping a second yellow card for a clattering foul on Jackson. Guardiola embraced the 20-year-old with a warm hug that few could blame him for.
Marmoush was removed shortly after City took a 2-1 lead. Without dignifying his debut by directly contributing to a goal, there were hints of the fruitful partnership the Egyptian could form with Haaland – particularly if City stick with their new direct approach.
“He’s getting better and better,” Maresca said this week of his starting goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, “but he’s still far, far away from where I want him.” That gap in performance and expectations will widen after the Spaniard’s performance have increased in the Etihad.
Sanchez spent Saturday night wading through a fog of indecision. The unconvincing goalkeeper was trapped in his six-yard penalty area when presented with the chance to intercept Nunes’ heavy touch to equalize for City and should have stayed on his line to collect Haaland’s chip. Sánchez’s sober wandering forced the Norwegian to aim, creating a chance that wouldn’t have existed if he hadn’t wandered around.
Chelsea’s number one has made five errors that have led to goals in the Premier League this season – a tally that no other goalkeeper in the league can surpass.
Despite the obvious outward respect that Maresca – Guardiola’s former assistant – showed his former employers, this was a golden opportunity for Chelsea to end their ten-game winning streak against City. Thomas Tuchel, another self-confessed Guardiola disciple, was the last Blues boss to beat the reigning English champions.
Chelsea took the lead after three minutes by exploiting the uncertainty still lurking at the seams of City’s rearguard. “Our problem is the ball,” Guardiola explained before the game. “This season that’s what we’ve been missing. When you have the ball and don’t pass to your buddy properly, everything is so difficult.”
Khusanov highlighted that vulnerability, but the Blues rarely tested City’s resolve after that, sitting in midfield for most of the game. Before the visitors could rediscover a vicious lead, City had finally figured out that they could avoid nervous passes in their own penalty area and threaten Chelsea’s penalty area by sending long balls forward to Haaland.