Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake added to Manchester City's problems at Chelsea that meant Pep Guardiola failed to name a full matchday squad.
Eric Garcia became the sixth Blue to test positive for Covid-19 when results from Saturday's tests came back, but because he was already injured and hadn't travelled with the first team squad it was deemed safe for the Premier League match to go ahead.
Being without Ederson, Ferran Torres, Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, and Tommy Doyle as well as Garcia limited Guardiola's options for selection, and he was further hindered by the unavailability of another two defenders; Laporte missed the clash with what was described as a minor hamstring injury while Ake did not pass a fitness test. Through injuries or form, Laporte has not started in the Premier League for the Blues since the defeat to Tottenham in November.
That left Guardiola without eight players - a new season-high for them having played three of their first four games while missing seven.
Benjamin Mendy was named in the matchday squad despite having to apologise on Sunday morning following a story that reported him breaking Covid rules by hosting an event at his house on New Year's Eve. The French defender was on the bench, with Aleks ZInchenko starting at left-back.
Luke Mbete, a 17-year-old centre-back who has seriously impressed in the academy this season playing for the Under-23s to the extent that he has landed on Guardiola's radar, also makes the bench.
