Jamie Jackson was our man at the Etihad. Here’s his report. Enjoy, enjoy ... and thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Frank Lampard’s turn. “Some big parts were good. Some parts we can improve on. That’s why there’s a gap. We went toe-to-toe in the main. A moment of quality from Mahrez, and a deflection, was the difference. Games can be won or lost in the boxes and that was the difference. We’re coming to close the gap, and we’ll have to show our response to losing for the first time in a long time. We’re in the early stages, but if we keep working we’ll be coming.”
Guardiola also gave an update, of sorts, on Sergio Aguero, who limped off injured. It’s a “muscular” injury, and he’ll require a scan tomorrow. He might be out for “some days during the toughest part of our season”.
Pep’s thoughts. “It was a top game between top sides. A great victory for us. After they scored, we suffered a little bit, and in their best moments we scored. Then we created a lot of chances. They are a top side but we fought a lot and it’s a great victory. They are so good, they are an incredible team. It’s Chelsea. The last 15, 20 years it was always United and Chelsea. The top teams want to play and go forward, they are playing very well. Liverpool, Leicester, us and Chelsea. I give a lot of credit to my team.”
That was a very impressive performance by the champions. They were all over the shop for the best part of half an hour, and having fallen behind to N’Golo Kante’s goal, will have started to fret a little about the title race. But this City side aren’t back-to-back champs for nothing, and they refused to panic. They slowly reasserted their authority in midfield and will wonder how they didn’t win by a larger margin in the end. Not that it matters a whole lot. A win’s a win’s a win, ain’t that the truth. Chelsea meanwhile can take heart from their performance in the early stages. It didn’t bear fruit today, but there’s no shame in a young side losing to this Pep machine. And here’s Mary Waltz with the tl;dr version: “Chelsea ran out of gas or ideas, City kept their cool and got the win they had to have. Kudos to them.”
FULL TIME: Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
But it doesn’t matter! City move into third, leapfrogging Chelsea and keeping on Liverpool and Leicester’s tail!
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VAR! NO GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
A hair on Sterling’s arm had wafted offside, apparently. What a fiasco VAR is.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea (Sterling 90+3)
Sterling has done next to nothing today ... except seal the deal for the champions! He latches onto Jesus’s header down the middle, swivels, and guides a shot into the bottom left! Kepa should have done better, but a decent finish nonetheless.
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90 min +2: Mount’s effort - from the best part of 30 yards - flies wide left. But not a million miles away from the top corner. Ederson was diving over at full stretch, taking no chances whatsover.
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90 min +1: Kante latches onto a loose Sterling pass in midfield and races into the City half. Gundogan clips his heel cynically, taking a booking for the team. Mount is preparing to take a belt at the free kick from long range.
90 min: The Etihad is a little bit nervous. For all City’s dominance in this second half, they’re still just one lapse away from dropping a couple more precious points in the title race. The four minutes to be added on won’t go particularly quickly for them.
88 min: Mahrez flicks Foden into acres down the left, but the young midfielder hits a blind cross to nobody in particular. He may as well have taken a shot.
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87 min: Mount attempts to release Willian with a long pass down the inside right, but Mendy reads well and intercepts, before drawing a foul that eases the pressure on the champions. Time is on their side.
85 min: Ederson plays a lazy pass out, straight at Batshuayi. The ball balloons off the striker’s backside, over the keeper, and fortunately for City, out of play to the right of goal. On the touchline, Pep simmers quietly.
84 min: Chelsea have enjoyed nearly 70 percent of possession in the last ten minutes. However only six percent of the play has taken place in City’s final third.
82 min: Chelsea are beginning to ask the odd question. Mount bombs down the middle and tries to release Batshuayi with a sliderule pass along the inside-left channel. Batshuayi should take up possession just inside the City box, but falls over and the ball rolls out for a goal kick instead.
80 min: Chelsea spring forward. Pulisic breaks fast down the left and swans inside. He lays off to Willian, whose first touch isn’t the best, but the ball sits up and allows him to take a Le Tissieresque lash at goal. It’s going over the bar, but Ederson fingertips over anyway. But Chelsea don’t get the corner they deserve. Willian is fuming.
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79 min: Chelsea knock it around the back, but City are pressing hard and they’re struggling to break out of their final third.
77 min: Foden takes another speculative effort at goal. His sidefoot slap flies harmlessly wide left.
76 min: Augero is limping. City are taking no chances, and on comes Jesus in his stead. Aguero takes an absolute age to trot off; expect a little time to be added on for that brazenly drawn-out farewell at the end.
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74 min: A double change for Chelsea. Batshuayi and Mount replace Abraham and Jorginho.
72 min: Foden has a crack from distance. Kepa smothers. Then Sterling chips over the Chelsea back line. Aguero, chasing, runs into James and wants a penalty. But he’s not getting it, Martin Atkinson deeming it an accidental collision.
71 min: Willian, Abraham, Kovacic and Pulisic combine artfully, pinging first-time passes to each other down the middle and nearly opening City up. The move comes to a pitiful end, however, as Abraham miscontrols, then assumes he’ll win a corner off Fernandinho. But the Brazilian isn’t giving it up, and draws a foul from the young striker, who panics upon realising he shouldn’t have powered down.
69 min: James makes another run down the right. He whips a Beckhamesque cross towards Abraham by the far post. The striker is an inch or two away from connecting. But what delivery by the young full-back. He really does look like a player.
68 min: James crosses from the right. The ball’s only half-cleared, and falls to Willian, who blazes over wildly from a promising position down the inside-right. A decent half-chance wasted by a rush of blood to the noggin. Chelsea don’t need to panic yet.
67 min: The old warrior can’t continue. He’s replaced by Foden.
66 min: A pause as Silva gets treatment for cramp.
65 min: Fernandinho, Silva and Sterling triangulate sharply down the let and win their fourth corner of the evening so far. De Bruyne swings long. Aguero clips it back into the mixer from the right. Fernandinho, coming in from the left, shoots straight at Azpilicueta. The ball breaks to Mahrez, whose rising shot is tipped over by Kepa. Nothing comes of the resulting corner, but City are pushing hard for the third goal that would surely put this game to bed.
63 min: A rare period of second-half possession for Chelsea. They stroke it around the middle, then Kovacic tries to release Willian with a quick pass down the right. Not quite. But it’s a little bit better from the visitors, for whom the opening half hour must seem quite a long time ago.
61 min: Jorginho is booked for a cynical block on De Bruyne, who was looking to make good up the left wing. No argument.
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59 min: Emerson is replaced by James, who will offer some extra pace at right back while the captain Azpilicueta shifts across to the other flank.
57 min: Chelsea commit too many players to an attack, and suddenly Mahrez is heading the other way. He’s got time and space to work in, and options either side, but instead dallies before taking a shot that’s blocked easily. Aguero is incensed, though he tries to keep the attack going, unsuccessfully as it happens.
56 min: Stones tries to guide a header goalwards, but it’s deflected wide. The second corner is a training-ground masterpiece, Mahrez pulling it back for Cancelo, who is free in a pocket just inside the Chelsea box on the right. Cancelo slapshots towards the bottom left, where Aguero waits to bundle home, but Azpilicueta is on hand to block and clear.
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55 min: De Bruyne romps down the right and enters the box at great speed. He hits a shot - or is it a cross? - towards the far corner. Kepa feathers it with his fingertips and that’ll be a corner.
54 min: Chelsea finally put something together in attack, Willian driving down the right and seeing his shot blocked pretty much the second it leaves his boot. City clear. But Chelsea come back again, quickly, Willian playing a reverse pass down the right to release Azpilicueta, who cuts back from the byline for Kante. The shot that follows is deflected inches wide of the right-hand post by Fernandinho. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
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52 min: Rodri appears to have picked up some sort of tweak. He’s replaced by Gundogan.
51 min: More of the City passing. Chelsea have completely misplaced their early verve.
49 min: And then suddenly Mahrez sashays in from the right and pulls the trigger, sending the ball inches wide of the left-hand post. Kepa might have had that covered ... but you wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
48 min: City have hardly given Chelsea a sniff since the restart. They continue to pass it around, a statement of intent.
46 min: City finished the first half very strongly, and in the early exchanges of this second period, they’re looking to reestablish that domination. They ping the ball around in the sterile manner, making Chelsea nip about hither and yon.
City get the ball rolling for the second half. No half-time changes.
Half-time reading. Just in case you’re wondering why both teams are going for it in such devil-may-care fashion ...
HALF TIME: Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
The thrills of association football, the rhythms of basketball. That was magnificent fun. Where did those 45 minutes go?
45 min +1: They nearly don’t make it safe to the shore. Sterling is sent scampering down the left. He’s in an awful lot of space, but when he brings Silva and Aguero into the mix, the trio overthink things on the edge of the box. A couple of pointlessly intricate flicks later, and Silva’s passing the ball out for a goal kick, with Sterling standing offside.
45 min: Chelsea stroke it around the back awhile. They’re waiting for the half-time whistle, and a change to regroup, because for the first time they’re beginning to look a little ragged.
43 min: Kepa gets away with a howler! He shanks a pass upfield, straight to Aguero. The striker’s eyes light up ... but he somehow fails to make Chelsea pay, lofting a shot over the keeper, towards the top left, and off the crossbar! Chelsea clear their lines.
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41 min: ... and neither is VAR. The correct decision. There was no significant contact.
40 min: City scream for a penalty kick. Silva is released into the box down the left by Sterling. Silva swivels and crosses low for Aguero, who tries to nip in ahead of Tomori but falls over instead. Martin Atkinson isn’t interested ...
39 min: Willian scampers down the right and reaches the byline. He flicks a pass towards Abraham at the near post, but Stones gets in the road. City clear. Chelsea are still looking dangerous every time they cross the halfway line.
38 min: So far, City are leading Chelsea 7-6 on attempts. How is this only 2-1?
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea (Mahrez 37)
We should ask that sort of question more often. Mahrez dribbles with purpose, in from the right. He slips between Emerson and Kovacic, opens his body as he enters the area, and slots a gorgeous curler across Kepa and into the bottom left!
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36 min: De Bruyne cuts in from the right and very nearly sends a whistler into the top left. Inches over. What an effort! How is this still only 1-1?
35 min: Chelsea finally recover from the blow of the equaliser. Willian strides down the middle of the park, City’s defence lined up in the avant-garde style once again. He should send Abraham, to his right, clear on goal, but hesitates and eventually plays the easier pass to Emerson on his left. Emerson’s cross is no good, and that’s that.
33 min: De Bruyne flicks a ball to Aguero, just inside the Chelsea box on the right. Aguero turns and shoots, but he’s not got much space to operate in, and doesn’t really catch it. Kepa gathers.
32 min: City were rocking hysterically back there, but suddenly they’ve reestablished a modicum of control. That’s why they’re champions. They stroke it around the middle awhile, making Chelsea chase shadows, just because they can.
30 min: That’s got the home crowd singing again. Most likely that isn’t going to be an end to the scoring.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (De Bruyne 29)
The champions step it up! Fernandinho nicks the ball off Abraham in the centre circle, and City are away on the counter. The ball ends up at De Bruyne’s feet, on the edge of the D. He drops a shoulder and sends a shot towards the bottom left. But the ball takes a huge deflection off Zouma, closing in, and whistles past a wrong-footed Kepa in to the other side!
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28 min: Chelsea are bossing this. City’s midfield - when was the last time we could truly say this? - is being overrun. The home faithful have slipped into a state of mild anxiety. The champions need to step this up.
26 min: Tomori launches long. Abraham nearly gets the better of Fernandinho in a one-on-one footrace. But City’s makeshift central defender holds firm, just, and the flag went up for offside anyway. However, yet again, City looked threadbare at the back. They can’t go on like this.
24 min: Another corner, after De Bruyne and Aguero dip into their bag of tricks and nearly open Chelsea up down the right. A set piece isn’t much of a reward for an intricate move, especially when De Bruyne blooters it behind in uncharacteristically clumsy fashion.
23 min: That was no more than Chelsea deserved. City need a response, and quick. They earn a corner, but there’s no instant redemption as Stones heads weakly off target.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea (Kante 21)
It’s fair to say this had been coming. Kovacic, to the left of the centre circle, sprays a perfectly weighted ball down the channel to release Kante. Where are City’s central defenders? There’s a search party out for them. Meanwhile Mendy comes across to try to help, but Kante holds him off, draws the outrushing Ederson, and does enough to flick the ball past the keeper and into the empty net!
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19 min: Willian drives at City, head down. He passes to Emerson, free as a bird on the left. Emerson strides into the area. He really should roll the ball across for Abraham to sidefoot home, but goes for glory instead. Bad choice. His poor effort flies straight down Ederson’s throat, and then he receives the mother of all bollockings, richly deserved, from Abraham and a couple of other team-mates.
17 min: Mahrez and De Bruyne link up down the inside-right channel, the former nearly releasing the latter. The move is ended by Tomori, who heads cutely away from trouble when in a tight spot on the byline. Chelsea go straight up the other end, Pulisic driving at the City defence before scooping a chip over the back line for Abraham. As Abraham shaped to shoot, he’s clipped from behind by Cancelo. It would have been an obvious penalty kick ... but Abraham was clearly offside, and City breathe again.
15 min: Willian and Kante combine well down the right and earn a corner off Stones. There’s some head tennis in the box. Then the ball drops to Tomori, in a preposterous pocket of space to the right of the penalty spot. He lashes a shot inches wide of the bottom-right corner. This match is fantastic. Ludicrous, but fantastic.
14 min: This match is absurdly open. Both defences are all over the shop right now. Our pre-match pundits Mary Waltz and Hubert O’Hearn had it damn straight, there’s surely no way this is going to end goalless. Both sides could easily have netted a couple already.
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12 min: Aguero showcases some Maradonaesque ball control in a tight spot just inside the Chelsea area. He can’t get a shot away, so hands off to Mahrez instead. No joy for Mahrez either.
11 min: Jorginho cuts in from the left and slips a pass forward to Kante, who tees up Abraham on the edge of the D. Abraham attempts a chip over Ederson, but curls the ball just wide of the top-right corner.
9 min: From the restart, Aguero is sent scampering clear on goal by Ederson’s long goal kick. But the whistle goes, because the ball was still moving when Ederson threw it down and punted upfield.
8 min: Now Chelsea show their teeth. Mahrez is robbed by a buzzing Abraham, who slips the ball to Willian on the right. Willian is in acres, with Mendy way out of position. He enters the box and, like De Bruyne minutes before up the other end, sends a diagonal daisycutter inches wide of the left-hand post. Give or take a few millimetres here and there, and this game would be 1-1 already.
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6 min: Chelsea string a few passes together in City territory. But the move’s broken up, and suddenly the hosts are tearing upfield on the counter. Silva feeds Aguero, who eats up the turf before slipping De Bruyne into acres to his right. De Bruyne opts to cut inside instead of entering the box directly to shoot, a strange decision that proves costly. Chelsea usher him away from the danger zone.
4 min: Suddenly City burst into life. Fernandinho rolls a pass down the inside-right channel from deep. Aguero picks it up and flicks it on to De Bruyne, who enters the box from the right and whistles a low shot across Kepa and inches wide of the left-hand post. That was a rapier thrust, and very nearly the opening goal.
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3 min: Ederson kicks it long. Somebody’s been watching Tottenham earlier today.
2 min: Chelsea win a throw deep in City territory. Within 15 seconds or so, the ball’s back at Kepa’s feet. Everyone carefully feeling each other out at the minute. It’s a big game. Nobody do anything rash!
Chelsea get the ball rolling. A massive roar. The ball’s hoicked upfield and then it’s City’s turn to get an early touch. No fast start.
Any road, the teams are out. There’s the usual pre-match air of anticipation ... but a little bit of apprehension too. Both teams will be desperate for a win; anything else will seriously compromise their pursuit of Liverpool and Leicester City. We’ll be off once everyone stops crooning Blue Moon.
Seems you lot are expecting an evening of freewheeling entertainment. “Chelsea is probably the last team that City would prefer to see at this time,” argues Mary Waltz. “City has to win. Lose this fixture and their hopes for a title are crushed. Chelsea form has been wonderful and even though on paper they should lose they may be too young and too talented to realise they are in over their heads. Should be fun.”
Meanwhile Hubert O’Hearn adds: “This is a truly exciting match. Besides all the wonderful young talent Chelsea are bedding in – and City is vulnerable to speed which Chelsea has plenty of – what fascinates me is just how good a manager Frank Lampard is proving to be. In any major team sport, the rarest thing to find is a truly great player who becomes a truly great head coach/manager. Good for Lampard. Lampard always struck me as a solid, good sportsman and he’s assembling a memorable team. Let’s call this one an exhilarating 3-3 draw.”
Well that’s fate tempted in the grand tradition. If it’s 0-0 after 75 minutes, remind me to come back and delete this entry.
Pep, in one of his more abrupt moods, didn’t have too much to say in his pre-match chat with Sky Sports. He praised Chelsea’s “spirit ... they’re free in their heads, they play good. Individually the quality of the players they have is a top-class team.” He also insisted that swapping out both full-backs is not a reaction to defeat against Liverpool, and responded positively to a question regarding his team’s likelihood of bouncing back from that loss in impressive style. “Yes.”
Frank Lampard’s pre-match statement of intent: “To come to Manchester City and declare I’m going to dominate with the ball would be a bit brave. But we have to be confident we can play. We’ve been confident on the ball recently, creating chances, so we have to come with that idea. But we’ve also got to understand we’re coming up against a team that’s been doing this for a few seasons to a really high standard. Both elements of our game, on and off the ball, will have to be spot on to get a result.”
There’ll be a blue moon over Manchester this evening whatever happens at the Etihad. City will of course be playing in their famous sky blue. But their shirts are a different enough hue for visitors Chelsea to get away with their own royal version.
The stakes have just got that little bit higher. The leaders Liverpool have won 2-1 at Crystal Palace, while second-placed Leicester City are 2-0 winners at Brighton & Hove Albion. As things now stand, Liverpool are on 37 points, 11 clear of Chelsea and 12 clear of City. Leicester meanwhile are certain to stay in second place tonight, on 29 points, unless Chelsea win 14-0 that is. So good luck with that. Barry Glendenning has all the details of the 3pm kick-offs.
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Manchester City make five changes to the team sent out at Anfield a fortnight ago. Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Benjamin Mendy and Riyad Mahrez replace Claudio Bravo, Kyle Walker, Angelino and Ilkay Gundogan, who all drop to the bench. David Silva is in for his suspended namesake Bernardo.
Chelsea make a couple of changes to the side that saw off Crystal Palace two weeks back. Mason Mount and Reece James are replaced by Jorginho and captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
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The teams
Manchester City: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Stones, Fernandinho, Mendy, De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva, Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling.
Subs: Bravo, Walker, Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Jose Angelino, Otamendi, Foden.
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori, Emerson Palmieri, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Willian, Abraham, Pulisic.
Subs: Christensen, Pedro, Caballero, Giroud, Mount, Batshuayi, James.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
Preamble
There’s a little bit of pressure building on Manchester City. The back-to-back Premier League champions, last season’s imperious treble winners, are currently only fourth in the table. Right now, they sit nine points off the blistering pace set by Liverpool ... and a point behind both Leicester City and Chelsea. This picture could improve or get even worse by the time the 3pm kick-offs are done and dusted - more on those anon - but this is where City are at the moment. They haven’t been here for a while.
How they’ll respond to that defeat at Anfield before the international break will be fascinating. The last time they lost on the road, at Norwich in September, they won their next Premier League match 8-0.
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That thrashing of Watford may give today’s visitors to the Etihad pause for thought. Because Chelsea - for it is they - shipped six goals in this fixture last season. Uh-oh.
Chelsea are a different proposition this time round, mind you. Frank Lampard has got his fledglings freewheeling all over the shop, and they’ve won their last six Premier League games. The defence might not be totally dependable yet, but who cares when the attackers are having so much fun? The Blues have their tails up - and they’ll also take heart from their impressive win over City at Stamford Bridge nearly a year ago.
City will be desperate to keep on Liverpool’s shoulder, and keep their dreams of a hat-trick of league titles alive. But Chelsea will have designs on the title race themselves, and any sort of positive result here would signal that they’re not intending to go away. This match could potentially affect the story of the entire season. So will City reassert their authority? Or will Chelsea’s unexpected challenge get that little bit more serious? It’s going to be a blast finding out ... and it’s on!
Kick-off: 5.30pm GMT.
