Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City
Manchester City’s Premier League title campaign got back up and running on Thursday night as a second half goal converted by Riyad Mahrez gave them all three points against Chelsea.
The Sky Blues are now just five points behind leaders Arsenal and their Premier League 2023 results need to be pretty much faultless from this stage.
But this was a good start for Pep Guardiola’s boys and they are favourites to see the job through. Poor Chelsea are stranded in mid-table and, with a worrying injury list, they may have a difficult month ahead.
Highlights of the game
Chelsea’s attempt to derail City’s title challenge were themselves hampered by two more early injuries. The drama started in the very first minute when former Sky Blue favourite Raheem Sterling clashed with John Stones and the Chelsea forward pulled up immediately.
Sterling appeared to be touching his hamstring and that was the last we saw of him as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came on as an early substitute. And before the game was a quarter of the way through, the Blues lost their other winger, Christian Pulisic, with Stones again the man who put in a crunching tackle as the American was about to shoot.
His replacement, 19-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka almost made an immediate name for himself when Kai Havertz pulled a great ball back but Bernardo Silva put in a superb block.
The Blues’ injury list is getting longer by the day with Mason Mount ruled out before the kick-off, but the Sky Blues seemed reluctant to take advantage and registered their first shot on 33 minutes when Ilkay Gundogan shot tamely wide. Erling Haaland got his first shot away five minutes later but it too flew off target.
And it was Chelsea who came the closest in the first half when Chukwuemeka cut in and unleashed a shot which took a slight deflection, beating Ederson and then crashed back off the post.
Pep Guardiola had work to do at half time and it looked like he’d done it as well as you’d expect as the Sky Blues came out firing.
Haaland had an early shot to send a warning to the Blues and then Nathan Ake met a Kevin De Bruyne cross and crashed his header against the post.
City were clearly winding up and Kepa had to be alert to save a De Bruyne shot at his near post. But the threat eventually became too much for Chelsea and a trademark City move broke the deadlock, as substitute Jack Grealish eventually passing the perfect ball across the penalty area for another sub Riyad Mahrez to tap in.
The two players had only been on for five minutes – another Guardiola masterstroke.
The game became stretched as Chelsea threw men forward and the Sky Blues almost doubled their lead when De Bruyne broke free but Haaland was inches away from converting his cross.
Graham Potter introduced Conor Gallagher and he injected some urgency and no little skill to Chelsea’s attempted revival, but the task was too much for the hosts and City’s pure efficiency made sure the one goal was enough.
Another substitute, Lewis Hall, had a late chance but his shot flew high and wide as City collected all three points.
Key statistics
Here at SBOTOP, we priced Manchester City at 1.67 to win. And their second half performance warranted the victory, the Sky Blues’ third 1-0 win over Chelsea in the league in succession.
The Blues have now lost six league games this season, the same number as they lost throughout the entire 2021/22 campaign.
They are short on numbers and put up a fight, with eight shots to City’s 12 and two to three on target, but Potters men stay in tenth place.
What’s next?
The race for the English crown is hotting up that’s for sure and the latest Premier League 2023 betting odds had taken a turn towards North London.
But when league leaders Arsenal drew with Newcastle, they passed up a chance to go ten points clear at the top and opened the door to the reigning champions and the pressure is starting to rise.
Next up these two teams have tasty derbies to look forward to.
Chelsea have a West London meeting away to Fulham next Thursday while Manchester City head across the road to Old Trafford to take on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United on Saturday 14th January.
But before the next round of league fixtures we have FA Cup action and, of course, City and the Blues meet again in the third round tie-of-the round on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea’s depleted squad must be fearing the worst.
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