Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points with a hard-fought victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Pep Guardiola’s side got the breakthrough in the second half when Jack Grealish crossed into the box for Rivad Mahrez to finish. The result sees Chelsea stay 10th in the table, 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Substitute Riyad Mahrez’s second-half goal was enough to earn Manchester City a 1-0 win away to Chelsea that sees them move to within five points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Mahrez tapped home Jack Grealish’s cross from close range just after the hour mark to grab Pep Guardiola’s side a deserved win on a night of few chances at Stamford Bridge.
It took some time for both teams to warm into the game, with Erling Haaland not even getting a touch of the ball until the 20th minute, while Chelsea’s rhythm was disrupted by having to withdraw Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic due to injury.
The first real sight of goal came just before half-time, when Haaland burst on to a delightful pass, only to stab over the bar, while Chelsea substitute Carney Chukwuemeka hit the post with an effort from distance ⁹
Manchester City were like a different team in the second half, ominously dominating possession and creating chances for Nathan Ake, who hit the post with a header, and Kevin De Bruyne, whose low effort was beaten away.
It did not look like it would be long until the deadlock was broken, and two substitutes combined to give the visitors the lead just past the hour mark when Mahrez tapped home Grealish’s inviting cross.
That proved to be enough to settle the match, much to the frustration of the home crowd as their side offered little in response to going behind and sunk to a first defeat since the World Cup.
“It never rains, but it pours,” said Graham Potter in his pre-match interview as he addressed the fact Mason Mount was missing from Chelsea’s squad due to an injury picked up in training.
That was far from the end of the manager’s problems though, as Sterling limped off just five minutes in against Manchester City with a hamstring problem, before Pulisic also had to be withdrawn.
It adds to a lengthy list of absentees for the Blues, including the likes of Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante and Reece James, and leaves the manager cursing his luck as he wonders just when he will be able to get his first choice XI out on the pitch.
Man City Jone Stones seen the player of the match. There weren’t too many players from either side, particularly from an attacking sense, who really shone, so credit must go to the defences, and particularly John Stones. The England international made a stunning tackle in the first half to stop Christian Pulisic from pulling the trigger from close range when he looked almost certain to score.
On top of that, the City centre-half ensured the likes of Kai Havertz and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang barely saw sight of goal, marshalling his side to only their second clean sheet in their last eight Premier League outings.
Pep Guardiola says Jack Grealish’s body language was “exceptional” as he praised the Manchester City player for his attitude in their 1-0 win over Chelsea.
“Grealish’s body language is exceptional if he plays or doesn’t play,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“These types of guys always play good. He was really good defensively too.”
On the match, he added: “We didn’t play good in the first half. I said thank you to Cancelo for his effort, playing in not his usual position. But we decided to go with a line-up where our players could adapt on the pitch if they decided to go five at the back.
“In the second half [we were] miles, miles better in every department. It’s a big result for us,” Pep said.
