Chelsea vs Manchester City Review
Manchester City kicked off their Premier League title defense perfectly by defeating Chelsea 2-0 on the opening day, marking their 13th victory in 14 season openers. The reigning champions quickly found their rhythm as they aimed for a fifth consecutive Premier League title. Their efforts paid off midway through the first half when Erling Haaland outmuscled Marc Cucurella and calmly scored, chipping the ball past the advancing Robert Sánchez.
Although Sánchez was beaten on that occasion, he made a remarkable full-stretch save later in the half to deny Jérémy Doku, keeping Chelsea in the match. Just before halftime, Chelsea thought they had equalized when Nicolas Jackson scored from close range after Ederson mishandled Cole Palmer’s powerful shot, but the assistant referee’s flag ruled the goal out, saving Ederson from embarrassment.
Pep Guardiola brought on Phil Foden at halftime, but it was Erling Haaland who nearly increased their lead after the break, with his curling left-foot shot being saved by Sánchez. Soon after, Chelsea’s goalkeeper was picking the ball out of the net when Rico Lewis scored from close range, but due to a foul by Haaland on Levi Colwill during the buildup meant the goal will not stand.
Marseca introduced four of his many new signings in an effort to get back into the match, but it was one of their former players, Mateo Kovačić, who sealed Chelsea’s fate by driving forward and firing a shot from the edge of the box that Sánchez couldn’t stop. This marked a perfect start to the season for City, while Chelsea still faces uncertainty regarding their capabilities ahead of their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier against Servette later in the week.