Manchester City vs Chelsea Review
After a disastrous early blunder by debutant Abdukodir Khusanov, Manchester City rallied to secure a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League, extending the Blues’ winless streak against City to 11 matches (2 draws, 9 losses). New signings Omar Marmoush and Khusanov, the first Uzbekistani player to compete in the Premier League, were both included in the starting lineup as the defending champions aimed to recover from a disappointing 4-2 defeat to PSG in the UEFA Champions League.
The newcomers were active from the start, but after Marmoush’s early attempt forced a save from Robert Sánchez, Khusanov’s significant defensive mistake allowed Chelsea to take the lead. Just three minutes into the match, Khusanov misjudged a looping ball, letting it bounce over him and inadvertently heading it into the path of Nicolas Jackson, who then set up Noni Madueke to score into an open net.
The match began with a flurry of action, nearly allowing the Blues to extend their lead as the hosts were caught off guard. However, Cole Palmer’s pass sent Jackson too wide, resulting in a missed counter-attack. At the other end, Phil Foden, in great form, struck a powerful shot that hit the near post, just before Joško Gvardiol shot over from a good position. After regaining their composure, Pep Guardiola’s team finished the first half strong. Although Marmoush had a goal disallowed for offside, City fans soon had something to cheer about. After missing a chance moments earlier, Gvardiol took advantage of a central position and scored following a well-timed run from Matheus Nunes.
Chelsea, who had started well, began to struggle as City looked more likely to take the lead. A long ball led to a mistake by Levi Colwill, giving Erling Haaland a chance to shoot, but it didn’t trouble Sánchez. This was a sign of what was to come. After Marmoush narrowly missed with a decent shot, the hosts capitalized on a long ball from Ederson, with Haaland racing towards goal and chipping a poorly positioned Sánchez.
There has been considerable discussion about City’s struggle to secure victories, but the home team maintained a strong grip on the match as they clinched the win. Haaland demonstrated his strength by fending off his defender and setting up Foden, who sprinted through to score his sixth goal in the last four Premier League matches. This victory propels Guardiola’s team past the Blues into fourth place, while Enzo Maresca’s defeat in his return to the Etihad Stadium causes his team to fall to sixth, just one point behind.