Well, that was unexpected.
At one point, it all looked to be going City’s way after a dominant first half display saw them go into half time ahead against a Chelsea side fresh off seven consecutive wins in the Premier League. It should have been more, and in the Londoners’ case less, regarding the impossible decision not to send David Luiz off for a last man barge on the onrushing Aguero midway through the first period. Instead, referee Anthony Taylor waved play on. Inconsistent refereeing decisions seemed to be the running theme for the remainder of the game- this isn’t one Taylor will want to look back on.
Nonetheless, we found ourselves ahead, and after two back-to-back away wins in the league, were looking to carry on in good stead, just the one point below league leaders Chelsea with a chance to leapfrog them into first with a win.
How City failed to get that win is beyond belief.
Chance after chance went begging for Pep Guardiola’s men. Aguero could easily have notched himself two or three- a goal-bound shot blocked and a header flying agonisingly wide in the first half, before the Argentine missed a one-on-one and had a shot cleared off the line after the break. He was also inches from getting on the end of a low Navas cross with the score at 2-1, only for Azpelucuata to get back and make the interception.
But the miss that really cost the Blues came just before Chelsea’s first goal. It was easier for De Bruyne to score as the ball was rolled across the box for him by Ilkay Gundogan. Instead, the Belgian hit the bar and the score remained 1-0. Chelsea were still in this and that was their wake-up call.
Typically, Antonio Conte’s side grabbed themselves an equaliser against the run of play just minutes after City’s horrific miss; Diego Costa outmuscling Nicolas Otamendi- who is playing his part in what is a worryingly shaky City defence- before firing home. And from there it all went downhill for the Blues. Our mismatched defence struggled to deal with the pace of both Willian and Eden Hazard for Chelsea’s other two goals- both on the break- but they weren’t helped by their goalkeeper, who on all three occasions did not seem to make any attempt to dive for the ball.
I- amongst several others- am not convinced by Claudio Bravo.
The game ended sourly as a touchline melee ensued after Aguero was adjudged to have gone in high on David Luiz. This was Argentina v Brazil stuff. Sergio’s absence from the next four games is not something that we want rubbed into the wounds of a defeat. Gabriel Jesus wouldn’t have wanted to see that.
It is now four games without a win at home in the Premier League for City, but the common theme in all of these matches seems to be an inability to take our chances and kill teams off- something our title rivals- particularly Liverpool- are doing with relative ease. On another day, this could have ended in another 3-0 win for the Blues after last season’s dominant display against the then-champions Chelsea. Yesterday, you could argue that we played just as well, if not better, than our showing last August. But we need more consistency and stability in defence. We need to make the Etihad a fortress again.
Oh, and apparently some cooler heads if the final minutes of extra-time are anything to go by, although Cesc Fabregas did seem to fall over an advertising board by himself. Chelsea, too, were very lucky to find themselves with 11 players on the pitch as the final whistle went.
Changes in January are no longer a choice; but a necessity. Kolarov, as passionate as he is, is too much of a liability with an agonisingly-weak right foot ; Otamendi does not look himself without Vincent Kompany, who seems to have had his day, and Stones is still learning the ropes. Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta are getting to know their thirties now, as is Navas, who had an average game at right wing-back. Against teams of Chelsea’s quality on the break, we just could not cope and were frequently bullied by the reinvigorated Diego Costa and trickery of Eden Hazard. It was all too easy for Chelsea’s hat-trick of goals, but we could have been out of sight before Costa wheeled away to celebrate their first.
It is also a matter of just making it click for City now, making things tighter and more secure in defence, as well as having more of an edge in attack. We have no shortage of creating chances, we just don’t seem to be converting enough of them, particularly at home. When we do get into our groove- as shown in games against Bournemouth and West Brom- we can blow teams away.
David Silva got himself into some excellent pockets of space; on one occasion slipping through De Bruyne, but the Belgian saw his effort beaten away by the dangly legs of countryman Thibaut Cortious. Leroy Sane looked lively- the German grabbing himself a start for what seems like an eternity- which was probably one of the few positives from the game. He has a natural flair and ability to ghost past men for a player of such a young age. It is now hoped Pep will give him more game time.
It is important that we move on from this defeat and focus on stringing a series of wins together, starting this Tuesday with Celtic. A win in mid-week should fill the players with confidence and get us ready for next weekend’s huge clash against champions Leicester, who seem to be involved in a relegation dog-fight. We haven’t got it all bad then.
We’re still up there and we’ll be involved.
