Manchester City sent out a statement of intent to their Premier League rivals as they outclassed Premier League champions Chelsea in 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Pep Guardiola’s men came into the game off the back of another successful week, in which they beat a struggling Crystal Palace side 5-0 last weekend and a resilient Shakhtar Donetsk side 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday. Opponents Chelsea managed to grab a famous victory on Wednesday when they outperformed Atletico Madrid away from home in a 2-1 victory in the Champions League.
Last season, Antonio Conte got the better of Guardiola in both league games as Chelsea cruised to the title. This game was in stark contrast to that of the previous campaign, as City dominated in every position on the pitch. The absence of Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Benjamin Mendy was touted before the game as City’s potential downfall, but the Citizens proved that they are still a match for any team that comes across them, no matter the injuries.
After 67 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne, a former player of Chelsea, scored a fantastic goal from great buildup play between him and Gabriel Jesus to send the away support into raptures. City’s dominance paid off and it could have been a bigger scoreline if Antonio Rudiger didn’t clear Gabriel Jesus’s exquisite volley from off the line later on.
Chelsea offered nothing to say that they were really in the game and looked inferior compared to their title rivals. The scoreline flattered them as if it wasn’t for the heroics of Thibaut Courtois, it could have been a lot worse.
Here are our player ratings from yesterday’s victory.
