STAMFORD BRIDGE — Perhaps Manchester City wanted to get it over with rather than tempt the possibility of a Liverpool coronation at the Etihad next week.
Anything other than a City victory here guaranteed there would be pop-up parties all over Merseyside, 30 years of torment washed away in a torrent of beer and tears.
That a team as good as City find themselves playing for consolation in the Premier League is a mystery.
As good as Liverpool are, there is a quality in Pep Guardiola’s creation unique to them, a rhythmic beauty that batters opponents, not with power but grace.
It could be that City end up trading places with Liverpool 2019, accepting second best domestically only to carry off a pot with even greater prestige.
The Champions League has always been the ultimate goal of the Abu Dhabi regime and why Guardiola was brought to the club.
Having failed at Bayern Munich this could be Guardiola’s last shot with City, Uefa ban pending, of course.
For much of this game City were too good for Chelsea yet found themselves having to process a defeat.
The first goal was of City’s own making, or rather Benjamin Mendy’s. He managed to confound his team-mate Ilkay Gündogan sufficiently to allow Christian Pulisic a free run at goal.
Willian tied it up from the spot to maintain Chelsea’s advantage in the pursuit of a Champions League spot. But that was never the story of this night. That was unfolding 200 miles to the north.
City’s strawberries and lemons kit is proof you can be brilliant at football and still offend. No Phil Foden in the squad for City.
Though the official line was “not fit for selection”, you wonder if Guardiola would have rested him anyway just to keep him honest in some schoolmasterly way.
Foden remains a fringe member of a City squad in which even the departing David Silva is no longer first choice. The preponderance of quick feet and darting movement available to Guardiola guarantees no systemic disruption.
For Chelsea this was seen as a benchmark game, a contest by which to measure progress, to determine how much of a threat they could be next term.
There was a degree of satisfaction to be had in the performance at the Etihad in November in which Chelsea inflicted on City a rare deficit in possession. The outgoing champions still won the game, mind you.
Chelsea were impressive in their first match of the post-Covid resumption, outclassing Aston Villa on the road last Sunday.
This match began in much the same way, except Chelsea were cast in the Villa role, seemingly unable to make any impression on Guardiola’s imperious construct.
Manager Frank Lampard made two changes, demoting Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic for Ross Barkley and Pulisic, who sparked the recovery at Villa Park with the equaliser.
City’s work-rate and organisation, not to mention the technical range of the players, overwhelmed the home side, who required a fine save from Kepa to keep out an early Fernandinho header and stay on terms.
The drinks break offered Lampard a chance to inject a bit of purpose and energy, to shake up his listless group. Instead it was Guardiola who was all pointing fingers and waving arms, explaining to Mendy and Rodri how they might work more profitable openings down the left. Lampard by contrast wandered about with his arms folded.
When Chelsea finally worked an opening it came via a mistake by Kevin De Bruyne, who held on to the ball too long on one of those driving runs of his.
Willian worked it to Barkley, whose first cross came back to the England international, allowing him a second dig that was blocked by Fernandinho. Within minutes they were ahead, Pulisic capitalising on confusion between Mendy and Gündogan to race clear and slot the ball beyond Ederson’s reach.
City were probably guilty of conceit and a lack of concentration. They looked embarrassed to be behind, unsure how to behave. This was the first goal conceded since the restart, having drilled eight past Arsenal and Burnley. The cheers on Merseyside could be heard above the grunts of the players.
The game continued along its familiar path, City going at it, Chelsea defending resolutely. Except now Chelsea’s approach could be sold as a strategy. That was the plan all along. Ambush football. Frustrate and hit on the break. The second half would decide that. Just as Villa could not hold out, it was hard to see how Chelsea might remain intact allowing City to stroke the ball about the park. Guardiola did not hang about.
Ten minutes into the second half he swapped Silvas, sending on David for Bernardo and hooked Rodri for Gabriel Jesus. Since N’Golo Kanté had flattened Riyad Mahrez on the edge of the box, the game restarted with a De Bruyne free-kick, which quickly became the equaliser, smashed into the top corner. Sterling hit a post a minute later to presage a tense half-hour in Liverpool.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2Yx5oQO
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