Manchester City put together their best performance of the season to inflict defeat on Chelsea and increase the pressure on their manager Frank Lampard.
The visitors endured a quiet opening 18 minutes at Stamford Bridge but burst into life with a pair of well-taken goals in the space of two minutes from Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden before Kevin De Bruyne put the icing on the cake before half-time.
Callum Hudson-Odoi came off the bench to score a late consolation but the 3-1 reverse makes it three defeats in six games for Chelsea.
City climb to fifth with at least one game in hand on all the teams above them.
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy – 6/10
Little he could do about City’s three goals but made a sharp save from Rodri’s header which could have made it 4-0.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 3/10
Struggled to contain Foden, nutmegged by De Bruyne for the second and offered little going forward until it was too late. An afternoon to forget for the skipper.
Ben Chilwell – 3/10
Given a torrid time by Cancelo and Sterling and was pinned back in his own half with Chelsea’s midfield offering little in the way of cover. One of his quietest displays since joining in the summer.
Kurt Zouma – 5/10
Difficult afternoon when returning to the side after being rested against Aston Villa. More proactive than some of his teammates but suffered the indignity of being outmuscled by the lightweight Foden.
Thiago Silva – 4/10
Allowed Gundogan half a yard of space for the opener which kickstarted the rout. Struggled to contain City’s fluid forward line.
N’Golo Kante – 4/10
A couple of typically excellent interceptions early on but made a bad scuff to give Sterling the ball for City’s third. Taken off after an hour with what looked like a tight hamstring.
Mateo Kovacic – 4/10
Anonymous in first-half and lucky not to be hauled off at half-time as he was against Arsenal but looked better after the break, providing some attacking impetus even if it was a case of too little, too late. Eventually replaced by Havertz.
Mason Mount – 3/10
Went missing during first-half bombardment from City in uncharacteristically under-par performance from Chelsea’s Mr Reliable. Looks tired after playing full 90 minutes in 11 consecutive Premier League games. Good assist for Hudson-Odoi’s consolation.
Hakim Ziyech – 3/10
Off the pace in first start for a month after injury. A few wayward passes early on and struggled to create much for Werner thereafter. Replaced after an hour by lively Hudson-Odoi.
Christian Pulisic – 4/10
Should have pulled the trigger when presented with the opportunity in the first-half but his hesitation allowed City to cover. Booked for a frustrated lunge at Cancelo and offered little else.
Timo Werner – 5/10
Restoration to the centre-forward role did not seem to cure his woes but lack of service rather than his own effort was largely to blame. Looks a frustrated figure but never stopped running.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (sub) – 5/10
Capped lively performance off the bench with tidy finish for consolation goal via fellow substitute Kai Havertz’ tidy cross. Pushing for more starts.
Man City
Zack Steffen – 6/10
Shaky start on Premier League debut. Early mistake when picking up a back pass from Rodri but had little else to do afterwards.
Joao Cancelo – 8/10
Steady presence at right-back. Linked well with Sterling going forward to give Chilwell a difficult afternoon and keep Chelsea’s left-back pinned in his own half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
Kept Ziyech quiet enough in the first-half while deputising for the protocol-breaching Benjamin Mendy. Ventured forward more in the second-half once City were in full control.
John Stones – 7/10
Continued his renaissance of recent weeks with another solid display at centre-back. Good distribution, as ever, often finding Sterling or Silva in space further forward to kickstart City attacks.
Ruben Dias – 7/10
Good block from early corner to thwart Werner in one of Chelsea’s few chances. Enjoyed a quiet afternoon thereafter.
Rodri – 7/10
Fortunate not to give away a penalty when appearing to fell Werner early on but broke up a few decent Chelsea attacks with well-timed interceptions. One of his better performances.
Kevin De Bruyne – 9/10
Early miss looked like it could have been a big moment until City carved Chelsea open. Superb assist for Foden and an even better touch to set up his goal.
Ilkay Gundogan – 9/10
Excellent. The driving force behind City’s best performance of the season. Decent block from dangerous Ziyech free-kick early on before a brilliant turn and finish to open the scoring and kick City into gear.
Phil Foden – 9/10
Quiet start out on the left but exploded into the game after 15 minutes, delivering an exquisite finish to double City’s lead. Made life very difficult for Azpilicueta and was at the heart of most of City’s best attacking play.
Bernardo Silva – 7/10
the quietest of City’s attacking players
Raheem Sterling – 8/10
Floating presence across the front line but caused Chilwell plenty of problems when staying wide on the right. Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when hitting post in build up to De Bruyne’s goal
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