Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (Rodri 83’| Sterling 42′)
Chelsea shocked Man City for the second time this season to take a point off Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues took the lead late in the first half through Raheem Sterling’s cool finish and looked set to earn three points which would have massively bolstered this young squad.
But Rodri’s thunderbolt seven minutes from time denied Chelsea a crucial win and earned his side a key point in this tight title race.
The game turned repeatedly on a series of knife-edge moments which many will argue could have gone either way.
Fans took to social media from both sides to berate referee Andy Madley, while Rodri said post-match: “I don’t want to talk about the referee”.
Here are seven moments which decided Man City 1-1 Chelsea.
Levi Colwill appears to handle in the penalty box
Three minutes into added time, with Chelsea already holding on for dear life, the ball rolled down Levi Colwill’s arm in the Chelsea penalty area. He appeared to flick his hand at the ball, although it may well have been a natural movement attempting to get away from hitting it further.
Colwill then cleared the ball, which stopped City’s final dangerous attack and guaranteed Chelsea shared the points at the Etihad.
The centre-back also had his hand on Ruben Dias’ shirt, causing the Portuguese defender to fall to the ground.
Yet both Madley and VAR decided that there was no foul from Colwill and play continued.
Ederson smothers Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea had early luck in behind City’s defence, but they did not take advantage of it.
After 23 minutes, Cole Palmer released Malo Gusto into space down Chelsea’s right. Gusto fired a low cross to the edge of the box for Jackson, who took a poor touch, allowing Ederson to smother the ball at his feet.
It was excellent goalkeeping, but Jackson should never have let the ball get so close to the Brazilian stopper.
Not long after, Sterling was presented with a similar opportunity, which Ederson also got his hands to.
But three minutes before half-time, Sterling finally took advantage of the space behind the City defence, turning Kyle Walker inside out and curling home.
Raheem Sterling strikes against Manchester City for the SECOND time this season
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 17, 2024pic.twitter.com/Zrs7sAtB2J
Moises Caicedo avoids red for fouling Jeremy Doku
This may have gone under the radar, but could have been a key moment on another day.
Thirty-one minutes in, Caicedo slid his studs on top of Doku’s shin in a midfield melee – the sort of foul which has seen players sent off throughout this season when slowed down and overplayed by VAR.
Yet on this occasion, Caicedo was not even shown a yellow, let alone a red. As he then went on to be cautioned for repeated fouls and one X user described him as a “walking red card’, this can certainly be considered fortunate.
Haaland’s three big misses
In 90 minutes against Chelsea, Erling Haaland had nine shots and racked up an xG (expected goals) of 1.71, both his highest figures since signing for City without scoring.
Three of these misses were considered big chances. The first, after just 12 minutes, was a header Haaland blasted over the bar under minimal pressure, one you would have expected him to score.
The second was a side-footed volley early in the second half, which he jumped to hit but could only slice it wide.
Haaland, how?
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 17, 2024pic.twitter.com/aQ9Lyd5AsY
The third was on 78 minutes, and definitely the easiest chance, certainly for a striker of Haaland’s quality. The Norwegian dived at a Kevin de Bruyne cross on the edge of the six-yard box but headed high and wide.
Had Haaland finished any of these chances, the game would have had a very different complexion, leaving Chelsea chasing through much more of the game as likely giving City far more space to exploit.
Rodri equalises late on
This may be an obvious one, but it’s hard to understate its importance.
Rodri’s sixth Premier League goal of the season, he fired a left-footed strike from the edge of the area, which ricocheted off Trevoh Chalobah and into the top corner.
"That's a massive goal"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 17, 2024
Rodri BLASTS it home for Manchester Citypic.twitter.com/IR1kv2lt9a
It was increasingly appearing as though City would not score, with Axel Disasi’s Herculean effort in the heart of defence breaking sky blue spirits one by one.
Yet as he so often does, the Spaniard popped up with a crucial goal, breaking Chelsea hearts and giving Man City a good shot at three points.
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