MANCHESTER CITY dropped two points to an impressive away performance by Chelsea in a 1-1 draw.
Raheem Sterling fired the visitors ahead against his former team after the Blues bossed the first half to stun the champions.
But Rodri levelled it up with a rocket of an equaliser to set up a nail-biting finale.
- Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodri, De Bruyne, Foden, Alvarez, Doku, Haaland
- Chelsea XI: Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling, Jackson
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That’s all from the Etihad
But the title race is just beginning to heat up.
An enthralling draw here means that just four points separate Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City with a third of the season remaining.
Two of those are back at in midweek with City hosting Brentford, and Liverpool taking on Luton.
Expect twists and turns, not just in the coming days, but over the next three months.
Thanks for joining us, and goodnight.
Poch proud of Blues performance
In contrast to his opposite number, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was delighted with how his team pitted themselves at the home of the champions.
The Argentine was particularly enthused by the Blues’ first half performance, a display he felt showed charisma and courage.
I’m so pleased. I told the players I feel so proud. In the last three games we’ve started to create a very good spirit. That’s the way we want to build our team. Today was a very good opportunity to show we’re going where we want.
Mauricio Pochettino
Extra! Read all about it!
It’s nearly time to bring our live coverage to a close, but before we sign off, let’s relive the endless action with Phil Thomas’ match report of Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Believe it or not, the man guilty for the biggest clangers was Erling Haaland. The man who had rattled in 75 goals in his previous 72 games in a sky blue shirt. The finest finisher in Europe, maybe even the world. But tonight one who came up with two howlers to haunt him for years.
Phil Thomas
Pep: Haaland will bounce back
Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure during his post-match interview, but insisted he wouldn’t be having too many words with Erling Haaland after the striker had a rare stinker in front of goal.
Instead, the City boss pointed to a sloppy first half performance, particularly from a defensive perspective, as to where the game got to a point where it needed rescuing.
The Spanish coach also pointed to his own goalscoring record as to why he would be avoiding dishing out any advice to his normally-sensational centre-forward.
I played for 11 years and scored 11 goals so I can’t give too much advice to Erling [Haaland]. The next time he will score. But in the first half we didn’t perform well and that’s what we have to improve.
Pep Guardiola
A Sterling showing from Raheem
With his goal on the return to the Etihad Stadium, Raheem Sterling took his goal tally to six, and his number of goal involvements to nine for the season.
Both figures are as many as the forward managed in his first season at Chelsea last term.
Indeed, he has also become the first player in Premier League history to score home and away against Manchester City having previously played for them.
Haaland proves he’s human after all
With the world and his wife having triple-captained Erling Haaland in Fantasy Premier League this weekend, all eyes on were on Manchester City’s world class striker.
Yet remarkably, the decision failed to pay off.
Haaland’s nine shots and personal xG total of 1.71 against Chelsea were both his highest returns without scoring in a single game for City since signing.
City lose ground on rivals
With Liverpool and Arsenal still to play this season, the defence of their Premier League title remains in Manchester City’s hands.
However, they no longer hold the advantage that winning their games in hand would have brought.
Credit: premierleague.com Match stats from the Etihad
Manchester City’s 31 shots at goal is their highest total in a single match in the Premier League this season.
Full time – Man City 1-1 Chelsea
The final whistle goes, and a strange, absorbing contest comes to an end.
The champions can take solace in avoiding defeat – Rodri’s deflected effort cancelling out Raheem Sterling’s first half effort – but taking just a point means that they have lost ground in the title race.
And on a day when rivals Liverpool and Arsenal clocked up emphatic wins on the road, City have faltered in front of their own fans and can no longer claim top spot by winning their game in hand.
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
90+6. The corner comes over from the right, Petrovic misses it and…
…Chelsea survive.
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
90+4. It’s chaos inside the area.
With bodies falling, there are handball claims and shirt pulls, shots and blocks, and eventually a header that is deflected out for one final corner to the champions.
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
90+2. Walker lines up a Vincent Kompany moment from 30 yards, but lacks the accuracy of his former teammate, if not the power.
Meanwhile, Enzo Fernandez goes down off the ball, eager to eat up a few seconds.
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
90. Four minutes of additional time are signalled by the fourth official.
Is there a twist in the tale?
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
89. Disasi is first to another City cross, but this time can only head it behind for a corner as the seconds on the clock tick down towards 90.
The hosts get a move on, and quickly send the set-piece back into the box, where Haaland heads down…
…and straight at Petrovic.
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
87. De Bruyne has dropped in on the right now to influence matters.
Instantly, he finds possession, although his cross intended for Bernardo Silva is too long.
A rare miscue from the Belgian.
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
85. Five minutes remain on the clock. Five minutes plus stoppages.
Can City find the winner that would tip the title race back in their favour, landing a huge psychological blown on the chin of their rivals?
Here comes Rodri again…
Man City 1-1 Chelsea
83. They’ve done it! City have equalised!
But there’s no time for celebration as their players retrieve the ball and rush back to the halfway line. They still want to – and believe they can – win this!
It comes after a short spell of pinball inside the Chelsea box with the ball ricocheting off a crowd of bodies.
Kyle Walker’s drive across goal is blocked, possibly by Erling Haaland, but then falls kindly for Rodri on the edge of the area.
The midfielder lets fly with a drive that crashes into the leg of Trevoh Chalobah, and up into Djordje Petrovic’s net.
Equaliser!
Man City 0-1 Chelsea
79. Are City running out of ideas? Bernardo twice tries a curler towards the far post with options limited, but neither test the visitors.
There are hopeful claims for a penalty as Haaland hooks a cross back into the middle, but instead the ball smashes into the face of Chilwell.
Man City 0-1 Chelsea
77. Haaland! How has he missed?!
De Bruyne finds room on the left – it’s been a while – and whips over an absolute peach of a cross.
It’s perfect for Haaland, who rises high and unmarked six yards from goal. It seems an inevitability. It seems a certainly. The net is waiting to be rippled.
But instead the ball soars over the crossbar and out for a goalkick.
Man City 0-1 Chelsea
75. Fifteen minutes remaining.
Count them, Chelsea fans. Arsenal fans. Liverpool fans.
Man City 0-1 Chelsea
74. In their eagerness for an equaliser, City are misplacing passes and overhitting crosses.
It’s very un-City-like, truth be told. At the moment, the magic touch is deserting De Bruyne, Foden and Haaland, and they look all too frustrated for it.
Man City 0-1 Chelsea – Chelsea substitution
72. Back in Manchester and it’s the end of the night for Cole Palmer.
The youngster is replaced by Trevoh Chalobah, and it will mean that Chelsea will go with five at the back for the remainder.
Man City 0-1 Chelsea
70. Twenty minutes to go, and still Chelsea lead by the odd goal.
One way or another, surely there is a second to come – either via City’s relentless pressure or by Chelsea exploiting huge gaps on the counter.
Man City 0-1 Chelsea
68. Disasi remains a huge influence at the back for Chelsea, almost single-handedly – or single-headedly – repelling cross after cross after cross.
He’s really taken on responsibility in the absence of Thiago Silva today.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
