Chelsea end Man City’s unbeaten season

Chelsea 2 : 0 Man City

Manchester City failed in their attempt to go 15 undefeated games away from home in the top flight for the first time, losing for the first time in the EPL and surrendering top spot to Liverpool. Chelsea climb to third at least until Tottenham kick off against Leicester later this evening.

N’Golo Kanté scored his second Premier League goal of the season just before half time to give Chelsea the lead totally against the run of play. After the interval, David Luiz glanced in the second from Chelsea’s first corner in the 78th minute.

With the win, Chelsea prevented a run of four successive losses to City for the first time in 160 meetings and halted an apparent slide in their own season following some mediocre performances and their first two losses

League leaders Manchester City were targeting an eighth straight league victory as they visited fourth-placed Chelsea, who were aiming to respond after losing at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Chelsea had no serious injuries but City were without Sergio Aguero (muscle), Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy, Eliaquim Mangala (all knee) and Claudio Bravo (Achilles).

David Luiz was back in the Chelsea starting line up with Eden Hazard playing in a ‘false nine’ position.

Leroy Sane has contributed a goal or assist in his last eight league starts this season, striking six times and assisting a further five goals.

Raheem Sterling miskicked when presented with the game’s first opportunity, barely testing Kepa as City dominated possession in the early stages.

Chelsea were hardly able to get out of their own half in the first half hour, and possessed the ball just 1/3 of the time. Kante received the ball several times under great pressure as Chelsea surrendered possession all too easily.

A great Cesar Azpilicueta block defied Leroy Sane and then finally Chelsea thought they had a corner, but referee Michael Oliver indicated for a City goal kick. 

The Chelsea back four had a massive workload as City pressed and pressed with both Antonio Rudiger and Azpilicueta outstanding.

Unbelievably with their first shot of the game, Chelsea took the lead just before half time.

Pedro and Willian kept the move alive before finding Hazard. Sane was asleep as the Belgian found Kante who hammered the ball into the net for a shock lead.

Ederson was tested again at the start of the second half after Willian won a free kick. The same player forced an acrobatic save. Kepa had to be just as sharp to deny Kyle Walker at the other end.

Chelsea were greatly improved and managed some decent possession inside their opponents’ half.

They got their reward in the 78th minute when Luiz glanced a header from Chelsea’s first corner into the left hand side netting of Ederson’s goal having ghosted past Gündogan and into the space behind behind John Stones. Eden Hazard was the corner taker and took his second assist of the day.

City battled back but the realisation that this wasn’t to be their day seemed to dawn pretty quickly. although Kepa defied Jesus in stoppage time.

Chelsea finished the game with a lead of 5-3 in shots on goal, so it would be false to conclude that this result came against the run of play despite having just 39% possession.

They head to MOL Vidi in Hungary the Europa League and Brighton in the EPL next. 

City are at home in their next two games, to Hoffenheim in the Champions League and Everton in the EPL. As with Chelsea, their European game is a dead rubber with qualification already ensured.

Chelsea: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic (Barkley 65′), Willian (Loftus-Cheek 74′), Pedro, Eden Hazard (Giroud 90′)

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph, Fernandinho, Silva (Gündogan 68′), Mahrez, Sane ( Jesus 52′), Bernardo, Sterling

Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Andre Marriner