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Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea squared off at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night (November 9).
The match, which had its fair share of drama, ended 2-0 in Manchester City’s favor, with Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez finding the back of the net for the hosts. The result marked Chelsea's third consecutive domestic defeat across competitions.
Graham Potter’s men endured a nervy start at the Etihad Stadium, with City putting early pressure on the visitors and forcing them to remain in their own half. It took City 10 minutes to create their first real opening of the game. After Ruben Dias saw his effort blocked, the deflected ball fell into Jack Grealish’s path. The Englishman went for goal with a venomous right-footed strike but narrowly missed.
Having been under the cosh for a bit, Chelsea created their first goalscoring opportunity in the 13th minute. Hakim Ziyech cut the ball back perfectly for Christian Pulisic, who had the goal gaping in front of him. The American somehow fluffed his lines and his deflected shot was easily pushed behind by Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
Ten minutes later, Pulisic tried to make amends for his miss by driving through the Manchester City midfield and going for goal. His effort was good but was not enough to beat Ortega. Just before the break, Lewis Hall got the chance to break the deadlock, but the youngster directed his shot straight at the Manchester City goalkeeper.
City scored their first goal eight minutes into the second half, with Mahrez hitting the back of the net with a superb free-kick from the edge of the box. Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had no time to react as he saw the ball fly past him and into the back of the net. The hosts doubled their tally five minutes later, courtesy of Alvarez’s convincing finish following a sweeping City counterattack.
In the 63rd minute, Hall once again had an opportunity to punish City, but his first-time shot lacked direction and went straight to the keeper. Right at the death, Pulisic hit the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
It was another disappointing night for Potter’s men, in which only a couple of players managed to produce something of note. Here are two Pensioners who impressed and three who disappointed on Wednesday night:
Underperformed: Armando Broja
Starting only his second game of the season for Chelsea, Armando Broja miserably failed to prove his mettle. He simply could not get himself used to the pace of the game, and never looking like a real threat to Manchester City’s goal.
On Wednesday, Broja failed to lodge a single shot on target, played only five accurate passes (71.4% accuracy), lost four of six duels, and lost possession six times. He also committed a foul and was caught offside once.
Performed: Edouard Mendy
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy looked sharp under the bar on Wednesday night, making a number of excellent saves. His best effort of the night came in the 52nd minute when he made a full-stretched save to turn Grealish’s effort past his post.
Against the English champions, Mendy made a whopping seven saves, with six of them coming from inside the box. He also had three high claims, delivered eight accurate long balls and won an aerial duel.
Underperformed: Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly, who was expected to fill in for summer departee Antonio Rudiger, once again endured a difficult night in Chelsea’s colors. He misplaced quite a few passes and lacked pace at times, but his most disappointing moment came early in the second half when he didn’t even attempt to block Mahrez’s free-kick.
Against Manchester City, Koulibaly misplaced six long balls, lost two duels, ceded possession nine times, and committed a silly tackle on Jack Grealish, which earned him a yellow.
Performed: Lewis Hall
Lewis Hall, 18, earned his first start under Potter as the Blues took on City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The youngest player on the pitch emerged as the visitors’ best performer, with him always looking for ways to go on the offensive while maintaining defensive integrity. He was not clinical in front of goal and misplaced a few passes, but his overall performance was overwhelmingly positive.
Hall delivered an accurate long ball, had two shots on target, and completed all three attempted dribbles. He also won six of seven ground duels, drew three fouls, blocked a shot, and made an interception.
Underperformed: Raheem Sterling
Potter did not start Raheem Sterling against his old club, bringing him on in Hakim Ziyech’s place in the 68th minute. The Englishman, who received a warm reception from the Etihad Stadium, failed to get into the game, remaining on the fringes for the remainder of the night.
Against the Cityzens, Sterling played only two accurate passes (66.7% accuracy), did not record any key passes, lost three of four ground duels, and lost possession six times.
