Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City: 3 things observed

Chelsea inflicted Manchester City’s first defeat of the season as the West London outfit ran out 2-0 winners at Stamford Bridge. The victory saw Maurizio Sarri’s men jump back into the top four and just 7 points behind Pep Guardiola’s charges.

Manchester City started off the blocks quicker, and immediately put the hosts under pressure. Enjoying a sustained period of possession, the away side constantly posed questions for Chelsea’s defence.

Their hard work was rewarded when Raheem Sterling was presented with a gilt-edged chance in the box. The Englishman however failed to capitalise and that pretty much set the tone for how the match was going to pan out for The Cityzens.

Despite having controlled the majority of the first half, The Cityzens fell to a sucker-punch when Chelsea’s front three combined to set up Kante. The Frenchman arrived late at the edge of the box and produced an emphatic finish past Ederson.

City tried to turn the screw in the second half, yet never got any change from Chelsea’s immaculate defence and midfield. Eventually, Chelsea made full use of a set-piece as Luiz rose above everyone else to ensure that City went home empty handed.

While it was a catastrophic result for City, it provided some respite for Sarri after a period of dubious form. With relatively easier assignments against Brighton and Bournemouth, the West London outfit would fancy their chances of maintaining their status quo on the table.

There were obviously many talking points and things that came to light in the pulsating encounter at Stamford Bridge. Thus, via the lens of this article, we look at three things we learned through the course of the game.

#3 Manchester City miss the services of Aguero

Manchester City were without their premier marksman, Sergio Aguero, for the clash at Stamford Bridge. A player of the calibre of Aguero is irreplaceable on most days, yet against Chelsea, his absence significantly reduced City’s cutting edge.

Pep decided to play with a ‘false nine’, with Sterling getting the nod ahead of Jesus. Flanked by Sane and Mahrez on either side, the front three was expected to slice through Chelsea’s defence like they’ve done to many other teams.

Though the triumvirate were in mind boggling form, the lack of a centre forward and the resulting lack of directness made the Chelsea defenders’ job much easier.

A lot of City’s play was in front of the Chelsea defence, with neither of the trio getting any joy. Moreover, on the constricted Stamford Bridge pitch, there wasn’t a lot of space to run in behind.

As soon as Jesus came on, City looked a better attacking threat. Though the Brazilian couldn’t come up with anything concrete, it emphasised how City suffered without a focal point. Thus, a case could be made for Pep having missed a trick by opting for a false nine.

Whatever the case may be, one thing became evidently clear after Saturday evening - City need their talismanic striker back on the pitch as early as possible.

#2 Kante slowly turning into one of the most complete midfielders

Kante was sublime against Manchester City

Kante burst onto the world stage after his sensational performances powered Leicester City to a jaw-dropping triumph in 2015-16. At the culmination of the season, he found himself packing his bags for West London. In his first season at Stamford Bridge, he was immense as Chelsea marched to the title.

With Kante conjuring such displays on a weekly basis, there was a growing consensus that he was the best defensive midfielder on the planet. The Frenchman did his reputation no harm in the summer as he formed a vital component of France’s World Cup winning machine.

However, despite Kante being the best in his defensive midfield berth, Sarri opted to play the former in a more advanced role.

Initially, Kante faced problems adapting to his new role. Even though he popped up with a goal in his first game under Sarri, there was still a huge room for improvement offensively.

Recently though, the Frenchman has started displaying an increased attacking intelligence, meaning that he is making the right runs at the right time. His powerful finish past Ederson was Lampard-esque, and if he can muster even a quarter of the legendary Englishman’s goals, Sarri would be more than pleased.

Additionally, he gets through his fair share of defensive work. On Saturday, there was a 10-second stretch where Kante, despite being second favourite, won the ball twice and recycled possession for his side.

Having a midfielder capable of understanding his defensive roles while also being efficient in the offensive third is rare. While the former aspect was never in question with Kante, his adaptability to the latter facet marks him out as one of the most complete midfielders on the planet.

Hence, there can be no doubt that he is carving a niche for himself not just as a defensive midfielder, but as a more complete midfielder.

#1 Manchester City CAN be beaten

Manchester City arrived at Stamford Bridge having not lost a single game since their shocking 2-3 loss at home to Manchester United in April. With an aura of invincibility comparable to Ivan Drago of the Rocky series, The Cityzens looked primed to swat away Chelsea’s challenge. Yet, it was the West London outfit which had its arms raised in triumph at the end of the contest.

City could be forgiven for having an off-day. After all, everyone in sport can have bad days at the office. While City and Pep won’t start losing sleep over their loss, the rest of the Premier League would certainly be well awake to the possibility of beating this City side.

Till Saturday evening, The Cityzens looked a notch above everyone else, leaving everyone in their wake. Yet suddenly, Chelsea showed that they can be beaten. The first cut under the metaphorical Ivan Drago’s eye has been inflicted, and the whole world has taken notice.

At the Bridge, Chelsea cut off City’s supply line and pressed relentlessly whenever accorded the opportunity. Moreover, they were devastating on the counter, and the threat of the counter-attack helped in taking a bit of sting out of City’s usually marauding full-backs.

With the victory, Sarri and Chelsea have provided a template for everyone to follow. If any of the other teams can actually take advantage, is another matter altogether.

However, moving forward, how The Cityzens respond to this setback and how the rest of the league capitalises on this new-found confidence represents as fascinating a narrative as any. Time to get the popcorn ready and wait for the battle to intensify.