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League leaders Manchester City were handed a 1-2 loss by Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium today in an enthralling EPL 2020/21 encounter.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola opted for a switch in formation today, fielding a back-three to match Chelsea's customary 3-4-2-1 shape. However, the former Barcelona man suffered a second defeat against German tactician Thomas Tuchel this campaign, with the first coming in the FA Cup semi-final.
It was a thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes of football at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City drew first blood as Raheem Sterling put his name on the scoresheet with a goal at the end of the first half.
City had an opportunity to double their lead moments later, but Sergio Aguero made a mess of the spot-kick awarded to the Sky Blues. Chelsea made the Citzyens pay, with Hakim Ziyech pulling one back in the second half. Marcos Alonso sealed City's fate and won three points for Chelsea with a strike in stoppage time.
With that said, let's take a look at five major talking points from this game-
#5 Sergio Aguero potentially cost Manchester City an early coronation
Argentine forward Sergio Aguero had a night to forget as his dismal performance - which included a penalty miss - potentially cost Manchester City an early coronation.
City were awarded a penalty in first-half stoppage time and Aguero stepped up to take the spot-kick. The Argentine attempted an audacious panenka, which was saved with ease by Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Strangely, Aguero's first touch also went missing today. The former Atletico Madrid man fumbled the ball right before Raheem Sterling bailed him out and scored Manchester City's solitary goal.
#4 Chelsea's Reece James staking a claim to be England's first-choice right-back at the Euros
England's young right-back Reece James was the difference-maker for Chelsea in the second-half, tirelessly shuttling up and down the Blues' right-flank. James was splendid on both ends of the pitch, registering three shots, two key passes, two tackles and a clearance.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold having a quiet season and Kyle Walker being preferred in the right center-back position by Gareth Southgate, James is a favorite to start the coveted right-back role for his national side.
Kieran Trippier has been in fine touch as well, but it seems as though James might have an edge over the Atletico Madrid man.
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#3 Pep Guardiola pays the price for underestimating his opposition
Pep Guardiola chose to rest some key starters for this important clash. Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Bernardo Silva did not feature at all, while Phil Foden, Oleksander Zinchenko and Ilkay Gundogan came off the bench.
However, his lack of respect for Chelsea resulted in his team's coronation getting delayed. Manchester City had a brilliant chance to seal the title with three points today but lost the opportunity by fielding a comparatively weaker side against the Pensioners.
Some of the non-regulars - Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres in particular - looked completely out of sorts today. Both players were hooked off in the second half, suggesting that maybe starting them in the first place wasn't the best of ideas.
#2 Thomas Tuchel gets the better of Pep Guardiola again
After out-foxing Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel completed the double over the Spaniard today by snatching a win in the dying moments of the game. The German tactician's confidence in his structure and a relatively untested midfield pairing paid off and resulted in a season-defining away win.
Tuchel's emphasis on overloading the right flank played a crucial part in both goals. Chelsea bombed forward in numbers on the right on both occasions, resulting in two comfortable finishes for Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso, with the latter making a run towards the center from the left.
Tuchel will now take on Guardiola and Manchester City for the third and final time in the Champions League final at the end of the month, looking to adorn his trophy cabinet with the elusive UCL prize.
#1 Manchester City should have been awarded a penalty late in the second-half
In the closing minutes of regulation time, Manchester City's Raheem Sterling appeared to have been fouled by Chelsea's Kurt Zouma from behind. The Frenchman clipped the English forward's heels, but a penalty was not given despite a thorough VAR check.
Moments later, Chelsea wing-back Marcos Alonso bundled the ball into the back of the net, helping the Blues secure an away win. However, things would have looked quite different before that if Manchester City had been awarded a much-deserved penalty.
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