Manchester City 6-0 Chelsea: 3 Takeaways

#3 Guardiola did not tinker with his side’s formation much and kept things simple

Raheem Sterling

Guardiola opted to start with a 4-5-1 formation with Kyle Walker and Oleksandr Zinchenko as the full-backs and Aymeric Laporte and John Stones as the center-backs. Laporte and Stones impressed with their poise and precise passing when City started playing all-out after conceding 4 goals in the first half.

Zinchenko was superb with his overlapping runs and Walker lent solidity to the defence. Walker’s cautious approach allowed Zinchenko to attack continuously through the left flank and he also played his part in their 6th goal. Fernandinho was a rock in City’s midfield and Bernardo Silva worked tirelessly. City’s defenders made some superb blocks inside their penalty box when Chelsea desperately tried to score a goal after being 0-4 down.

However, it was Sterling who stole the show with a scintillating display last night. Sterling now has 13 goals and 10 assists from 32 matches this season and has improved by leaps and bounds as a player under Guardiola’s tutelage. He moved freely inside the Chelsea half and made life miserable for their defenders. City’s other attacking players also kept looking for space in the final third, and whenever they had it, they wasted no time and took shots at goal.