Manchester City 6-0 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2018-19

Manchester City humiliated Chelsea 6-0 to rise above Liverpool and reclaim their place at the perch of the table.

As has been the case recently, City raced off the blocks at the Etihad. Though they took a little longer to take the lead this time around, they found themselves ahead after 3 minutes and 27 seconds with Raheem Sterling rifling the ball into the roof of the net.

A few minutes later, Sergio Aguero curled a sumptuous shot from outside the box to double their lead. In the 19th minute, the Argentine made the net bulge again as he capitalised on a loose Ross Barkley header.

Chelsea’s misery though was compounded even further before the break as Ilkay Gundogan added a fourth.

In the second half, Aguero claimed his hat-trick when he converted from the spot and Sterling applied the finishing touches with his second and City’s sixth 10 minutes from time.

The defeat left Chelsea stranded outside the top four with their goal difference too taking a massive hit.

Here are the major talking points from the game:

---

Also see : Fantasy Premier League , Fantasy Premier League Tips, Intercontinental cup schedule

---

#5 Chelsea shoot themselves in the foot

Chelsea were all over the shop

Chelsea arrived at the Etihad on the back of a commanding performance against Huddersfield. Yet, the victory last weekend only papered over the cracks rather than spark a revival.

On Sunday, Chelsea were poor all across the pitch. However, they made matters worse for themselves by making some truly elementary errors.

For the first goal, The Blues completely switched off and allowed Bernardo Silva to roam into space. The third goal wasn’t any better with Barkley handing Aguero the chance to triple their lead on a plate.

The fourth goal could’ve been avoided had Kepa gotten a stronger hand to it whereas Azpilicueta conceded a soft penalty to gift City their fifth.

At the moment, Chelsea are enduring a pretty rough patch. And such mistakes are only contributing to their troubles.

Sadly, at a time when other teams are finding ways to dig themselves out of a hole, Chelsea are contriving to dig their own graves.

After the Bournemouth defeat, many people believed that the worst was behind Chelsea. Oh! How wrong could they have been.

#4 Sterling and Bernardo Silva run riot on the flanks

Sterling bagged a brace

Pep Guardiola decided to omit Leroy Sane for Chelsea’s visit with Sterling getting the nod. The Englishman didn’t disappoint and put in an accomplished display on the left wing.

For the majority of the game, Sterling was up against the wily Azpilicueta. However, the winger had the experienced Spaniard’s number throughout which culminated in the latter bringing him down for the penalty.

Additionally, his pace and dribbling pinned Chelsea back for large parts with his propensity to stretch the game creating space for his teammates.

Though Sterling was superb on the night, his fellow Cityzen on the other flank wasn’t too shabby either.

Entrusted with attacking Marcus Alonso, Bernardo ran rings around the Chelsea defence. The Portuguese’s impeccable positioning dragged the Chelsea back-line all over the park and left them imbalanced.

Manchester City and Pep enjoy an embarrassment of riches in the wide areas. After all, Leroy Sane didn’t even grace the pitch on Sunday.

Yet, if Bernardo and Sterling keep producing performances like today, the German can expect himself to be warming the bench when the biggest games come calling.

#3 Aguero is peaking at the right time for City

Aguero popped up with another hat-trick

Aguero came into the game against Chelsea on the back of a hat-trick against Arsenal last weekend. While the goals against Arsenal embodied him as the proverbial ‘fox in the box’, he displayed his entire repertoire against Chelsea.

Despite producing a candidate for the ‘miss of the season’ and rattling the bar once, Aguero still went home with the match ball. His first was a beautiful finish from outside the box whereas his second showcased his predatory instincts.

The third from the penalty spot sealed his 11th Premier League hat-trick and he also became City’s leading league scorer of all time in the process.

The Premier League has entered its home stretch and all the contenders need to be on their toes. Luckily for City, their premier marksman seems to be hitting top form at just the right time.

Years ago in 2012, Aguero provided a memory that would last a lifetime for every Cityzen. And if he continues his rich vein of form, one would be foolish to bet against him conjuring a similar image that would be etched forever.

#2 Manchester City sound out a title warning

Manchester City are not going away any soon

A couple of weeks ago, some had written Manchester City off after their defeat at Newcastle. Yet, with the unpredictable nature of the Premier League, the Cityzens are again the frontrunners to hold the trophy aloft come May.

On Saturday, Liverpool rubbished claims that they were feeling the pressure as they put in a commanding display against Bournemouth. The Reds put three past the Cherries to shift the onus onto City.

City though responded in kind and sent out an even stronger statement by annihilating Chelsea.

At the Etihad, the hosts were utterly dominant and could’ve scored more than the six goals they eventually accumulated.

For the first time since 2014, we have a title race on our hands. Though the race flirted with the idea of turning into a canter for Liverpool for a few days, the Cityzens have ensured that they are not going anywhere until the 12th of May.

Yet, after a performance like today, the Etihad faithful would be quietly confident of handling everything Klopp and his men throw at them.

#1 Chelsea and Sarri sink deeper into trouble

Sarri might just have a question too many on his plate

Chelsea started off on a promising note as they went unbeaten for the first few months of the term. However, over the past couple of weeks, their season has unravelled spectacularly.

Against Bournemouth, they inexplicably capitulated to let in four in the second half while they scaled greater depths against City on Sunday.

While losing to City isn’t the biggest crime in the world, the way the lost certainly demands an inquest. Like many a time, the West London outfit looked bereft of ideas and passion. Thus, suggesting that the problems plaguing Chelsea are much more serious than what is meeting the eye.

Sarri started off the term on a bang. However, with time, people have worked out his Chelsea side and the Italian hasn’t been able to adapt.

At this juncture, Chelsea are slipping deeper and deeper into a quicksand they’ve created themselves. And if Sarri can’t plot an escape route, he could well be out of a job come the summer.

A rocky road lies ahead for Chelsea and today, they ran straight into a boulder without even bothering to jump out of the way.