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Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto to clinch the 2020-21 Champions League title. Kai Havertz scored in the first half following a defensive lapse from the Premier League champions as the Blues sealed their second triumph in the competition.
Pep Guardiola's charges were uncharacteristically poor, failing to create any meaningful chances and struggling to break down Chelsea's well-drilled backline. Losing Kevin De Bruyne midway through the second-half to an injury dealt them a severe blow too.
Christian Pulisic had the chance to double his side's advantage in the last few minutes of the game but fired his effort wide off the post. Riyad Mahrez saw a similar attempt sail agonizingly close in the final minute of extra-time.
Chelsea were the better team from the start and came through the showpiece as deserved winners. On that note, here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
While it wasn't his best performance by any stretch of any imagination, Kai Havertz deserves credit. He coolly took his chance in the first-half, firing Chelsea into a crucial lead. Mason Mount provided the assist for the goal with a fine pass that put Havertz through. The German applied the finishing touches by sneaking in behind City's defense as well as Ederson, before firing home into an empty net.
Signed by Bayer Leverkusen for their most expensive outlay, the German has been called into question on several occasions this season. But with a goal in the Champions League finals, the Blues faithful will feel he was well worth the gamble.
Flop: John Stones (Manchester City)
Having overseen a fine campaign which breathed new life into his Manchester City career, John Stones chose the wrong game to drop a stinker. The centre-back was poor tonight and even came up short in a decisive, goal-scoring moment by Chelsea.
He made one good headed clearance early on, but in the next gave it straight to an opposition player. Although it didn't result in a goal, Stones later failed to track Havertz, allowing him to easily sneak in behind and score the goal.
There's no denying the Englishman's quality but tonight was just not his night.
Hit: Reece James (Chelsea)
Pep Guardiola appeared to take a huge gamble by starting Raheem Sterling. The England winger did not start most of the games in City's final weeks in the Premier League and Champions League.
And while he wasn't disappointing per se, the winger often bumped into the hulking frame of Reece James. The Chelsea full-back was excellent in keeping him under wraps.
James dominated Sterling physically and also intercepted any loose balls in the area. He read the game brilliantly to marshal the backline with great composure, capping an impressive outing from the youngster.
Flop: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City)
Another promising young Manchester City talent who failed to step up to the plate tonight was Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ukrainian defender endured a tough evening in Porto. He looked shaky in defense while his positioning was suspect many times in the game.
The most shocking moment from him, though, was the sequence in the build-up to Chelsea's goal. Zinchenko was right behind Havertz, but failed to show any urgency and shied away from making a tackle. He inexplicably switched off and did nothing for the rest of the match to redeem himself either.
Hit: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Say whatever you want, but this Chelsea team would be nowhere near a European title without N'Golo Kante. The talismanic Frenchman was simply outstanding once again tonight and the beating heart of his side.
Kante won the ball back for the Blues on countless occasions to start their attacks. He also fearlessly jumped into tackles whenever City looked to break forward or build plays of their own.
Kante is blessed with impeccable vision and game awareness, something he exercised to his level best in the match. He thoroughly deserves to be called a European champion. What a journey!
