Premier League 2017/18: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City

Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City

Goal: Kevin De Bruyne 67'

It was one of the most anticipated games in the Premier League and it definitely lived up to its billing. Chelsea and Manchester City have produced some scintillating encounters in recent years and this was right up there.

Chelsea, on the back of their famous exploits in Spain, wanted to sit back and hit on the counter and shut shop after an unfortunate injury to Alvaro Morata in the first half.

But the night belonged to Manchester City and to one man who has often been labelled as a Chelsea reject. Kevin De Bruyne scored the winner after the hour mark after a neat one-two with Gabriel Jesus and then unleashing a powerful shot with his left foot.

Manchester City were the better team on the night and deserved all three points to go back to the top of the table. On that note, here are the player ratings from Premier League's "El Cashico":

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois: 6.5/10

Courtois was quick off his line and displayed sharp reflexes on two occasions. He made two brilliant saves against Fernandinho and David Silva but could not do anything for the De Bruyne shot.

Gary Cahill: 5.5/10

The captain made a few important blocks and interceptions but overall, Cahill could not adjust to the pace of the game. He was the least assuring of the three central defenders.

Andreas Christensen: 7/10

He looks calm and composed beyond his age and against City, reflected those qualities once again. Christensen kept Jesus silent for the majority of the game and also brought out the ball well from the back.

Antonio Rudiger: 6/10

The German started the game dodgily after his back pass could have led to a goal in the 12th minute. Rudiger improved with time and put on a robust performance. He was strong in his duels and also made a goal-line block at the end against a Jesus shot.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 6.5/10

Preferred to Victor Moses for the right wing-back role, Azpilicueta displayed his maturity at the back once again. He was decent defensively and also had two shots saved in either half by Ederson.

Marcos Alonso: 5.5/10

Barring one brilliant block off a David Silva shot, Alonso, did not have a decent game. He was pinned back most of the times by Raheem Sterling and often looked the second best against the Englishman. Alonso also survived a booking for his ill-timed tackle on the winger.

Ngolo Kante: 6.5/10

As expected, Kante kept running and running! It was a brilliant performance from the midfielder though he could not see as much of the ball as he would have liked. Conte should have used the Frenchman to man-mark De Bruyne.

Tiemoue Bakayako: 5.5/10

Bakayako did his defensive duties decently but failed to replicate that with his passing. He gave away possession on a number of occasions and was taken off in the second half as Chelsea were chasing a goal.

Cesc Fabregas: 5/10

Due to the constant pressure from the City midfield, Fabregas could not do much to help out his forwards. The Spaniard had to help out in defence which made him compromise his attacking instincts.

Eden Hazard: 5/10

Anonymous for the majority of the game, Hazard could not recreate the magic that he did in Madrid midweek. He was not helped by Chelsea's game plan and was often seen chasing lost causes. Hazard also had to play as the centre-forward after Morata was taken off.

Alvaro Morata: 6/10

Morata started the game brilliantly and looked like the only player looking to cause problems for the City backline. An unfortunate hamstring issue made him quit the game after 35 minutes and the Blues will hope that this will not be a serious injury for the striker.

Substitutions

Willian: 4.5/10

Replacing Morata, Willian was brought on to inject some pace into this Chelsea side. He brought pace alright but lacked vision at times. His passes went astray and his set-piece delivery was also surprisingly below par.

Pedro: 6/10

Pedro came on the field with 20 minutes to go and had some half- chances to bring back Chelsea into the game. Looking by his eagerness to turn the tides, it should have been him who replaced Morata.

Michy Batshuayi: 5/10

The striker did not have much time to influence the proceedings and spent most of his time being isolated up front.

Manchester City

Ederson: 7.5/10

A solid day in the field for the City custodian. We haven't said that line many times in the last couple of seasons! Credit to Ederson who has lived up to Guardiola's expectations and again produced a solid showing. Ederson made some decent saves and his distribution was also brilliant.

Kyle Walker: 6/10

It was not a performance from the right-back that he has been used to but at the end, it got the job done. Walker looked edgy against Hazard at the start but improved as the game went on. He made one important clearance in the second half and was tidy in possession.

John Stones: 6.5/10

Morata once made a mockery of Stones in the opening minutes but Stones recovered from it soon. After the striker's departure, Stones did not have much to do defensively and impressed with his passing abilities. The Englishman is improving with each passing week.

Nicolas Otamendi: 7/10

The Argentinian made some important tackles and blocks and also had a chance to score from a header. He was later booked for s careless challenge on Willian but all in all, it was a much-needed robust performance from the City defender.

Fabian Delph: 7.5/10

Delph was said to be the weak link by many before the start of the game but he continued his good form in an unusual position with yet another impressive display. He was confident in defending and also took good positions in midfield when City had the ball.

Fernandinho: 7/10

A typical gritty performance which you need from your defensive midfielder. Fernandinho was solid in midfield and stopped numerous Chelsea attackers. He also forced a great save off Courtois and was booked in the final quarter of the game.

David Silva: 8/10

It all passed through the little genius! Silva was ever present in all of City's attacks and looked at his creative best. He made some smart passes and also took one stinging shot. Silva was taken off for Bernardo with 15 minutes to go.

Kevin De Bruyne: 9/10

Though his goal was the highlight of the game, it was an all-round performance from the Belgian. He drifted out wide and then moved centrally as the game went on. De Bruyne pulled the strings in this game and was easily looking at a level higher than the other players.

Raheem Sterling: 7.5/10

It is tough to keep Marcos Alonso silent for the entire game but Raheem Sterling managed to do that with ease. His pace and width troubled the Chelsea defender but his shots and crosses needed to be more clinical.

Leroy Sane: 6/10

A rather quiet game by his recent high standards. Sane changed flanks but found it tough to get the better of Rudiger. He went down too easily at times but managed to press high up the pitch for the entirety of the game.

Gabriel Jesus: 6.5/10

Jesus pressed the back three well and had some chances to get on the score sheet, the best coming in the final few minutes. He was not at his fluent best but looked lively to win the ball back. He combined well with De Bruyne and delivered a perfect layoff for the Belgian to hit the winner.

Substitutions

Bernardo Silva: 7/10

Playing for just 15 minutes, Silva replaced his namesake and continued where the City veteran left off. The former Monaco man displayed several instances of his supreme close ball control.

Ilkay Gundogan: 6/10

Gundogan was on the field for not more than 6-7 minutes and barring a couple of passes, did not have much time left to be involved in the game.

Danilo: N/A

He was introduced in stoppage time.

Premier League 2017/18: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City - Player Ratings

Chelsea

Manchester City