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Manchester City have ended Chelsea's unbeaten run this season with a stunning display at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League champions exacted revenge for their Champions League final defeat, dominating Thomas Tuchel's side on Saturday.
Chelsea could not get the game flowing, and Thomas Tuchel's changes also did not help the Blues get back into the game. Pep Guardiola played his cards right for the first time against the German this year, managing to win after three consecutive defeats.
Thomas Tuchel went in with a 3-5-2 on Saturday. But that backfired, as Manchester City pressed high and kept the ball most of the time. Gabriel Jesus' deflected goal was enough for the Cityzens to walk away with a 1-0 win from Stamford Bridge.
On that note, here are Chelsea's top five players from their defeat against Manchester City:
#5 Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Despite coming on in the 76th minute of the game, Ruben Loftus-Cheek had more impact than most Chelsea players on the pitch. The midfielder was making his second appearance of the season. But he has all but sealed his place as the fourth-choice midfielder for Thomas Tuchel.
As soon as Ruben Loftus-Cheek came on, Chelsea had some possession in the game, and started attacking a lot more. The former Fulham loanee showed his strength in keeping the ball and carried it forward with ease. That was something the Chelsea players were unable to do throughout the game.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek ended the game with a 93% pass success and managed two dribbles as well. That was more than what N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz combined managed.
#4 Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger's future at Chelsea is still undecided. But the defender has shown his class in every game he has played this season. The German has established himself as a first-choice defender under Thomas Tuchel, putting on a solid display against Manchester City.
Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva tried a lot to get behind Antonio Rudiger in the game. If it wasn't for Marcos Alonso being off position most of the time, the Manchester City duo would have struggled a lot more.
Antonio Rudiger did get booked in the game, but a tactical foul led to his name getting taken. The German made his presence felt in the box, and won two aerial duels when Manchester City made the crosses.
#3 Andreas Christensen
Chelsea's Andreas Christensen was forced to play in two different positions in the game, but he excelled. The Danish star started as a centre-back, But he had to move to the right centre-back position after Reece James got injured and Thiago Silva had to come in.
Andreas Christensen was on top of Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne most of the time. If it was not for his spot-on positioning, the visiting side would have scored more goals on the night. The defender had Phil Foden marked out of the game in the first half before the switch in his position.
Like Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, too, got booked in the game, but that does not take anything away from him. From the timing of his tackles to his calm passing, the Danish star showed why Chelsea have handed him a long-term contract.
#2 Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic has undoubtedly been Chelsea's player of the season so far. The Croatian was set to be the third-choice midfielder, but he has made himself undroppable.
Thomas Tuchel started off with Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Jorginho in midfield against Manchester City. But only the Croatian did not suffer. He played at his best once again, and was the only one trying to attack and create chances for Chelsea.
Apart from Kovacic, no other Chelsea player took risks in midfield. The former Real Madrid midfielder was easily the home side's best outfielder against Manchester City, despite ending with an 81% pass-success rate.
#1 Edouard Mendy
After missing the last two games due to injury, Edouard Mendy was back in goal for Chelsea. The Senegal star was on top of his game against Manchester City, making two crucial saves to keep the scoreline respectable.
Manchester City pinned Chelsea back throughout the game, which kept Edouard Mendy on his toes. The goalkeeper had to be alert at all times, as the Cityzens laid siege to Chelsea's goal, especially in the first half.
Edouard Mendy did concede a goal from open play for the first time this season. But there was hardly anything he could have done about it. The former Rennes star was in a decent position to save Gabriel Jesus' shot. But a deflection off Jorginho saw the ball end up inside the net.
