Manchester City delivered a dominant second half performance to beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, cutting Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points ahead of a crunch meeting between the two sides next weekend.
The match was goalless at half time, with Chelsea having the better chances in the opening 45 minutes. Man City completed 344 passes in the first half, the most by a visiting team at Stamford Bridge in the opening half of a Premier League game on record since 2003.
Nico O’Reilly broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half, heading home from close range after Rayan Cherki delivered a pinpoint cross from the right. Marc Guehi then doubled the lead on 57 minutes, controlling Cherki’s through ball perfectly before lashing a low shot past Robert Sanchez. Jeremy Doku sealed the win on 68 minutes, stealing the ball deep inside Chelsea’s half and slotting home on his left foot.
Speaking after the match, Guehi said the team were focused on their own performance rather than what Arsenal were making of the result. “I don’t think it matters if Arsenal are watching. The most important thing was us doing the job today. Everyone did their jobs today,” he said.
Man City had 82 percent of possession in the second half, a stat that reflected their total control after the break.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior made changes in an attempt to get back into the game, bringing on Romeo Lavia, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo, who made his Premier League debut, but the efforts came to nothing. Chelsea have now failed to score in their last three Premier League games, a run stretching 345 minutes without a goal.
Premier League pundit Michael Owen described it as a statement performance. “What a weekend for Manchester City, not only have they gained three points on their big rivals but also gained a good goal difference, it could come down to goal difference. Just what Manchester City needed,” he said.
Pundit Joe Cole was less impressed with Chelsea’s showing. “Lacklustre in every department, didn’t really create many chances, off-the-ball quite passive, Manchester City clicked into gear and looked like a team going for the title while the other were faltering. It’s really frustrating because it’s the same patterns over and over again, whenever they step up to the top table, they always fall short,” he said.
Arsenal sit top of the table on 70 points from 32 games, with Man City on 64 points from 31 games. The two sides meet at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday at 17:30.
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