Bernardo Silva scored in the first minute of the second half. (Source: Reuters)
Chelsea came into this match hoping for a point and once they conceded, they played to avoid conceding more. It was a performance devoid of any adventure and aggression that helped Liverpool beat City at the Etihad in January. City were unable to break through in the first half but David Silva’s cross found Bernardo Silva who tucked it in within 40 seconds of kick off in the second half. Chelsea did little to put pressure on City after that with their players dropping back every time City got the ball and making a mess in the final third whenever they did get to attack.
Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: Match highlights
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Their lead at the top of the table is now 18 points which means about four more wins would let City win the Premier League.
De Bruyne breaks down the right, passes it to Leroy Sane who takes a shot from outside the box. David Silva is then replaced by Phil Foden, 4 mins added to the 90
Chelsea now making some feeble attempts at finding a goal but City are more than capable of dealing with everything they are throwing at them
Olivier Giroud comes on and immediatly Hazard happily drops back and takes a ball forward into the City area. Nothing comes of it and City break seconds later with De Bruyne through the centre, he passes it to Aguero to the right ahead of him but it is not the best of passes and forces the Argentine wide
City lose the ball to some shoddy passing and a timely interception from Pedro who charges down the left but he is completely isolated from Hazard. Tries somewhere between a shot and a cross that ends up being nothing leaving Hazard frustrated. Nothing new there
Finally some back and forth stuff in this match instead of sky blue to dark blue. Chelsea's attack breaks down when Willian, breaking down the right ends up hitting a City body with his cross. City then counter with De Bruyne breaking in and into the area thanks to Walker taking some attention to himself with a run. De Bruyne falls over and that is the end of that inquest
David Silva takes a free kick short and passes it to De Bruyne down the right, the Belgian sends the ball in along the ground to Aguero who gets it back to Silva. The Spaniard takes a shot and it is delfected out for a corner. That one leads to another corner and that leads to nothing
But it comes to nothing, Fabregas with acres of space deep in the City half, passes it to Moses ahead of him, Moses takes a shot at the near post that is nowhere close to the near post
This may be a match between two giants of the modern game and two of the biggest footballing brands in the world but it almost looks like an FA Cup match between a team from the lower tiers and a top flight club. The lower tier club are the ones that are behind, in case you are wondering
40 seconds is all it took for the league leaders. A long ball that Christensen makes a mess of while defending, it comes to Silva who crosses it through to Bernardo Silva who comes in and bangs it home. Chelsea stretched all over the place with that David Sliva cross and Marcos Alonso was completely unaware of Bernardo Silva arriving behind him
City pass, Chelsea absorb, Chelsea attack and mess it up in the final third. That's how this half has been. When Liverpool beat City, they were at their throats all along. Chelsea have come here with the aim of not losing. Can blame them though, that really is the best resort if you are facing City away from home this season. They have been stout in defence, not allowing City to feel free at all inside the final third but have themselves been found wanting in City's half of the pitch. Willian has looked like the only player comfortable with getting forward at the moment with the Blues while Hazard is nowhere to be seen. So far so good for the away side
Possession stats: Manchester City 77 per cent, Chelsea 22 per cent.
Shots: City 8, 1 on target, Chelsea none
It has been that sort of a half
Rudiger gives a free kick away once again from a similar position, this time the ball is rolled onto the path of Aguero inside the box and he somehow gets a shot in, it is past the keeper but rolling away from the target and is pushed in by another City player but none of this matters, Aguero is offside
More of the same, City passing around in midfield, Chelsea waiting like a coiled spring, as soon as they come towards the area, City are made to deal with a Chelsea clearance and a counter attack. The latest came up when Willian and somehow got the ball to Pedro down the left. Walker forces him to the touchline and he takes a shot from a tight angle, straight at the Ederson
City win a free kick for Rudiger's foul on Aguero, David Silva sends it in cross field kick straight to Leroy Sane left side of goal, he cuts in and takes a shot, it is past the keeper and Cezar Azpilicueta is the man on the line and saves Chelsea. For now
Leroy Sane cuts through the Chelsea defence and runs into space from the left before passing it to Aguero. The Argentine is unable to sort out his feet and passes to Bernardo Silva outside the area. He tries to curl into the top corner at the far post and it is just wide
Some passing the ball around towards the left side of the Chelsea box and City get Aguero in, he scampers around, trying to find an opening as Chelsea shirts hover around him, runs from left to right and takes a shot that deflects off one of the many defending legs
Manchester send a couple of crosses in, one is dealt by a Chelsea head and other is absorbed by their keeper. Both sides are still looking in shape, holding their cards. For Chelsea, Eden Hazard is playing as a centre forward again, something he himself said he is not comfortable doing after the Barca match.
Nothing much apart from an unsuccessful Manchester City corner in the opening five minutes. City have dominated possession of course and one gets the feeling Chelsea might just be trying to do what they did against Barcelona - sit tight, close out the spaces and break whenever they feel brave enough and hope Willian scores
Both sides in their hiome colours, Chelsea dark blue and Man City sky blue
'This is a tragedy. This news really, it hurt me, and it’s very difficult in this moment to find the right words for the family. I had him with the national team. I repeat, it is very hard at this moment to speak about this tragedy. He was a fantastic guy, he was a great player but especially a fantastic guy. I stay really close to his family at this moment. He was only 31, and it’s very difficult to explain this situation.'
Arsenal have lost 2-1 to Brighton. It is the Gunners' fourth successive Premier League defeat. If you thought Chelsea and City's 22-point gap is a lot, Arsenal trail City by 30 points. Subtlety has been at a premium this season.
That is the biggest takeaway from this team selection and that is one absence Chelsea could have done without. The Frenchman is out due to illness. No Alvaro Morata for the visitors too. City have brought on Alexander Zinchenko and Aymeric Laporte, Vincent Kompany and Danilo having to do with a place on the bench.
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sane.
Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Kompany, Stones, Gabriel Jesus, Toure, Foden.
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Moses, Fabregas, Drinkwater, Alonso, Willian, Hazard, Pedro.
Subs:Chalobah, Caballero, Morata, Giroud, Zappacosta, Cahill, Emerson.
Sixth-placed Chelsea are 22 points behind top-ranked Manchester City. To put things in perspective, the side currently occupying the bottom place in the league, West Brom, have got 20 points this entire season. City have been a league or two above the rest of their title rivals and Chelsea have been anything but the dominant force they were last season. Their defeat down the other side of Manchester in their previous outing would have done little to lift their confidence. Both sides are on a level pedestal as far as spending power is concerned but, if Antonio Conte is to be believed, Chelsea are a second-tier club compared to the financial might of Manchester City. He said that the board doesn't "share his ambition" and so he is left with a lot of it but no money. Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, has pressing concerns like how to stop his side from thinking they are perfect.