Riyad Mahrez scored the winner for City in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to close the gap at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Date/Time : 5 January , 21:00 CET
Referee: Paul Tierney
Manchester City are five points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League thanks to their 1-0 win over Chelsea tonight at Stamford Bridge.
Riyad Mahrez came off the bench and scored the only goal of the game. The Algerian international broke through on goal in the 63rd minute, converting another cross from substitute Jack Grealish.
Second-placed Man City are five points behind Arsenal, while Chelsea remain in 10th place, 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with the same number of games (17).
The two sides will meet again on Sunday afternoon, when Pep Guardiola’s side host the Blues in the third round of the FA Cup.
Chelsea were forced into a substitution after five minutes as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaced the injured Raheem Sterling, who was sent off against his former club.
The chances of the first half match opened up for the hosts in the 16th minute, as Kai Havertz found Christian Pulisic in the Man City area, but John Stones provided an excellent challenge.
Chelsea then had to make another substitution in the 22nd minute as Carney Chukwuemeka replaced the injured Pulisic, but the home side still looked set to score.
Chukwuemeka had half a chance shortly after arriving as Havertz found the Man City youngster in the penalty area, but the midfielder was denied by the Stones final challenge.
Ilkay Gundogan fired past the Chelsea post in the 32nd minute as Man City enjoyed the ball more, but the champions struggled to find clear openings.
Erling Braut Haaland got his first look at Chelsea’s goal in the 37th minute, but the Norway international could only get the ball over the crossbar under pressure.
The hosts hit the post in the 43rd minute through the lively Chukwuemeka and the midfielder advanced to the edge of the box before attempting to find the back of the net only to be deflected off the post.
A spirited end to the first half then saw Kevin De Bruyne take a corner kick behind him, but the half-time whistle put the two teams goalless.
Man City made two changes at half-time, with Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis replacing Kyle Walker and João Cancelo.
Haaland had half a chance early in the second half when Aubameyang’s loose pass was intercepted, but the striker’s shot was deflected off the crossbar.
Nathan Ake then headed to the crossbar from close range from a brilliant De Bruyne cross before Kepa Arrizabalaga had to stop the Belgium international’s Man City low shot as the visitors improved dramatically at the start of the second period.
Chelsea had a great chance in the 56th minute, but Thiago Silva was only able to shoot wide after a period of panic in Man City’s penalty area.
De Bruyne then shot past the Chelsea goal just before the hour mark and both teams had chances in a lively period of the match.
Man City opened the game in the 63rd minute and the two substitutes combined as Grealish curled a brilliant low cross to Mahrez, who simply didn’t miss the chance to put his team ahead.
An early substitute, Aubameyang was substituted as part of a triple substitution for Chelsea in the 68th minute, along with Omari Hutchinson, Lewis Hall and Conor Gallagher.
Haaland nearly converted De Bruyne’s low cross in the 73rd minute and the home side took the lead in the ensuing period, with Gallagher’s energetic work spurring on the crowd.
Hall had a brilliant chance to equalize for Chelsea in the second half after being released in a dangerous position, but the youngster shot over the crossbar as Man City claimed three vital points in London.
Chelsea’s next Premier League fixture is against London rivals Fulham on January 12, while Man City’s return to the league against on-form Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 14.
Lineups:
Chelsea :
Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Ziyech (Gallagher 69), Zakaria, Kovacic, Cucurella (Hall 69), Sterling (Aubameyang 5, Hutchinson 69), Havertz, Pulisic (Chukwuemeka 22)
Subs: Bettinelli, Jorginho, Chalobah, Humphreys
Man City:
Ederson, Walker (Akanji 46), Stones, Ake, Cancelo (Lewis 46), Rodrigo (Phillips 85), Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo (Mahrez 60), Foden (Grealish 60), Haaland
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Alvarez, Gomez, Palmer
Scorers:
Bookings:
Kalidou Koulibaly
Mateo Kovacic
Match Stats:
