Mahrez dresses as a magician king

What starts badly ends worse. Injuries to Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic within 20 minutes did not bode well for Graham Potter. During the first 45 minutes, the Blues they endured. They even had the opportunity to go ahead on the scoreboard at half-time if it weren’t for the fact that the strain on the post repelled Carney Chukwuemeka’s shot. But in the second half, Manchester City was very Manchester City. Dominators of possession and generators of the best chances, the visiting goal seemed a matter of time. Until it came. Riyad Mahrez dressed as the Wizard King to give Pep Guardiola the first gift of the night: three points with which to not lose Arsenal’s trail and reduce the distance in the standings to Mikel Arteta’s men to five. Graham Potter did not deserve coal, since the Blues They made their rival suffer, but they won’t take gifts either.

With the infirmary full

If the eight casualties with which Graham Potter’s men presented themselves to receive Manchester City were not enough, on Twelfth Night he ‘gave’ them two more casualties. Medical services have had to behave very badly Blues this year so that, in a matter of 20 minutes, Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic were forced to leave the field of play. The Englishman, after two minutes due to discomfort in the back of his thigh; the American, after a crash in the area when the first quarter of an hour had barely passed.

With everything and with that, while the Londoners licked their wounds and the English coach tried to rebuild the team with the entries of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Carney Chukwuemeka, Pep Guardiola’s men became masters of the ball. Accumulating up to seven footballers in the opposite field, in a kind of 3-2-5, the Mancunians came out ready to impose their game. However, they ran into a Chelsea team that, despite the injuries, was not going to give up so easily.. The ball possessions and circulations of the Skyblues they were long, but for the most part unfruitful.

It was then in the final stretch of the first half, and preceded by an exciting duel of full-backs on the right wing of Stamford Bridge, starring Joao Cancelo and Marc Cucurella, when the best chances came. One for each. First, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian, who is not used to missing clear opportunities, lacked a few centimeters to nail his shot into Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goal. And from the shoe of the cyborg al de Carney Chukwuemeka. Without going crazy when launching into the counterattack, Graham Potter’s men were creating danger with steals in the opposite field and running fast into space, and This is how the player introduced by the English coach in the first half crashed his shot into the post’s strain.

Grealish and Mahrez agree with Pep

Little did Pep Guardiola’s men care about the resilience and honor of the Blues during the first 45 minutes or the good performance of Kai Havertz, acting as a channel for local attacks. Pep Guardiola’s men came out of the locker room to take the three points. Good proof was the header that Nathan Aké crashed into the post when only five minutes of the second half had elapsed. Although in the section with the highest rhythm of the game, which entered into a hectic round trip, Chelsea also enjoyed their opportunities, especially one from Thiago Silva, who ended up materializing their superiority was Manchester City.

There are few more rewarding moments for a manager than when two players you decided to bring in in the second half to change the game end up scoring a goal. After game time, a play that began in the boots of Riyad Mahrez, and went to Jack Grealish’s band, ended with the Algerian attacker celebrating the 0-1 for the Skyblues. The Englishman faced and put a low and intense ball inside the area that, after passing in front of all the local defense, finished off Manchester City’s ’26’ at the far post.

Chelsea then had to come back with a team full of young and inexperienced. The aforementioned Carney Chukwuemeka was joined by Conor Gallagher, Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall. With everything and with that, the Blues they did not give up, and it was precisely the most precocious ones who gave Stamford Bridge fans reasons to believe in the tie until the last minute. Hopes that were broken when the referee decreed the end of the match and 0-1 was the result that lit up the scoreboard.