Chelsea vs Man City LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Jack Grealish sets up Riyad Mahrez winner
Chelsea 0-1 Man City: Pep Guardiola’s side reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal to just five points as the champions returned to winning ways
Manchester City cut the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points as substitutes Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish combined to sink Chelsea.
City were struggling to break though Chelsea in the first half at Stamford Bridge and Pep Guardiola had to make a slew of changes to add spark to his team.
That included Grealish and Mahrez, with the England international producing a perfect cross to the back post for the winner on 63 minutes.
Chelsea lost Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to injury in the first half, adding to a mounting list of absentees, to leave the Blues with just four points from their last five Premier League matches under Graham Potter.
Follow all the reaction below
Chelsea vs Man City
Haaland outscoring Chelsea
Chelsea have scored 20 Premier League goals this season, one fewer than the division’s leading goalscorer, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Thoughts from Graham Potter
Graham Potter took the time to speak to Sky Sports before kick off to give his thoughts on his first few months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
“It has been intense, challenging, enjoyable. You understand the responsibility and pressure because ultimately it is a fantastic football club.” he said, “Ultimately we’ve had a transition period for most of the year and that has an effect of course. There is lots of things, a lot of games, a few injuries. That’s my summary so far.
“We did well in the Champions League in terms of qualifying, results wise that was positive. We had a decent start. You get to know the players, club and how the training ground functions. There is information that you gather all the time.
“We haven’t been happy with how we’ve played, certainly in the Premier League. There is work to do there in terms of how the team functions. We need to attack more, we need to create more chances. We can make excuses, there are reasons, but ultimately we have to take responsibility and say we can do better.”
Will Man City win?
Manchester City could remain winless in successive Premier League fixtures for the first time since December 2020 after they drew 1-1 with Everton last time out.
Can Chelsea keep Pep Guardiola’s side quiet tonight?
Man City and Chelsea collide playing catch-up in the Premier League
Mind the gap. Manchester City and Chelsea meet as they both find themselves on the wrong side of significant divides. Pep Guardiola finds himself with eight points to make up to Arsenal, Graham Potter with 10 to the top four. If there are plenty who still think the Spaniard’s City side will end up champions, there may be fewer who think the Englishman’s underperforming, underwhelming Chelsea team will join them in next season’s Champions League.
The common theme was a question of expectations. If Potter is trying to downplay them, as though preparing Chelsea for back-to-back defeats to City in two competitions over the space of four days – they meet again in the FA Cup on Sunday – Guardiola is railing against them. His side have raised the standards but, with characteristic exaggeration, he argued they are now charged with taking a 20-point lead by November.
City are natural frontrunners in title races: this time, however, Arsenal’s near immaculate form has meant the defending champions are playing catch-up. They have a proven ability to go on extended winning runs. Nevertheless, Guardiola feels the league leaders Arsenal are not subjected to as much pressure as his side.
Man City and Chelsea collide playing catch-up in the Premier League
Ahead of their meeting on Thursday night, Pep Guardiola and Graham Potter have had different responses to the pressure they are under as City chase Arsenal and Chelsea chase the top four
A step backwards?
The Blues have lost five of their 16 Premier League matches this campaign, only one short of their final tally for last season. Are the Blues in transition or has Graham Potter failed to deliver since taking over four months ago?
Mount injured in training
Graham Potter has just been speaking on Sky Sports and explained why Mason Mount has not been included in the matchday squad tonight.
Apparently Mount took a knock in training yesterday and isn’t fit to play against Manchester City.
Chelsea vs Man City team changes
Graham Potter makes two changes to the Chelsea team that drew with Nottingham Forest last time out. Mason Mount is dropped from the squad for an unspecified reason with Jorginho also making way. In come Hakim Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic.
There are also four changes from Pep Guardiola to the Manchester City line-up. Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez are all out with Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden all returning.
Chelsea vs Man City line-ups
Chelsea XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Zakaria, Kovacic, Pulisic, Ziyech, Sterling, Havertz
Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Ake, Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Haaland, Foden
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