BATTLE OF THE BLUES: 4️⃣ TALKING POINTS FROM MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 CHELSEA

 4️⃣ TALKING POINTS FROM TOP OF THE TABLE CLASH

-Mihir Mehta

-Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala

Photo Via: manchestereveningnews.co.uk

53,000 people witnessed as Manchester City extended their winning streak at the Etihad to 12 consecutive games, beating Chelsea 1-0 in an edgy encounter. It was almost a must-win game for Chelsea, who came into this game knowing that a loss to the defending champions would leave their push for the Premier League title in tatters. They kept it tight for the main part, with Thomas Tuchel opting for a more conservative lineup, looking to hit City on the counter. Chelsea defended well, shutting down any sort of attacks that City managed to muster. However, a moment of individual brilliance from Kevin De Bruyne proved to be their undoing as the Belgian skipped past N’golo Kante before curling it into the far corner as Chelsea’s defence stood still. Joao Cancelo had another excellent game as well, playing a good first-time ball to De Bruyne to catch Chelsea’s defenders off-guard. The result means City go 13 points clear at the top, above Chelsea, with the only real threat to their title challenge coming from Liverpool, who could cut the lead to 8 points. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s title push is left destroyed, with the Blues only mathematically able to win the title. Here are the talking points from this blockbuster clash:

1.      England’s Finest:  The Manchester City-juggernaut continues rolling on, and we don’t see anybody stopping them at the moment. The level of technicality this City side possess is absolutely absurd, something that was encapsulated perfectly by Bernardo Silva winning the ball, turning around, and getting away from his marker, all while on the ground. The defence is water-tight, and the attack fluid, and with the title all but won now (we just don’t see City dropping 8-10 points more this season), we can see Pep setting his sights on the UCL. With their current form, this might just be the Cityzens year.

2.      A Genius In Action: We don’t know what good things we’ve done to able to see Kevin De Bruyne on the field, but boy, do we love it. The Belgian international was at his creative, swaggering best, and Chelsea struggled to deal with him. His goal was a beauty, as he received well from Cancelo, took on N’golo Kante, kept his footing under the challenge, and then wrapped the ball home from just outside the box. We cannot wait to see more of Ginger Pele!

3.      Kepa: With first-choice goalie Edouard Mendy off at AFCON with Senegal, the Spaniard stepped up in what was always going to be a tough task against City’s formidable attack. He denied Jack Grealish brilliantly in the first half, palmed a free-kick from Kevin De Bruyne, and saved from the resulting corner. The goal cannot be attributed to him; the strike was wonderful and his sight was blocked by Chelsea’s defence.

4.      100 Million Pound Face Off: Two hundred-million pound signings faced off in the form of Jack Grealish and Romelu Lukaku. While Grealish wasn’t at his best, he did have a good game. The same, though, cannot be said of the hulking Belgian. Chelsea’s best chances came through Lukaku, but the Belgian did not have a particularly good game. His hold up play was not good enough, and he missed a great chance after going through on goal, denied by an excellent Ederson save. Back to the drawing board for Tuchel and his attack, after this lacklustre performance in front of goal.