Manchester City faced off against Chelsea at their home venue Saturday afternoon. This was a must-see match for many, as both teams are currently ranked in the top 5. For the most recent 5 matches played by each team, either has lost a game in the English Premier League play. However, that all changed as Chelsea overcame Manchester City at the last minute to lock in a win.
Both teams were neck and neck for most of the match, possession being almost equally distributed. However, Manchester City was getting themselves in some trouble, giving up many fouls in the match’s opening minutes. Eventually, they would pay the consequences as Raheem Sterling saw the first yellow card in the game, just 12 minutes in.
As the ball got rolling and the play continued, both teams began taking advantage of shooting opportunities. Ederson of Manchester City and Edouard Mendy for Chelsea came up big for their groups with multiple blocks, keeping their team alive.
Battling back and forth for almost an entire half, it seemed that the match would remain scoreless. Sterling of Manchester City had other plans, though. Sergio Aguero passed the ball across the center of the box to Sterling. From there, Sterling took a left-footed shot that ended up in the bottom left corner. With less than a minute of regulation play left in the half, Manchester City got up 1-0.
What came as a surprise was when not even 5 minutes later, they earned a penalty. Aguero stepped up to take it, attempting with his right foot. Mendy (goalkeeper) was able to pinpoint where he was going to shoot. Making the save, Manchester City missed a big opportunity to extend their lead, which they would later wish they had.
After halftime, the teams made their way back onto the field. Similar to the first half, both teams struggled to put the ball on frame or in the net. Finally, being 63 minutes into the match, Chelsea scored their first of the game. Cesar Azpilicueta passed a bouncing ball to the top of the box to Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech shot the ball off a volley through a sea of Manchester City players on frame to the goal. Now, Chelsea had some hope back as the score was tied 1-1.
As the game neared the end, things seemed as if they would end in a draw. Neither side was able to convert their chances into goals. Regulation time was over and was now in stoppage with 5 minutes remaining. In the 92nd minute, things took a turn for the worse for Manchester City. Timo Werner (Chelsea) passed the ball off to teammate Marcos Alonso at the center of the box. Alonso fired a shot with his right foot that was sent to the back of the net in the top left corner. The midfielder became a hero from his team as they earned another point to gain the lead 2-1.
Now that Chelsea has upset the home team, Manchester City loses out on a chance to clinch the league title for the season. Since the loss, Aguero tweeted his apologies to his teammates and staff for messing up the penalty kick. He wrote, “…It was a bad decision, and I take full responsibility.”
Up Next
Chelsea takes on Arsenal at home on Wednesday, May 12th at 3:15 ET.
Manchester City hopes to recover and look to stay in 1st place, taking on Newcastle on the road. The game is set for Friday, May 14th at 3:00 ET.
