Riyad Mahrez scored the only goal of the match in the second half, helping Manchester City secure a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and close the gap at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
In the 63rd minute, Mahrez was in position to turn in a low cross from Jack Grealish and secure an important win in a thrilling encounter. Although Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka and Nathan Ake both hit the woodwork, City was able to take the win and move within five points of Arsenal, the league leaders.
Chelsea vs Man City Highlights
After drawing against Everton on New Year’s Eve, Manchester City was seven points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. However, when Arsenal was held by Newcastle on Tuesday, City had the opportunity to close the gap. In order to do so, they had to defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Due to the absence of Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte, Pep Guardiola recalled Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, and Kyle Walker, and employed an unusual formation with Cancelo playing as a right-midfielder, Rodri assisting the defense, and Bernardo serving as a deep midfielder. The first half was not successful for City, and the formation did not help their performance.
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However, the team improved after halftime when Walker and Cancelo were replaced, and on the hour mark, Guardiola introduced Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez. The pair quickly combined to score the only goal of the match, with Grealish finding Mahrez at the back post. As a result, City reduced the gap between themselves and Arsenal back down to five points with a hard-fought victory over Chelsea.
Injury
After starting strong and controlling the early possession, Manchester City struggled to create opportunities against a well-organized Chelsea defense. In the 15th minute, Christian Pulisic attempted to break through the City back line, but was stopped by a precise tackle from John Stones.
The challenge resulted in an injury for Pulisic, and he became the second Chelsea forward to be forced off due to injury, following the substitution of Raheem Sterling just five minutes earlier. Pulisic received a warm reception from the City fans as he left the pitch and returned to the changing room, and he responded with applause for the away supporters.
