Man City v Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Rodri rescues a point with late goal
Man City 1-1 Chelsea: Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea earn a deserved point against the champions
Manchester City gave up ground in the Premier League title race as they were held to a draw against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola will believe his team deserved more after they dominated possession and created a plethora of chances for Erling Haaland that were not taken.
Mauricio Pochettino set up his Chelsea team to counterattack with the pace of Raheem Sterling leading the line and it was the former City man who opened the scoring. Nicolas Jackson breaking down the right before slipping the ball to him. Sterling dribbled into the box, cut inside of Kyle Walker, and curled a cool finish past Ederson.
Chelsea tried to hold onto their slim lead and even switched to five at the back, but City turned up the heat several degrees. The pushed, repeatedly whipping crosses and set pieces into the box and earned a reprieve thanks to crunch player Rodri who popped up inside the final 10 minutes to get them level.
City couldn’t push on for the winner though and Chelsea made it through stoppage time to secure a brilliant result against the champions.
Relive the action with our live blog below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17 mins: It’s City’s turn to counter now, but Rodri’s shot from outside the box is blocked easily, and Chelsea end up winning a free-kick. Chelsea haven’t managed to keep the ball for any extended period of time, though they’re threatening at times.
Jackson closes down Ederson and wins the ball fairly, laying it off to Conor Gallagher. The Englishman plays a lovely ball behind Ake, looking for Palmer, but City do well to clear for a corner.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
14 mins: Perhaps unsurprisingly, it looks like Chelsea have chosen to rely on counter-attacking opportunities.
It looks like De Bruyne and Alvarez are both playing in advanced central roles, though the Belgian is repeatedly popping up near the right wing too.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
12 mins: CLOSE! Gallagher wins the ball well to start a Chelsea counter, but the pass to start the counter is wasteful and Sterling has no chance.
City have the ball again, and Doku plays in Alvarez behind the Chelsea defence. His cross is straight to Erling Haaland, who uncharacteristically heads over the bar.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
9 mins: A City free-kick is cleared, but Alvarez’s deflected shot causes Petrovic a lot of trouble. He flaps at it, and luckily Alvarez’s follow-up header is straight into his hands.
7 mins: Chelsea’s first foray forward is the best chance so far. Palmer fizzes it into Enzo, whose first time pass sets Chelsea in behind the City defence. The ball across tries to find Jackson, but Walker clears.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
5 mins: A bit of pinball in the City half ends with Foden winning a free-kick, and City have the ball again. They work it through the middle and the ball is played into Foden, but he is tagged by two men and Chelsea win the throw.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
3 mins: Not a lot of action as we begin the game. That De Bruyne role is certainly no more defensive than he usually is, with the Belgian taking up many of his usual positions. We’ve had an easy spell of City possession so far.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
1 min: City have a chance already. Haaland collects the ball on the edge of the box, and he lays it off to Alvarez, whose shot is wide of the far post.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
KICK OFF! Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea get us underway. Kevin De Bruyne looks to be playing alongside Rodri in a position more akin to a holding midfielder (according to the graphics anyway), so that might be what Guardiola was alluding to earlier. We’ll find out very soon.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
It’s been pouring at the Etihad, with the sort of conditions that often produce a slippery, difficult-to-predict game. Though there’s a clear favourite today, November’s 4-4 draw between these two sides proved that you never know what’s coming in these big Premier League games.
With both Liverpool and Arsenal winning earlier today, Pep Guardiola will be acutely aware of how important a home win tonight could be come May.
The stadium is filling up and the teams are in the tunnel.
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