Five Things Learned: Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)

Manchester City fought back from behind to draw against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s side headed into the clash at the Etihad trailing league leaders Liverpool and second-placed Arsenal with two games in hand. Having played out a scintillating 4-4 draw earlier in the season, all eyes were on the two sides to produce something just as memorable.

The game began in usual Manchester City fashion with Erling Haaland going close, this time with a powerful header. Chelsea’s first big chance fell to Nicolas Jackson, but Ederson pulled off a clutch save despite the one-vs-one scenario.

The away side did however take the lead shortly before the break, as Raheem Sterling notched for the second time this season against his former club. City grew into the game during the second half but still could not find an equaliser despite several chances of their own.

As the match approached it’s final stages, Kevin De Bruyne crossed in what seemed to be the perfect ball for Erling Haaland, but the Norwegian sent his header off target. City finally scored a goal with less than 10 minutes to go following a scramble inside the Chelsea box. The ball eventually fell to Rodri on the edge of the box, with the Spanish midfielder powering a shot home to level the scoring and haul his side back into the game.

Those in sky blue came forward again and again following the leveller, with Erling Haaland rising high once more but seeing his headed effort caught by Dorde Petrovic. Despite late handball shouts for a last-minute penalty, Manchester City saw no winner and the sides remained locked together right until the full-time whistle.

Pep Guardiola’s men remain in third place in the Premier League table, four points from the top but with a game in hand which they will play on Tuesday night against Thomas Frank’s Brentford.

Here are five things we learned from Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea this weekend!

City’s winning streak over

Heading into Saturday’s clash, Manchester City last failed to win on December 16 after a late fightback from Crystal Palace saw them draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium. Since then, City have gone on an 11-game winning streak across all competitions seeing Pep Guardiola’s side win the FIFA Club World Cup in the process.

The Citizens looked to be staring down the barrel of a rare defeat on Saturday evening following Raheem Sterling’s strike but Rodri’s powerful effort avoided this. Pep Guardiola’s side did however fail to notch another win despite their late fightback thus bringing their impressive winter run to an end.

Rodri comes clutch AGAIN

As mentioned, it is very rare that Manchester City ever lose these days, so it was a real worry as the Citizens were facing down the barrel of defeat on Saturday. Former City attacker Raheem Sterling put the away side ahead and due to multiple misses from the home side, it looked as if Pep Guardiola’s men were going to succumb to defeat.

Midfield maestro Rodri had other ideas though, powering in a late equaliser to spare some blushes at the Etihad Stadium. From the Carabao Cup final in 2020 to the Champions League final in 2023, and even away at Stamford Bridge earlier this campaign, the Spaniard always comes up trumps for City.

Sterling haunts Guardiola

It is rare that Manchester City ever let players leave during their prime but two summers ago, the club sold Raheem Sterling. The attacker had fallen out of form and popularity at the Etihad Stadium but had nonetheless been a prolific goalscorer during his seven-year stay in Manchester.

After an underwhelming first season with Chelsea, Sterling managed to get himself on the scoresheet during the dramatic 4-4 draw with City earlier this season. He once again scored against his former club on Saturday evening, breaking the deadlock and following the script much to the home fans’ dissatisfaction.

Alvarez is not a midfielder

Manchester City looked far from their best on Saturday evening and one major reason for this can be attributed to the set-up. Julian Alvarez was once again placed in midfield and struggled significantly, making little impact throughout.

The Argentine is a fantastic talent in the forward positions but he simply does not thrive in matches such as these when placed out of position. With Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland back in the team after their respective injuries, Pep Guardiola must find a different method of utilising Alvarez.

Chelsea’s City curse continues

Certain sides fair better against others and that seems to be the case when Manchester City have faced Chelsea in recent years. The two sides are no strangers to one another, often drawing each other in cup competitions as well as playing out their two premier League fixtures each season.

Chelsea last beat City in the 2021 Champions League final and have struggled since, losing all but one of those following games. This unwanted statistic continued for the London side on Saturday evening as their hosts ran out unbeaten once more.