A dominant performance from Manchester City sees them overcome Chelsea at the Stanford Bridge. By the end of the game, a comfortable 2-0 victory sees the Citizens take away all three points. For Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, a victory here was the perfect start to their Premier League campaign.
With three points secured, City open up their English Premier League account with a perfect beginning. Courtesy of individual quality from the likes of Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic, Manchester City was able to put the ball past Chelsea’s goalkeeper on two separate occasions.
Here are the player ratings for the Man City players.
Player Ratings:
Ederson: 6.5
Not exactly at his shiny best but he did not have to be. A fortunate offside helped him keep a clean sheet but his distribution was solid while his shot-stopping did raise a few eyebrows from time to time.
Manuel Akanji: 7.0
Needed to be more alert than his teammates due to the overflow of Chelsea attacks that came
his way, but managed to deal with them appropriately.
Ruben Dias: 6.0
Initiated a lot of promising plays for his team through his passing, Ruben Dias was hardly tested by Chelsea’s attack and midfield in the victory.
Josko Gvardiol: 7.0
Was very good from a technical point of view as he was comfortable taking the ball forward and showcasing good distribution. Also made some key passes that help his team progress the ball.
Rico Lewis: 6.5
Even without Rodri being present, Rico Lewis made sure to do all the defensive work that Pep Guardiola needed out of him. While he did not particularly stand out like some of his other teammates, Lewis did the work that normally goes unappreciated.
Mateo Kovacic: 8.0
Composed and smart throughout the game, Mateo Kovacic was also the man who gave his team a cutting edge when they seemed to become too redundant. Near the 85th minute, when creativity was lacking for the Citizens, a great effort from range saw the Croatian midfielder add a second goal to City’s tally.
Jeremy Doku: 7.5
Brilliant on the flank, Jeremy Doku showed a lot of courage and maturity in this game. Even when things looked too tight for him to wriggle through, the Belgian winger did not hesitate in making it a possibility. Moreover, when he knew for a fact that he had been overcrowded by the Chelsea players, he was always punctual with his distribution of the ball.
Bernardo Silva: 8.5
While the assist that he got to his name may have been slightly fortunate, Bernardo Silva was head and shoulders above the other players. His timing, dribbling, immaculate passing, and chance creation were all top-notch and handed Man City a great advantage.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7.0
Not exactly at his magical best, but Kevin De Bruyne was clearly looking to make every pass, touch, and shoot count. His vision remains flawless and while his execution was not always perfect against Chelsea, the Belgium maestro did all he could to help the team.
Savio: 7.0
An excellent first half display from Savio saw Manchester City constantly exploit Chelsea’s open spaces. The Brazilian winger was immense with his speed and dribbling, something that the London-based club seemed to have a lot of difficulty in countering. Was unfortunately taken off for the second half due to discomfort, however.
Erling Haaland: 8.0
While his impact may not be consistent or always there to see, the Norwegian ace strikes when he is called upon. For Manchester City’s first goal, he essentially did everything himself to add his name to the scoreboard with a great set of touches and a finish to match.
Substitutes:
Phil Foden: 6.5
Replaced Savio for the second half and showed some great energy. His passing was crisp and his positioning was always a great help for his teammates as well.
