Manchester City earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory against Chelsea on Saturday in the 23rd round of the 2024-2025 Premier League season.
The match, held at the Etihad Stadium in front of around 53,000 fans, saw English referee John Brooks officiating.
First Half: A balanced start
Chelsea took an early lead in the 3rd minute, as Noni Madueke capitalised on an error by City’s new Uzbek defender Abdulkadir Khusanov. However, City equalised just before the break. Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol netted the equaliser in the 42nd minute, reacting quickly to a rebound saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Haaland and Foden seal the win
In the second half, Norwegian striker Erling Haaland put City ahead in the 68th minute with a brilliant goal assisted by goalkeeper Ederson. Haaland’s goal marked his 18th of the season, keeping him close behind Mohamed Salah, who leads the scoring charts with 19 goals.
Phil Foden sealed the game in the 87th minute, converting a clever assist from Haaland into City’s third goal. The Englishman found himself one-on-one with Sanchez before calmly finishing.
City’s dominance over Chelsea continues
This victory extended Manchester City‘s dominance over Chelsea. The Sky Blues have now won 9 of their last 14 encounters with the Blues, drawing 5 times and remaining unbeaten in this period.
Updated standings
The win lifts City to 41 points, placing them fourth in the table, 12 points behind league leaders Liverpool. Chelsea remain in sixth place with 40 points.
Standout performances
Haaland earned the best rating of 8.6 from the football statistics platform WhoScored, thanks to his goal and assist.
Key match stats
- Chelsea have not beaten Man City since May 2021.
- Gvardiol is now the Premier League’s top-scoring defender this season with 5 goals.
- Madueke has made 12 goal contributions for Chelsea this season.
- Haaland has scored 81 goals in 89 Premier League appearances, the best rate in the competition’s history.
- Ederson now has 5 career assists, the most for a goalkeeper in Premier League history.
- Foden has scored in 4 consecutive league matches for the first time in his career.
Upcoming fixtures
City’s next match is against Belgian side Club Brugge on Wednesday, January 29, at the Etihad. Guardiola’s team need a win and favourable results elsewhere, involving teams like PSG, Lisbon, Stuttgart, or Benfica, to progress to the Champions League round of 16 play-offs.
