Manchester City overcomes early setback to beat Chelsea 3-1

Manchester City continued their climb up the Premier League table with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Despite an early mistake that gifted Chelsea the lead, Pep Guardiola’s side showed resilience and took full advantage of a critical error from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to claim all three points.

Early misstep and Chelsea’s lead

With Manchester City lacking depth in central defense due to injuries, Pep Guardiola handed a debut to 20-year-old Abdukodir Khusanov, a €40 million signing from RC Lens. However, Khusanov’s first Premier League appearance got off to a nightmare start. Just three minutes into the match, he misdirected a header straight to Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who set up Noni Madueke for an easy finish. The ex-PSV winger made no mistake, giving Chelsea an early 1-0 lead.

City finds the equalizer

City responded to the setback with urgency. Winter signing Omar Marmoush, brought in from Eintracht Frankfurt, showed promise in attack but couldn’t find the breakthrough. It took a moment of opportunism from Josko Gvardiol to level the score just before halftime. The marauding defender was in the right place at the right time to slot home a rebound, ensuring City went into the break at 1-1.

Sánchez’s costly mistake

As the second half began, Guardiola substituted Khusanov with John Stones, and City began to take control. Despite Chelsea’s threats on the counter, the game remained finely balanced until a critical error from Robert Sánchez tipped the scales. The Spanish goalkeeper, already under scrutiny, ventured far out of his goal in an attempt to thwart Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker punished Sánchez’s misjudgment by curling the ball into an empty net, securing a 2-1 lead for City. This marked the fifth goal this season directly caused by a Sánchez error—the most by any player in the league. His mistake not only put Chelsea on the back foot but also highlighted the goalkeeper’s shaky form under manager Enzo Maresca.

Foden seals the victory

Chelsea struggled to recover after Sánchez’s blunder, and City capitalized in the closing minutes. Phil Foden added the finishing touch with a well-taken goal, securing the 3-1 victory and leaving Chelsea without answers. The loss ended a positive start to the year for Chelsea, which had included two draws and a win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The win marked City’s second consecutive victory, propelling the defending champions from seventh to fourth place in the Premier League standings, overtaking Chelsea in the process. With momentum on their side, Guardiola’s team appears to be back on track, although their title defense remains a significant challenge. For Chelsea, the defeat underscores ongoing concerns about Sánchez’s performances and leaves Maresca’s side searching for solutions as they aim to bounce back in the next round of fixtures.