Erling Haaland took advantage of a major blunder from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to score the decisive goal as Manchester City won to return to the Premier League’s top four.
Sanchez was caught badly out of position as he came out, then tried to scurry back as Haaland tussled with Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah to reach Ederson’s long punt forward.
When Haaland won the physical duel, he deliberately moved the ball on to his left foot before chipping Sanchez for his 18th league goal of the season and his sixth in his last six games in all competitions.
Phil Foden wrapped up victory three minutes from time when he ran on to Haaland’s lay-off to score his fifth goal in four games.
The win extended City’s unbeaten league run to six, gave Ederson the notable achievement of becoming the first goalkeeper to claim two assists in a single season in 16 years and, more importantly, spared the blushes of £33.6m debutant Abdukodir Khusanov, who had been at fault for Chelsea’s third-minute opener – when he headed the ball into Nicolas Jackson’s path deep into the City half. Jackson’s square pass to Noni Madueke gave the forward a tap-in.
Foden struck a post and City’s other new signing Omar Marmoush had a goal disallowed before Josko Gvardiol equalised as he reacted quickest to finish the rebound after Sanchez had denied Matheus Nunes.
After a bright start, during which they failed to take a golden chance to double their lead when Cole Palmer squared a pass too far in front of Jackson, who would have had an open goal to aim at, Chelsea faded and are now without a win in 11 meetings with City.
Despite rotating his stellar roster of international attacking players, Enzo Maresca’s side did not really threaten to force their way back into the contest once Haaland had struck.
Baptism of fire for City debutant Khusanov
The Premier League is an unforgiving environment, as Khusanov found to his cost in a torrid opening four minutes of his City career.
He must have hoped his initial mistake in heading the ball to Jackson would not end in a goal, but there was no reprieve. And when he gifted possession to Chelsea in his own half shortly afterwards, he knew Cole Palmer had to be taken down at the cost of a yellow card.
As baptisms of fire go, this was pretty intense.
In mitigation Khusanov does not speak much English, according to his manager Pep Guardiola.
He had two training days with his team-mates – and one of those was a recovery session after the Paris St-Germain game which he was not involved in.
Khusanov unsurprisingly looked unsure of what positions he was supposed to be taking up and, when the ball was played out to Jadon Sancho on one Chelsea counter, he needed a long check over his shoulder to see if he was expected to go and close him down.
It was incredibly tough for the Premier League’s first player from Uzbekistan and he was left blinking hard – almost in disbelief – at the maelstrom he had been thrown into, although, unlike Patrice Evra when he made his debut on this ground 19 years ago, he at least made it out for the second half. It was eight minutes into the second period when he was replaced by John Stones, getting a hug of congratulation from Guardiola on his way to the dugout.
At the other end of the pitch, Marmoush looked more sure of himself and was a genuine threat.
What he struggled with was staying onside, which proved particularly costly when he capitalised on Sanchez’s failure to hold Ilkay Gundogan’s curling shot. When Marmoush stuck the ball into the net, the flag went up. If he had left it for skipper Bernardo Silva, who was right behind him, the goal would have stood.
The positive for both players is they have got match number one out of the way. The negative for Guardiola is both are ineligible for Wednesday’s crucial Champions League encounter with Club Brugge, which City have to win to claim a play-off place.
Sanchez the Chelsea weak link
It was another frustrating return to the Etihad for Palmer, who has now failed to score on two visits back to the club many feel should never have allowed him to leave.
Palmer was well shackled by City’s defence, after his own error in getting the direction of what seemed a routine pass to Jackson all wrong.
The 22-year-old spent a long time after the final whistle in conversation with Guardiola, with the atmosphere seemingly friendly enough.
For Guardiola’s former coach Maresca, Palmer is certainly not an issue that needs resolving.
Chelsea have now collected six points and lost three times in their past seven league matches. What at one point seemed to be a growing title challenge has been reset to a top-four or, more likely, top-five battle.
Yet even to succeed in that, Chelsea need a solid goalkeeper. It is ironic that on the day their own Kepa Arrizabalaga was keeping a clean sheet in Bournemouth’s phenomenal beating of Nottingham Forest, Sanchez should be culpable in a Chelsea loss.
His latest mistake was his fifth of the league campaign that has led directly to a goal. No player has committed more.
Amid their huge spend to build a team of talented youngsters, it seems bizarre that Chelsea’s owners have failed to address a glaring deficiency that could prove so obviously costly.
