Erling Haaland celebrated his 100th appearance for Manchester City by scoring his 91st goal, followed by a strike from Mateo Kovacic on his return to Stamford Bridge, as Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory against Chelsea. This win marked a strong start for City in their quest to claim a record fifth consecutive English top-flight title.
In his first match as Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca saw his side fall to the defending champions, who were missing key players like Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden due to their extended summer breaks following Euro 2024. Despite these absences, Pep Guardiola’s team demonstrated their dominance, particularly against one of the few teams they didn’t manage to beat in the league last season.
Chelsea’s manager, Maresca, faces the challenging task of forming a cohesive team from a bloated squad of 43 players, including over 50 on the books with those on loan. This led to some tough selection decisions, with notable absences from the matchday squad, including Raheem Sterling, who expressed his disappointment through a statement released by his camp. Ben Chilwell was another notable omission, and players like Conor Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku have yet to receive squad numbers.
None of Chelsea’s nine summer signings featured in Maresca’s starting lineup, and Enzo Fernandez was named captain, despite controversy surrounding him after a social media post following Argentina’s Copa America victory last month.
Manchester City, on the other hand, displayed their usual consistency and excellence. Haaland, who had a summer free from international duties, made an impact just 18 minutes into the match, coolly finishing a deflected cross from Jeremy Doku. City had further chances, with Kevin De Bruyne and Doku coming close, but Chelsea finished the first half on a stronger note and nearly equalized through Nicolas Jackson, though his goal was disallowed for offside.
The second half saw Phil Foden introduced earlier than planned due to an injury to Savinho on his Premier League debut. The match, marked by a slower pace typical of the early season, saw Chelsea pressing for an equalizer, but City continued to threaten on the counter. Haaland was denied a second goal by a fine save from Robert Sanchez, and De Bruyne narrowly missed the target again.
Kovacic sealed the win for City with a powerful strike from distance, which Sanchez failed to keep out, capping off a dominant performance by the reigning champions.
