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Manchester City's juggernaut in the Premier League continued to cruise through as they defeated second-placed Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. Former Blues man Kevin de Bruyne produced a moment of brilliance as he scored the winning goal in the 70th minute from the edge of the box.
The Blues were the second-best side in the game for the most part. Apart from a burst in the early stages of the second half, they failed to cause any problems for the league leaders.
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The hosts always looked to be in control of the game and did not allow much space to the misfiring visitors in their half. While Manchester City enjoyed a better share of chances in either half, Chelsea had only themselves to blame for a toothless outing in a crucial game.
With Pep Guardiola's City making it 12 wins on the spin in the English top-flight, the league title looks to be increasingly defendable. With Cityzens opening up a 13-point lead at the top of the standings, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Kevin De Bruyne comes back to haunt his former side
Kevin de Bruyne wore the captain's armband against Chelsea. He took it upon himself to earn three points for his side with a brilliantly taken shot from the edge of the box.
The game held special significance for him, not only because of his history with the Blues. The last time he faced them, he ended up with a fractured eye socket as his team finished runner-up in the Champions League final.
The Belgian midfielder found little space between Chelsea's midfield and displayed great strength over N'Golo Kante's challenge. With the ball on his preferred right foot, he unleashed a shot into the far corner. Kepa Arrizabalaga could only watch it go into the back of the net.
#4 Manchester City defense too difficult to break for Chelsea
The hosts had Chelsea's number in every area of the pitch and enjoyed a solid defensive outing. The visitors only managed four shots on target and were without a single shot in the first half.
City's defending duo had a good day at the office and were absolutely dominant in the air. Aymeric Laporte and John Stones won 100% of their aerial duels. Ederson didn't have much to do in the game. He was able to keep his 83rd clean sheet in the league, managing a shutout in half of his league games.
Manchester City were also helped by some shoddy attacking by Thomas Tuchel's men. Nonetheless, they will be happy to have got their first clean sheet of 2022 here.
#3 Manchester City stake early title claim with a statement win over Chelsea
Manchester City eased past Chelsea in a top-of-the-table clash, with Guardiola completely outplaying Tuchel. Watching City's dominance in this game, it was easy to forget that it was a key fixture in this season's Premier League title race.
It was the 12th win in a row for the reigning champions. They dominated the Champions League 2020-21 winners in almost every aspect of the game. They mustered more shots on target (6), had more possession (56%) and pass success rate (86%) and even managed to get through the game without any bookings.
It became evident with this win that City have operated on a different level than their title-rivals this season. They have Brentford, Norwich City, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton as their opponents in league fixtures next month. Their winning streak is only expected to be extended even further.
#2 Romelu Lukaku fails to impress Thomas Tuchel
Romelu Lukaku joined Chelsea last summer on the back of a 24-goal haul with Inter Milan in the previous campaign. But the goals have dried up for the Belgian in his second spell with the Blues.
The player found himself in hot water over some comments regarding his situation at west London club and Tuchel earlier this month.
Well, as he failed to provide much of a threat in the final third against Manchester City, it was the German coach's turn to blast the striker. Tuchel rightly singled him out for losing possession quite often.
Lukaku had just one shot on target and it was his left-footed shot that was saved comfortably by Ederson.
He played the full 90 minutes but had just seven accurate passes and lost all of his duels against the City defenders. As things stand, he is still without a goal against any of the Premier League's big six clubs.
#1 Chelsea losing steam in their title-challenge
Chelsea's great run of form in the early stages of the 2021-22 campaign seems to have ebbed halfway through the season. While facing City at the Etihad is a daunting affair for any team, the visitors looked exhausted and ran out of ideas by the half-time whistle.
They struggled to contain Raheem Sterling on the left flank, as most of City's attacks initiated from the flank in the first half. City dominated in the air and moved the ball around with ease.
The Blues have just two wins from their last eight Premier League outings. Tuchel needs to implement some changes to his squad and tactics to keep their slim title chances alive.
