Mumbai City FC handed Chennaiyin FC the harshest of reality checks with a 6-2 win at the 'Marina Arena' in their ISL 2022-23 encounter on Saturday (November 12).
The Marina Machans started the game brilliantly, going 2-0 up in half an hour through Petar Sliskovic and Nasser ElKhayati. However, the Islanders fought back through Jorge Pereyra Diaz and a Greg Stewart penalty to level things up before half-time.
Mumbai City looked a different animal in the second half as Des Buckingham's substitutes worked their magic. Half-time subs Vinit Rai and Vignesh Dakshinamurthy made it 4-2 before another substitute, Alberto Noguera, widened the margin. Bipin Singh added to Chennaiyin's misery in injury-time.
Here are the player ratings for both teams:
Chennaiyin FC
Debjit Majumder - 5/10
Majumder fouled Lalengmawia Ralte right at the end of the first half to give away the penalty that began Mumbai City's ascent. He was beaten comprehensively by all six goals, but did make a couple of good saves in the second half.
Aakash Sangwan - 5.5/10
Sangwan looked bright in the first half, even playing a role in the first goal, with his dangerous set-pieces. However, he struggled against Lallianzuala Chhangte after the break and his attacking prowess was absent as well.
Julius Duker - 5.5/10
Duker dropped a tad too deep at times and was caught in possession a few times. He improved after moving into midfield later on, but the game was practically over by then.
Fallou Diagne - 6/10
Diagne is arguably the only Chennaiyin defender who came out of this game with any credit in the bank. He was crucial to their build-up play and made his presence felt eight clearances and three interceptions.
Ajith Kumar - 6/10
Ajith was splendid in the first half, but could do nothing to stop Bipin Singh after the break. His crossing was also largely off the mark, though he did link up well at times with the substitutes.
Rahim Ali - 6/10
Ali got the assist for Sliskovic's goal with a shot-turned-cross on the volley. However, he was kept quiet by Mumbai City from then on and had only 23 touches and eight successful passes in 62 minutes.
Anirudh Thapa - 5/10
Thapa has usually been Chennaiyin's "Mr. Dependable" and was decent in the first half. However, he completely lost Vinit Rai for Mumbai City's go-ahead goal just three minutes after half-time and simply couldn't inspire his side in the second half.
Jiteshwor Singh - 5.5/10
Jiteshwor Singh continued his rich vein of form in the first half, constantly tracking Stewart's runs and making some vital recoveries. The Scot proved too clever for him after the opening half an hour, though, and that proved to be catastrophic for Chennaiyin.
Prasanth Karuthadathkuni - 5.5/10
Karuthadathkuni was yet another Chennaiyin player who enjoyed a bright first half. He consistently gave them an outlet down the right, while also working hard defensively, before seemingly disappearing in the second half.
Petar Sliskovic - 6.5/10
Sliskovic finally opened his ISL tally thanks to some superb positioning and a fairly easy header in the first half. He constantly looked to bring his teammates into play and was also involved in the second goal before Mumbai City cut off the supply to his feet. The forward was one of his side's only bright spots on a sobering night.
Nasser ElKhayati - 7/10
Chennaiyin fans have been eager to watch ElKhayati for some time now and he showed exactly why with a superb performance. He showed incredible presence of mind to score in the first half, while also completing a dribble, winning a foul and forcing a block.
It wasn't to be, but if the hosts hadn't wilted in the second half, we may have gotten to see more of the Dutchman's class on the ball.
Substitutes
Vincy Barretto - 6.5/10
Barretto was another bright spot for the Marina Machans, with his pace and directness causing Mumbai City plenty of problems.
Sajid Dhot - 5/10
Dhot's arrival helped Chennaiyin push Duker to midfield and he did deliver some quality long balls. However, he made a poor effort to stop Bipin Singh for the final goal of the game, leaving his side woefully exposed.
Jobby Justin - 6/10
Justin forced Lachenpa into a superb save that brought some cheers from the home fans, but couldn't do much else.
Suhail Pasha - 5.5/10
Pasha passed the ball well in midfield, but couldn't link up much with his forwards.
Edwin Vanspaul - 6/10
Vanspaul strung a few passes together in midfield with the clock winding down and also made an interception.
Mumbai City FC
Phurba Lachenpa - 6/10
Lachenpa could do nothing about either Chennaiyin goal, but made a couple of decent saves and was neat with his distribution.
Mandar Rao Desai - 5/10
Desai struggled to deal with Karuthadathkuni and ElKhayati before being substituted at half-time.
Mehtab Singh - 6/10
Mehtab Singh started the game slowly and was easily beaten by Sliskovic for Chennaiyin's second goal. However, he quickly gathered himself and was solid for Mumbai City from then on, even going close to scoring from a corner in the first half.
Rostyn Griffiths - 7/10
In what was at times a chaotic game, Griffiths seemed to be the calmest on the ground. The Mumbai City centre-back constantly helped cut out the hosts' forays forward, ending the game with three clearances, a block and 91% passing accuracy.
Rahul Bheke - 6/10
Bheke wasn't disturbed much by Rahim Ali, but still made a couple of clearances and interceptions apiece to keep Chennaiyin out. He left the field with an injury in the second half, which will worry the Islanders.
Greg Stewart - 8/10
Chennaiyin initially seemed to try to keep Stewart as deep in midfield as possible. However, the Scot broke the shackles soon enough and once the creative juices began flowing, he was unstoppable.
Stewart first set up Pereyra Diaz to help Mumbai City halve the deficit just seconds after Chennaiyin had made it 2-0. His chipped pass then led to a penalty, which he converted at the stroke of half-time. He frustrated the hosts with his slick pass-and-move play in the second half and was involved in most of his team's goals.
Ahmed Jahouh - 7.5/10
Jahouh was close to his best in this game, constantly spraying the ball around and threatening from set-pieces. The latter played a big part in Mumbai City's fourth goal and he also registered a key pass, two tackles and two interceptions in a superb display.
Lalengmawia Ralte - 6.5/10
Ralte struggled at the start of the game to deal with Chennaiyin's pressing but regained his composure. He played a key role in Pereyra Diaz's goal, distracting Majumder while ensuring that he was onside, before winning the penalty for his team's equalizer.
Bipin Singh - 8/10
Bipin Singh was contained well in the first half, but burst into life after the break. Chennaiyin had no answer for the winger, who assisted Rai's go-ahead goal and Noguera's strike, which was Mumbai City's fifth.
He then wrapped things up with a goal of his own in injury time, becoming the Islanders' highest goalscorer of all-time in the process.
Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 7/10
Pereyra Diaz didn't have much to feed off of in the first half, but got his side back into the game with a smart header. He also got a key pass, though he had only 13 touches in 63 minutes on the pitch.
Lallianzuala Chhangte - 7/10
Chhangte didn't get into the game in the first half, but improved drastically after Rai's arrival. He caused Sangwan all kinds of problems in the second half, completing a dribble and getting a shot on target as well.
Substitutes
Vinit Rai - 7.5/10
Rai put in his best performance of the ISL 2022-23 season after coming on at half-time. The midfielder gave Mumbai City the lead just three minutes into the second half and was superb with his passing, even laying out a key pass.
Vignesh Dakshinamurthy - 7.5/10
Dakshinamurthy also made an incredible impact after replacing Desai at half-time. The left-back scored with a well-placed volley to put the game beyond Chennaiyin's reach. He then went on to record a clearance and two interceptions to quell the hosts' attacks.
Alberto Noguera - 7.5/10
Noguera was yet another Mumbai City substitute who scored, demonstrating the strength of Des Buckingham's bench. The Spaniard got some help via a deflection of Diagne, but wa superb apart from the goal as well, laying out a key pass and completing 29 off his 30 passes.
Mourtada Fall - 6.5/10
Fall made some vital interventions to help Mumbai City see the game out as Chennaiyin's substitutes poured forward in the final 20 minutes.
Sanjeev Stalin - N/A
Stalin came on for Bheke late in the game and got just two touches on the ball, completing both his passes.