London: Manchester City trimmed the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points by beating Chelsea 1-0 on Thursday (Friday AEDT) after a double substitution by Pep Guardiola paid off immediately at Stamford Bridge.
Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish entered in the 60th minute and combined for the only goal three minutes later, with Mahrez tapping in from close range after a perfectly weighted cross by his fellow winger.
Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez scores the decisive goal against Chelsea.Credit:Getty
City only came to life in the second half after a curiously passive display before half-time, perhaps brought on by a confusing team selection by Guardiola that saw a number of players deployed in unusual roles.
Known for his overthinking at times, Guardiola took off two full backs — Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker — at the break and restored Rodri to central midfield. Suddenly, City were all over Chelsea and creating chances.
The goal came after Guardiola’s second double change, though it might have been kept out had Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga stretched out to block Grealish’s low cross from the left rather than pull away his arm.
While City pulled four points clear of third-place Newcastle and closed in on Arsenal, Chelsea stayed in 10th place, 19 points off the leaders. Graham Potter’s team are as close to the relegation zone as the top four.
City manager Pep Guardiola confused some with his team selection.Credit:Getty
Chelsea lost forwards Raheem Sterling, who joined from City in the off-season, and Christian Pulisic to injuries in the first half. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came on for Sterling in the fifth minute and was substituted in the 68th.
Another of the substitutes, Carney Chukwuemeka, struck a shot against the post at the end of the first half.
The teams meet again in the FA Cup on Sunday (Monday 3.30am AEDT), with City hosting on that occasion.
Meanwhile, former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club, Al Nassr, postponed their scheduled Saudi Pro League home match on Thursday due to heavy rain.
Cristiano Ronaldo trains in Saudi Arabia.Credit:AP
Ronaldo was not due to play as he is suspended though some reports suggested the club would not abide by the 37-year-old’s ban.
He was handed a two-match suspension by the English Football Association in November for knocking a mobile phone out of the hand of a supporter after a game against Everton last April. He had already left United by the time of the ruling.
Al Nassr said heavy rain was affecting their stadium’s electricity, so the club postponed the league match with Al Ta’ee for 24 hours.
All 28,000 tickets for the clash had been sold in advance.
AP
Watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League on Stan Sport. Returns for the Round of 16 in February 2023, with all matches streaming ad-free, live and on demand.
