Manchester City suffered a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
City headed into the match knowing that a win would see them wrap up the Premier League title.
The Citizens are pretty much guaranteed of winning the championship this season, and it is a matter of if and not when they secure it.
City started the game strongly and took the lead after 44 minutes. Sergio Aguero set up Raheem Sterling, and the England international attacker made it 1-0.
Aguero then had the chance to double City’s lead and effectively end the game as a contest.
The Argentina international striker, who will leave City at the end of the season, stepped up to take a penalty and went for a Panenka, which Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved with ease.
It proved to be a costly error, as Chelsea stepped up their game and scored twice to win 2-1.
Cesar Azpilicueta set up Hakim Ziyech to fire home from the edge of the area in the 63rd minute, and Marcos Alonso found the back of the net in injury time when he latched onto Timo Werner’s pull-back and looped the ball over Ederson.
Chelsea had two goals ruled out, while City had a strong penalty appeal turned down.
It was quite an eventful game, and this is what we learned from it:
Chelsea are to be feared
Chelsea and Manchester City will face each other again this season – in the final of the Champions League. The Blues have done the double over the Citizens in the league and have shown that they are a team to be feared. Under manager Thomas Tuchel, the Blues are defensively very strong and are also scoring goals. Chelsea are rated at 29/10 by Betfair to win the Champions League final, and based on their performance against City on Saturday evening, they are well worth the price.
Sergio Aguero should be praised
Sergio Aguero made a mess of the Panenka penalty against Chelsea, and many will point out that it cost City the three points. It probably did, but it should not take away anything from the quality that Aguero has. In fact, the Argentine, one of the greatest strikers to have ever played in the Premier League, should be praised for his attempt.
Hakim Ziyech will come good
Hakim Ziyech has not had the best of debut seasons in the Premier League, but there have been signs in recent times that he is getting better. The 28-year-old, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, was brilliant against City and showed his manager Tuchel what he is capable of. The Morocco international will be a better player and a more valuable asset for Chelsea next season and beyond.
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