Chelsea 4-4 Manchester City (12 Nov, 2023) Game Analysis،
Manchester City moved a point clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday after a thrilling 4-4 draw at Chelsea with Erling Haaland scoring twice only for former City man Cole Palmer to level the match from the penalty spot in the additional time.
City scored first when Spanish defender Marc Cucurella pulled off Haaland’s shirt to concede a VAR-verified penalty which the Norwegian coolly converted in the 24th minute, sending Robert Sanchez the wrong way.
Five minutes later, Chelsea’s 39-year-old Brazilian defender Thiago Silva headed the ball into the net from a Conor Gallagher corner and it was all square.
It was the first time Chelsea had scored against Manchester City since beating them in the 2021 Champions League final.
They have suffered six consecutive defeats, four in the league and two in the cup.
Former City striker Raheem Sterling, busy and lively all match, was called upon after a mistake by Josko Gvardiol in defense allowed Reece James to cross in the 37th minute. Sterling refused to celebrate but Stamford Bridge erupted.
Chelsea’s lead lasted less than 10 minutes before defender Manuel Akanji, who had been advancing throughout the half, rose to equalize with a header in first-half injury time.
The imposing Haaland scored his second – his 13th Premier League goal of the season – a minute after the restart to give City the lead.
But the champions had no time to relax in the end-to-end fight and in the 67th minute of a thrilling second half, the locals equalized thanks to Nicolas Jackson. Rodri’s 86th-minute goal, which deflected past Thiago Silva, restored the champions’ lead.
The visitors might have thought they had all three points, but they conceded a penalty in the 94th minute when Ruben Dias caught the legs of substitute Armando Broja in the penalty area.
Palmer, a Manchester City academy graduate, showed nerves as he awarded his former club a penalty. It was the 21-year-old’s fourth Chelsea penalty in four attempts.
“It’s very strange the first time I play against City,” Palmer told Sky Sports. “I have the greatest respect for the club I spent 15 years with and it’s nice to see friends again.”
Scorer Rodri said his team was exhausted.
“The level of the Chelsea team has increased and it wasn’t our best performance today. Individually we needed to do a bit more ourselves – conceding four goals is not normal for us,” he said. he told Sky.
The result put City ahead of Liverpool with 28 points from 12 games. Chelsea, who have been stuttering this season, move up one place to 10th with 16 points.
