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Key occasions
FULL TIME: Manchester Metropolis 3-1 Chelsea
The Etihad erupts with reduction and pleasure. An enormous win for Metropolis within the race for a Champions League spot. An enormous win for Metropolis within the title race as nicely? Let’s see.
90 min +5: On Sky, Gary Neville names Gvardiol as his participant of the match. Then from a Chelsea nook coming in from the left, Colwill blazes wildly over the bar from six yards. There was contact from that man Gvardiol afterwards, however the ball had lengthy gone and neither referee nor VAR is excited about awarding a penalty.
90 min +4: … so having mentioned that, Madueke jinks his method down the suitable once more however can’t discover anyone together with his cutback. He’s been Chelsea’s greatest participant, with Palmer unusually subdued.
90 min +3: Chelsea look a crushed docket now. A group that simply desires to listen to the ultimate whistle.
90 min +2: “It is a massive missed alternative for Chelsea,” observes Sky pundit Gary Neville, close to that aforementioned early dominance.
90 min +1: The primary of 5 further minutes sees Madueke scamper down the suitable, then alongside the byline. He sends a harmful cross by way of the six-yard field, however there’s no one there in royal blue to transform.
90 min: The Etihad en fête. On the danger of belabouring the purpose: Chelsea had Manchester Metropolis on the ropes early within the first half, solely to let the champions again into the struggle. You don’t let champions again into the struggle.
89 min: Metropolis have gone unashamedly lengthy on this second half, and the way it’s labored for them. Niall Quinn will certainly approve.
GOAL! Manchester Metropolis 3-1 Chelsea (Foden 87)
They received’t be giving up this lead, although! De Bruyne heads on to Haaland, who flicks Foden clear down the center. Foden seems round for assist, however he doesn’t want it, reaching the Chelsea field earlier than slotting coolly into the underside left. Sport over! Metropolis again!
86 min: Chelsea are dominating possession now. However doing little or no with it. Palpable nervousness among the many house followers, although. Understandably so: they’ve seen their group ship leads late on multiple event this season.
84 min: Palmer curls the free kick lengthy. Gvardiol, dealing with his personal objective, does extraordinarily nicely to lure, flip and clear below stress from Nkunku.
83 min: Palmer bustles his method down the inside-left channel solely to be floored from behind by Kovacic. The Metropolis man goes into the ebook, and it is a free kick in a harmful place, 30 yards out. Everybody strains up on the sting of the field.
82 min: Neto works his method down the left and earns a nook. The set piece is hit lengthy and finds Caicedo, simply contained in the field on the suitable. Caicedo ought to shoot, however miscontrols and may’t get something away. A half-chance goes begging.
81 min: Haaland practically barrels his method clear down the center once more, some good old school Eighties-style barging. However Chalobah stands as much as him this time. Chelsea not but trying as if they’ll get again into this.
79 min: Silva is booked for a fairly cynical clip on the heel of Fernandez. “Each week, I feel goalkeeping requirements can drop no decrease. After which they do.” Gary Naylor there, who as an Evertonian may have been spoilt through the years by greats corresponding to Neville Southall, Gordon West and, eh, Jordan Pickford. However the level stands.
77 min: Nunes one-twos crisply with De Bruyne down the suitable, and has choices in entrance of him as he enters the field. However then he reveals an excessive amount of of the ball to Cucurella, and the gang groan.
76 min: Metropolis extract some sting from the sport with a little bit of their old-school possession play. Rapidly, they’re again, child!
74 min: Marmoush’s promising debut involves an finish. On comes De Bruyne.
73 min: Chelsea make a double change. James and Sancho make method for Gusto and Neto.
72 min: … nowt.
71 min: Madueke dribbles down the suitable. He seems like he’s run the ball out for a objective kick, however flicks it off Gvardiol’s startled face simply in time. Nook. Which results in …
70 min: The Etihad, so quiet minutes earlier than, is now effervescent with joyous noise. To reiterate: Chelsea had Manchester Metropolis on the ropes early within the first half, solely to let the champions again into the struggle. You don’t let champions again into the struggle.
GOAL! Manchester Metropolis 2-1 Chelsea (Haaland 68)
Metropolis go lengthy once more, and hit the jackpot! Ederson lotions an extended cross down the suitable for Haaland, who holds off Chalobah with ease. He spins inside, placing Chalobah on his bottom, then floats a cautious roller over Sanchez, who had rashly come to the sting of his field for no matter cause. Good by Haaland, not so nice from Chelsea’s standpoint.
67 min: A easy lengthy ball down the center practically does for Chelsea. Haaland holds it up, advancing down the inside-left channel earlier than rolling infield for Marmoush, who might feed Foden to his proper, however opts to shoot as an alternative. His effort isn’t distant from the top-right nook, however excessive and broad nonetheless.
65 min: Metropolis aren’t reaching a lot in the mean time. Pep doing a number of pointing. The house crowd changing into slightly pensive.
63 min: … in reality Foden one-twos with Gundogan earlier than trying to ship a ball into the field. The eventual supply isn’t any good, and Chelsea clear their strains with out fuss.
62 min: Nunes advances down the suitable and wins a nook off Cucurella. Foden to ship.
61 min: That is now fairly scrappy stuff from two of England’s blue-chip golf equipment. Silva hoicks a free kick from the suitable straight into Sanchez’s arms; Cucurella has the possibility to launch Jackson down the left however slices the ball out for a throw. That’s the final we’ll see of Jackson, who’s then hooked in favour of Nkunku.
59 min: Sancho crashes a shot off the bottom of the left-hand submit. However he’d already been flagged offside, the whistle gone.
58 min: Ah, right here we go. Chelsea choose up the tempo, and Jackson dribbles laborious down the left. He’s obtained choices within the center, however slips and his shot-cum-cross dribbles by way of to Ederson. Seconds after the restart, Caicedo is booked for hauling again Marmoush, although that is perhaps a final-straw factor slightly than for the foul itself.
57 min: The match restarts, however doesn’t restart. You get the drift.
55 min: Within the meantime, Chalobah requires some remedy after Haaland by chance landed on prime of him, on his head, with predictable penalties. Fortunately after an excellent look by the physio, the Chelsea defender is sweet to proceed.
53 min: Khusanov’s disappointing debut is over. He’s changed by Stones, and walks off with unhappy doe eyes. To the nice credit score of the Metropolis followers, they make certain to present the younger lad a correct reception as he leaves the pitch. Pep offers him an enormous hug too. He’ll be again, stronger and wiser for the expertise.
51 min: The press pays dividends once more, however Palmer and Fernandez each take turns to dither over a shot. Metropolis counter and Haaland tries to point out them the way it’s carried out, reducing in from the suitable, profiting from a Colwill misinterpret, and bashing low and laborious. Sanchez parries.
50 min: Ederson shanks a cross out for a throw, below stress from Jackson. Nothing comes of it, however nonetheless. Chelsea’s excessive press, so profitable early on on this match, however unusually forgotten for the remainder of it, is abruptly again.
49 min: Kovacic practically finds Haaland down the center with a slide-rule cross, however Sanchez reads the hazard and comes out of his field to larrup clear.
47 min: Madueke spins previous Gvardiol and appears to make good down the suitable. Marmoush comes throughout to assist his defender out. The brand new striker has been vigorous at each ends of the pitch. All augurs nicely. “For all of Chelsea’s cash spent, it’s ironic that three-quarters of their backline are English academy graduates,” writes Sam Jessop. “The manufacturing line of defenders that Chelsea produce (Aina, Corridor, Livramento, Tomori, Colwill, Chalobah, James, Lamptey, Guehi, Christensen and even Akè) is kind of ridiculous.”
Manchester Metropolis get the second half began. No modifications. Earlier than the restart, a beautiful scene as Haaland and Sancho embrace and chat. Buddies from their days at Borussia Dortmund.
… and as for poor Abdukodir Khusanov … nicely, the younger man wasn’t the primary, and he received’t be the final.
Half-time leisure. Coronation Avenue presently the third most-gripping Mancunian cleaning soap opera.
HALF TIME: Manchester Metropolis 1-1 Chelsea
A scoreline that’s most likely about proper, when taken within the spherical. However Chelsea had Metropolis on the ropes early doorways, and let the champions again into the struggle. You don’t let champions again into the struggle. All of which might make for a really entertaining second half. Go nowhere!
45 min +2: Madueke dribbles in from the suitable and has a shot from the sting of the D. It’s deflected inches over the bar. There’s no time to take the nook, although. There goes that whistle.
45 min +1: The primary of two further minutes. Nowt to report.
45 min: Palmer, making good down the center, has Jackson and Madueke both aspect. He hesitates, permitting Silva to get again and nick the ball off his toe. “Why are Chelsea knocking their objective kicks quick to the keeper to right away hoof down discipline?” wonders Dan Christmas. “Have objective kicks grow to be so ubiquitously taken quick that gamers have forgotten you may hoof the useless ball?”
43 min: VAR has a fast test, however Madueke was too deep out on the Chelsea proper and enjoying Nunes onside.
GOAL! Manchester Metropolis 1-1 Chelsea (Gvardiol 42)
Metropolis go down the center once more, and this time hit paydirt! Gundogan pings down the center for Nunes, who will get the higher of Cucurella and shoots upon coming into the field. Sanchez saves, however the ball deflects in direction of Gvardiol, romping in from the left. Gvardiol can’t miss with the objective unguarded. Metropolis stage!
40 min: Metropolis stay affected person … then abruptly spring ahead. Foden floats a cross down the center to launch Gvardiol, who will get in forward of the dozing James. Sanchez comes out to shut the angle. Gvardiol flicks a leg insouciantly to take an early shot. The ball squirts previous Sanchez and inches broad of the bottom-left nook. That will have been some objective.
38 min: Metropolis get pleasure from a interval of quiet possession. Calm dominance. Keep in mind after they had been all the time like this? It’s not so way back, both, which makes all of it so odd.
36 min: Marmoush has regarded vigorous, although. Thus far, his debut has been as promising as Khusanov’s has been unlucky.
34 min: Gundogan shoots by way of a crowded Chelsea field in direction of the underside proper. Sanchez parries, however spills into the street of Marmoush, who slots throughout the keeper and into the underside left. However it’s not going to depend. Marmoush was offside when the preliminary shot was struck.
33 min: Cucurella has the chance to launch Sancho down the left. The cross isn’t any good, although, handing Khusanov the chance of a confidence-building slide sort out.
32 min: The ensuing free kick is labored broad left to Marmoush, who whips a deep cross in direction of Foden, speeding in from the opposite aspect. Foden’s header, from six yards, is excessive and broad. However he’d have been flagged offside had it gone in.
31 min: Kovacic bustles down the center and is skittled by Caicedo, who’s slightly lucky not to enter the ebook. Only a stern talking-to from the referee.
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