Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: Blues celebrate third straight title with home winon May 21, 2023 at 5:18 pm

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Julian Alvarez’s goal helps Manchester City celebrate a third successive Premier League title triumph with victory over Chelsea.

Julian Alvarez

City were confirmed as champions without even playing after Nottingham Forest’s win against Arsenal on Saturday, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to make nine changes from the side that thrashed Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final.

Erling Haaland was rested but Julian Alvarez provided the cutting edge in his absence with a clinical finish to put City ahead after 12 minutes, as their jubilant fans basked in warm sunshine waiting for the trophy presentations and celebrations.

Chelsea had some of the better chances as the game went on, with City’s deputy keeper Stefan Ortega saving from Raheem Sterling when clean through and Conor Gallagher heading against the post.

Kalvin Phillips headed against the woodwork for City as they closed out another win in the relentless run that has brought them the title and the chance of a Treble, with the FA Cup final at Wembley and Champions League final in Istanbul to come.

Man City demonstrate power

The hosts played with the pressure off after the title was secured and manager Guardiola was able to give members of his shadow squad game time on an occasion where most fans were simply waiting for the final whistle to hail their heroes.

Guardiola’s selection gave an illustration of the vast resources of talent he has at his disposal with simply a glance at City’s substitutes bench.

Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and goalkeeper Ederson were able to sit this one out.

Has there ever been a more talented bench than that one?

They are all likely to be restored when those two big finals come around but it was a demonstration, if indeed it were needed, of what other teams must overcome if they are to loosen the stranglehold City have domestically and which now gives them the chance of their first Champions League.

Goalscorer Alvarez may have worked in Haaland’s shadow for much of the season but what an acquisition he has been and what a season he has had, with the chance to add the Treble to his World Cup win with Argentina.

The Premier League is Manchester City’s once more – now it is on to Wembley and Istanbul.

Chelsea must be ready for reset

Chelsea may have had some decent chances here and only lost by a single goal to the newly crowned champions, but they carry all the appearance of a team and club that cannot wait for an abject and miserable season to end.

Frank Lampard is seeing out time on the touchline before making his second departure as manager, while Chelsea’s players await the arrival of incoming Mauricio Pochettino to discover what the future has in store.

There is talent within this squad but they, and Chelsea as a club, have lacked direction under the new co-ownership of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and now it is time to start getting the big decisions right.

Pochettino will enter Stamford Bridge with the bar set low but there are materials to work with, providing he is allowed to do it his way, while his intense attacking style could fashion this into a quality team given time.

For now, however, Chelsea must complete the formalities of a desperate campaign that sees them currently in 12th place, and deservedly so.

Manchester City

  1. Squad number19Player nameÁlvarez
    Average rating

    7.23

  2. Squad number5Player nameStones
    Average rating

    7.09

  3. Squad number9Player nameHaaland
    Average rating

    7.02

  4. Squad number26Player nameMahrez
    Average rating

    6.89

  5. Squad number17Player nameDe Bruyne
    Average rating

    6.85

  6. Squad number2Player nameWalker
    Average rating

    6.74

  7. Squad number4Player namePhillips
    Average rating

    6.68

  8. Squad number16Player nameRodri
    Average rating

    6.61

  9. Squad number47Player nameFoden
    Average rating

    6.58

  10. Squad number80Player namePalmer
    Average rating

    6.58

  11. Squad number14Player nameLaporte
    Average rating

    6.46

  12. Squad number25Player nameAkanji
    Average rating

    6.45

  13. Squad number82Player nameLewis
    Average rating

    6.21

  14. Squad number18Player nameOrtega
    Average rating

    6.19

  15. Squad number21Player nameGómez
    Average rating

    6.07

Chelsea

  1. Squad number6Player nameThiago Silva
    Average rating

    5.59

  2. Squad number23Player nameGallagher
    Average rating

    5.40

  3. Squad number67Player nameHall
    Average rating

    5.28

  4. Squad number29Player nameHavertz
    Average rating

    5.27

  5. Squad number1Player nameArrizabalaga
    Average rating

    5.19

  6. Squad number17Player nameSterling
    Average rating

    5.18

  7. Squad number5Player nameFernández
    Average rating

    5.13

  8. Squad number12Player nameLoftus-Cheek
    Average rating

    5.10

  9. Squad number14Player nameChalobah
    Average rating

    5.05

  10. Squad number33Player nameFofana
    Average rating

    5.01

  11. Squad number28Player nameAzpilicueta
    Average rating

    4.90

  12. Squad number31Player nameMadueke
    Average rating

    4.62

  13. Squad number30Player nameChukwuemeka
    Average rating

    4.30

  14. Squad number15Player nameMudryk
    Average rating

    4.18

  15. Squad number26Player nameKoulibaly
    Average rating

    4.06

  16. Squad number10Player namePulisic
    Average rating

    3.65

Line-ups

Man City

Formation 3-4-3

  • 18Ortega
  • 2Walker
  • 25AkanjiSubstituted forStonesat 57’minutes
  • 14LaporteSubstituted forRodriat 78’minutes
  • 4Phillips
  • 82Lewis
  • 21GómezSubstituted forDe Bruyneat 78’minutes
  • 47Foden
  • 26MahrezSubstituted forHaalandat 74’minutes
  • 19Álvarez
  • 80Palmer

Substitutes

  • 3Rúben Dias
  • 5Stones
  • 8Gündogan
  • 9Haaland
  • 10Grealish
  • 16Rodri
  • 17De Bruyne
  • 20Bernardo Silva
  • 31Ederson

Chelsea

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 1Arrizabalaga
  • 33Fofana
  • 6Thiago Silva
  • 14Chalobah
  • 28Azpilicueta
  • 5FernándezBooked at 66mins
  • 12Loftus-CheekSubstituted forChukwuemekaat 81’minutes
  • 67HallSubstituted forKoulibalyat 81’minutes
  • 23GallagherSubstituted forMudrykat 69’minutes
  • 29HavertzBooked at 18minsSubstituted forPulisicat 85’minutes
  • 17SterlingSubstituted forMaduekeat 69’minutes

Substitutes

  • 10Pulisic
  • 15Mudryk
  • 16Mendy
  • 22Ziyech
  • 26Koulibaly
  • 27Fofana
  • 30Chukwuemeka
  • 31Madueke
  • 80Wady
Referee:
Michael Oliver
Attendance:
53,490

Live Text

  1. Match ends, Manchester City 1, Chelsea 0.

  2. Second Half ends, Manchester City 1, Chelsea 0.

  3. Attempt missed. Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea) header from the left side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Mykhailo Mudryk with a cross following a corner.

  4. Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Phil Foden.

  5. Attempt missed. Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Carney Chukwuemeka.

  6. Foul by Julián Álvarez (Manchester City).

  7. Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  8. Phil Foden (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  9. Foul by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).

  10. Attempt missed. Julián Álvarez (Manchester City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high following a corner.

  11. Attempt blocked. Cole Palmer (Manchester City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by John Stones.

  12. Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Kalidou Koulibaly.

  13. Substitution, Chelsea. Christian Pulisic replaces Kai Havertz.

  14. Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Kalidou Koulibaly.

  15. Substitution, Chelsea. Carney Chukwuemeka replaces Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

  16. Substitution, Chelsea. Kalidou Koulibaly replaces Lewis Hall.

  17. Substitution, Manchester City. Rodri replaces Aymeric Laporte.

  18. Substitution, Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne replaces Sergio Gómez.

  19. Foul by Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City).

  20. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

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