Chelsea ends Man City's winning streak

Man City's 11-match winning streak in all competitions ended when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Chelsea in round 25 of the Premier League.

The Etihad fortress has remained unbeaten this season, but just a point against Chelsea has seen Man City stumble in the title race. Striker Erling Haaland squandered a series of good chances, and the hosts had to wait until midfielder Rodri's late goal to escape defeat.

Sterling opened the scoring for Chelsea against Man City at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, round 25 of the Premier League on the evening of February 17, 2024. Photo: Reuters

After the final whistle, Haaland pulled his shirt over his head, looked angry and pushed the camera away. The Norwegian striker took 10 shots in this match, but did not score. One of them was a close-range header from a cross from Kevin de Bruyne on the left, but the ball did not hit the target. Tens of thousands of spectators and coach Pep Guardiola jumped for joy but were disappointed.

Guardiola also repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with his players, when Man City shot 32 times in the match, but only five times the ball was on target. Meanwhile, Chelsea sent the ball six times on target from only nine shots. If the visitors had been more careful with their chances, they could have created an earthquake, especially with Nicolas Jackson's face-off in the 23rd minute but he shot straight at goalkeeper Ederson.

Chelsea did, however, spring a surprise at the Etihad when they opened the scoring in the 42nd minute. Jackson once again broke down the right and crossed for Sterling to charge into the open penalty area. The 30-year-old turned the ball back, beat Kyle Walker and curled it into the far corner past Ederson. Sterling did not celebrate too enthusiastically against his former club.

Sterling (right) gestured not to celebrate the goal. Photo: EPA

City's offside trap didn't work well in this match, and Walker could have been calmer when he pulled back to tackle Sterling. After City conceded, Guardiola jumped up, shouted and repeatedly hit his thigh with both hands.

The home team played better in the second half, at times holding the ball for 91% of the time. Chelsea, on the other hand, were not as good at counter-attacking as in the first half, after coach Mauricio Pochettino took off Sterling, Cole Palmer and Jackson.

Although Haaland was unlucky and De Bruyne did not have many chances to shoot, Rodri had to speak up like in the 2023 Champions League final. Walker's shot hit a Man City defender and bounced off, allowing the Spanish midfielder to rush in and shoot from 15 meters away, hitting Trevoh Chalobah and changing direction into the net. But if the ball did not change trajectory, goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic would have had a hard time saving.

Rodri (No. 16) tied the score at 1-1. Photo: EPA

After the ball hit the net, Rodri ran quickly to the middle of the field, punching his head repeatedly. Guardiola also shouted, then pointed to the stands. Both teachers and students signaled to the Etihad audience to cheer more enthusiastically for their team, but Man City could not find the decisive goal.

The draw leaves the defending champions in third place, behind Liverpool and Arsenal. Even if they win their make-up game against Brentford on February 20, Man City will still be one point behind Liverpool. However, this result will make the title race even more exciting and unpredictable.

Xuan Binh

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/chelsea-cat-mach-thang-cua-man-city-4712481.html