LONDON: Defending champions Manchester City beat injury-hit Chelsea 1-0 on Thursday to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to just five points.
Pep Guardiola’s men were well below par in the first half but were transformed after the break, with substitutes Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez combining for the only goal, scored by the Algerian in the 63rd minute.
Graham Potter’s Chelsea came into the game at Stamford Bridge languishing in 10th place in the table but they had the better of the opening 45 minutes.
However, it was a different story in the second half as the visitors found their attacking rhythm, with Guardiola admitting they were “miles better in every department” after the break.
“We struggled a lot in the first half — it was sloppy and slow and without rhythm,” the City boss told Sky Sports. “In the second half it was much, much better from minute one.
“The three points are important, definitely. The players know it. For a long time we were at the top. But we try, we have the FA Cup and Carabao (League) Cup and then Old Trafford. But it’s important for these games, a win today.”
Chelsea, already without a clutch of senior players including Mason Mount and Reece James, lost forward Raheem Sterling to an apparent hamstring injury in the opening minutes, replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The home side were first to threaten seriously but City defender John Stones came to the rescue in the 16th minute as Christian Pulisic bore down on goal, producing a perfectly timed sliding tackle to deny the US forward.
The American was injured in the challenge and was forced off minutes later, compounding Chelsea’s problems.
Teenager Carney Chukwuemeka, who came on for Pulisic, almost made an instant impact but his shot was blocked and Hakim Ziyech’s effort was saved by City goalkeeper Ederson.
Erling Haaland, who has 21 Premier League goals this season — one more than the entire Chelsea side — smashed a shot wide in the 38th minute on what proved to be a quiet evening for the Norwegian superstar.
But Chelsea continued to look the more dangerous side and came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock when Chukwuemeka hit the post just before half-time.
Guardiola, unhappy with what he had witnessed, made a double substitution at the interval, bringing on Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji for Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker in the search for more control.
The visitors immediately settled and began to dictate play, with Nathan Ake heading against the woodwork, but Chelsea responded well and were inches away from taking the lead when Thiago Silva flashed wide.
Guardiola, whose team drew 1-1 with Everton at the weekend, introduced Grealish and Mahrez on the hour mark to further freshen up his attack.
The decision paid dividends minutes later when Grealish produced an excellent pass from the left and Mahrez prodded home from close range.
Potter made changes of his own, bringing on England forward Conor Gallagher, but they were unable to find an equalizer despite some late pressure.
The result leaves City five points behind Arsenal, who dropped points in a 0-0 draw against high-flying Newcastle earlier in the week.
But Potter is under increasing pressure — Chelsea now have just one win in their past eight league games and remain 10 points off the top four.
Potter, whose Chelsea side face City again in the FA Cup third round at the Etihad on Sunday, said he was proud of his team’s performance, especially after losing Sterling and Pulisic so early.
“It’s tough at the moment I must admit and I feel for the boys,” he said.
“We have to stick together. It was disappointing to lose those guys but the players on the pitch and the ones that came in gave everything and that’s all you can ask for.”
Manchester City beat Chelsea to close gap at top of Premier League
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Manchester City beat Chelsea to close gap at top of Premier League
- Pep Guardiola’s men were well below par in the first half but were transformed after the break
Al-Ahli topple Al-Ittihad in Sea Derby as late Al-Hilal rout sees off Al-Najma
- Al-Ahli defeat rivals Al-Ittihad 3-1 in thrilling derby at Al-Inma Stadium
- Al-Hilal struggle against Al-Najma but three goals in final 10 minutes leads them to 4-0 victory
JEDDAH: The Saudi Pro League title race showed no signs of slowing on Friday as Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal played simultaneously in search of staying within touching distance of league leaders Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday.
While Al-Hilal took on Al-Najma, Al-Ahli’s weekend was about more than just three points. Waiting for them at Al-Inma Stadium were city rivals and defending champions Al-Ittihad.
For Al-Ittihad, this fixture was largely about pride. Their title defence has all but come to an end, with 19 points separating them and the summit heading into the Sea Derby.
Yet as shown in their 1-1 draw weeks prior against Al-Hilal while playing with a man down, Al-Ittihad tend to rise to the occasion in the bigger games regardless of their position on the table.
Al-Ahli did take control of proceedings through their high press, but the Tigers responded with confidence and urgency. A difficult season does not mean allowing your archrivals to take three points with ease, after all.
Matthias Jaissle, however, has converted Al-Ahli into one of the league’s most cohesive sides over the past three years. Some would even argue that despite never holding first place this season, they have indeed been the best team in the league.
That showed in the 23rd minute. Galeno was released into the space behind Muhannad Al-Shanqiti before delivering a low cross to Ivan Toney, who continued his prolific campaign with his 24th goal of the season.
Calls for a VAR review followed, as Houssem Aouar was brought down in the box prior to the goal. Referee Nikola Dabanovic ruled there was no infringement, and Al-Ahli led 1-0.
Al-Ittihad emerged after the interval with renewed vigour. Steven Bergwijn calmly held Zakaria Hawsawi on the edge of the box, tempting him into a foul that Dabanovic judged worthy of a penalty.
Fabinho stepped up and powered the ball past Edouard Mendy to equalise for The Tigers in the 51st minute. For a brief moment, there was hope. If Al-Ittihad could derail Al-Ahli’s title push and go on to win the AFC Champions League Elite later this season, this match could yet prove significant.
Those hopes lasted less than 10 minutes. Al-Ahli’s trademark pass into the channel released Galeno once again, and his low cross rolled across the face of goal to Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian — who had repeatedly troubled the defence with his movement inside — made no mistake this time, restoring the hosts’ lead in the 59th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close on several occasions, but the match rarely felt out of Al-Ahli’s control for long. Their relentless press ultimately sealed the result when substitute Feras Al-Brikan disposessed Predrag Rajkovic and slotted home into an open net in the 84th minute.
Al-Hilal, meanwhile, endured a far more difficult night against bottom-placed Al-Najma. A glance at the scoreline suggests total dominance for Al-Hilal, but the reality was quite different.
Make no mistake, Al-Hilal created several openings, yet repeatedly lacked the decisive final touch. Salem Al-Dawsari’s decision to square the ball to Karim Benzema while through on goal summed up their struggles in front of the net.
It wasn’t until Nasser Al-Haleel received a red card in the 39th minute for pulling down Al-Dawsari as the last defender that Al-Hilal began to shift gears.
Four minutes later, Al-Dawsari made amends for his earlier mistake by setting up Benzema for first goal at Kingdom Arena.
Even with the numerical advantage, Al-Hilal produced one of their least convincing performances of the season. Fortunately for them, Al-Najma offered little attacking threat, registering just one shot across the 90 minutes.
They eventually collapsed in the final 10 minutes, as Benzema, Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic all scored within a six-minute spell, lifting Al-Hilal’s goal difference to +43 — a vital factor in a tital race where Al-Nassr sit on +46.
The victories move Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal to 62 and 61 points respectively, with Al-Nassr sandwiched between them on 61 ahead of their clash against NEOM.
Elsewhere, Al-Taawoun defeated Al-Fateh 3-2 in a match that saw the visitors mount a late rally but ultimately fall short of completing the comeback. Meanwhile, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis both found the net as Al-Khaleej secured a 2-1 victory over Al-Hazem.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Saturday, with four clashes kicking off at 10:00pm. Al-Ettifaq host Al-Shabab, Al-Kholood take on Al-Qadsiah, Al-Okhdood welcome Al-Fayha, and Al-Nassr aim to maintain their spot at the top against NEOM.
