toptop
Enzo
Maresca lost his first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea as Manchester
City beat them 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, beginning their latest title defence in
style.
Man City's superior quality and game management ultimately won out in a battle
between Pep Guardiola and another coach formerly under his tutelage.
It took just 18 minutes for back-to-back Premier League Golden Boot winner
Erling Haaland to open his account for the new season. He collected a pass from
Bernardo Silva - who survived a VAR check for offside - before bulldozing past
the Chelsea defence and firing home his 91st Man City goal on his 100th club
appearance.
The Blues thought they had equalised just before the break. Ederson
uncharacteristically spilled Cole Palmer's shot, with a lurking Nicolas Jackson
netting the rebound. However, VAR intervened and the goal was ruled out for
Jackson's offside.
The second half saw both sides trade blows and chances as impressive debutant
Pedro Neto provided a spark for Chelsea. In the 65th minute, Man City thought
they had added another as Rico Lewis smashed home, but a foul from Erling
Haaland on Levi Colwill in the build-up ruled the goal out.
Another Chelsea penalty appeal went unanswered soon after as Malo Gusto's
attempt to send the ball back into the area hit Mateo Kovacic's elbow. And the
former Chelsea midfielder showed his former side what they were missing when he
doubled their lead in the 84th minute.
After another loose Chelsea midfield pass, Kovacic cruised to the top of the
area before firing past Robert Sanchez, who for his part should have done
better. The Croatian did not celebrate against his former side, but helped his
current one to all three points, extending Man City's unbeaten run to 24 Premier
League games.
Sterling 'gaining clarity' on future at
Chelsea
Raheem Sterling was left out of Chelsea matchday squad, and in a statement, said
he is seeking further clarity on his future at the club.
It read: "Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next 3
years.
"He returned to England 2 weeks early to conduct individual training, and has
had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good
working relationship with.
"He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea and
the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club
pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved
in this weekend's fixture in some capacity.
"As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from,
Chelsea in relation to Raheem's future at the club, so we look forward to
gaining clarity on the situation.
"Until then, we will continue to support Raheem's desire to start the new season
positively."
From Chelsea's perspective, it was a technical decision made by Enzo Maresca
with full club support to leave Sterling out and that decision was communicated
to the winger on Friday.
And speaking to Sky Sports before the game, Maresca said: "The manager has to
take decisions that people and players doesn't like - it's normal. We will see
in the next days."
Click Here for Official Teamsheet
Teams
Chelsea Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella (Veiga 80),
Lavia (Dewsbury-Hall 67), Caicedo, Palmer, Fernandez (C), Nkunku (Neto 58),
Jackson (Guiu 67)
Subs Not Used Jorgensen, Tosin, Badiashile, Mudryk, Madueke
Booked Caicedo
Goals
Manchester City Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol,
Kovacic, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Doku, Savio (Foden 46), Haaland
Subs Not Used Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Ake, Grealish,
Nunes, O'Reilly, McAtee
Booked Haaland
Goals Haaland 18, Kovacic 84
Attendance 39,818
Referee Anthony Taylor
VAR Michael Salisbury