Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City piled additional stress on Graham Potter who is already in hot water
In the framework of the championship race, this was not exactly the desperate last knockings, but it did feel like a huge and significant win for Manchester City. Riyad Mahrez scored the game-winning goal for City in the 63rd minute, capitalizing on a cross from Jack Grealish to throw the away end into a frenzy. However, it needed two changes for City to get the victory.
City pulled themselves back to within five points of the leaders, Arsenal, but they were pushed hard by a Chelsea team that, after putting in a stubborn effort, now finds themselves in a crisis that is deepening. Despite this, City pulled themselves back to within five points of the leaders. The men managed by Graham Potter have now gone winless in their last eight Premier League contests. They are currently in tenth position, which is the kind of form that typically leads to the firing of Chelsea coaches.
Fortunately for Potter, the Chelsea fans stayed with them and did not boo after the final whistle; but, the manager who is under a lot of strain may have created another complication that he does not want for himself with Pierre-Emerick Aubemyang.
Aubameyang came on as a substitute in the fifth minute but was then hooked himself after 68 minutes. It is the biggest insult for any professional, let alone a huge name with an ego to match, for a substitute to be hooked themselves. He avoided making eye contact with the manager when he substituted younger players for more experienced ones.
It is not going according to plan for Chelsea, and at times it felt as if Guardiola had gotten it wrong with his tactics and formations, which even looked to leave his players looking slightly bamboozled.
John Stones shone out like a light in City’s defense due to the fact that he was easily the greatest player on the field. He made outstanding tackles and set a calm tone whenever he moved forward. Stones, who was perhaps England’s greatest player during the World Cup, appears to have returned from Qatar appearing six inches taller than he did before the tournament.
You could hear the away locker room screaming his name after the game to the beat of loud dance music. The City supporters were vocal as the game came to a close, and you could also hear them. They were able to find their rhythm once Guardiola made substitutions and brought in the reinforcements, but they required every last drop of energy to defeat Chelsea.
After Stones made a spectacular tackle on Pulisic in an effort to prevent the Chelsea forward from scoring, Pulisic was forced to leave the game immediately. During the first half, his replacement, Carney Chukwuemeka, did have a shot that was saved by the post as Chelsea competed evenly with City.
At the halftime break, Guardiola made two substitutions, putting Rico Lewis and Manuel Lewis on the field in place of Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo, respectively. They swiftly started to turn the screw as Nathan Ake was heading for the bar and Kevin De Bruyne had a strong shot saved by the goalkeeper.
At long last, there was a breakthrough. The play was initiated by De Bruyne, Grealish made his way to the left side of the penalty box and put over a low cross, and then for some reason Kepa Arrizabalaga took his hand off the ball, which allowed Mahrez to slide in and score.
Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, and Conor Gallagher were brought into the game by Potter after Cucurella, Hakim Ziyech, and Aubameyang were taken off. Aubameyang was the player who was taken off.
But Chelsea didn’t appear to have much of a chance to salvage anything as Hall squandered the one opportunity they had and City celebrated as if they were aware it was a significant point in the season.