Manchester City defeated Chelsea 2-0 in their Premier League opener at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Erling Haaland trampled through Chelsea’s defence to score the opener, and Mateo Kovacic sealed the win with a shot goalkeeper Robert Sanchez should have saved
City’s superior quality and game management ultimately won out in a battle between Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca, a coach formerly under his tutelage.
It took just 18 minutes for back-to-back Premier League Golden Boot winner 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, City thought they had added another as Rico Lewis smashed home, but a foul from 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 Kovacic’s elbow.
The former Chelsea midfielder showed his former side what they were missing when he doubled City’s lead in the 84th minute.
After another loose Chelsea midfield pass, Kovacic cruised to the top of the area before firing past 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 City’s unbeaten run to 24 Premier League games.
