Manchester City is flying sky high, while Chelsea seeks a return to the good times.
Manchester City defeated Chelsea 3-0 in a high-stakes, early season Premier League game Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. Sergio Aguero scored in the first half, and Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho added second-half goals to give Manchester City three deserved points in the Premier League standings. Manchester City’s mission to reclaim the Premier League title is on and possible.
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A record crowd was on hand at the Etihad Stadium, as the venue’s South Stand opened for business. The Etihad Stadium now can accommodate just over 56,000 fans, an increase of 7,000, making it the third-biggest stadium in England.
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Most of the home fans were happy with the way Manchester City started the game. The hosts demonstrated their brimming confidence, desire and verve, and only Chelsea’s stand-in goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who made three fine saves early on, prevented Manchester City from taking a commanding lead. However, Begovic couldn’t stop Aguero from scoring the opener in the 32nd minute.
Aguero first received a pass from David Silva at the top of Chelsea’s penalty area. Aguero then combined with Yaya Toure to pry open a small space in Chelsea’s defense before holding it open with a tight-space dribble to elude Gary Cahill. Aguero then elected for placement over power and slid his shot under Begovic’s out-stretched arm for the eventual game-winner. Aguero’s perennial twin chases for the league title and Golden Boot have begun.
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Manchester City maintained its grip over the game for much of the next half-hour, despite Chelsea’s best efforts to unbalance the Sky Blues through aggression and the element of surprise. Chelsea striker Diego Costa reacted to Fernandinho’s elbow by attempting to confront him in the tunnel at halftime. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho replaced John Terry, 34, with Kurt Zouma, 20, at halftime in a shock substitution, which appeared to have nothing to do with injury to the Blues’ captain.
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Zouma’s zest at the back and Costa’s bandaged aggression up front couldn’t give Chelsea the spark it needed. Ramires thought he had scored early in the second half, but the officials disallowed the goal after ruling the Brazilian offside. Replays suggest Ramires was onside.
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Chelsea improved slightly in the ensuing stages but never was much of a threat to the well-organized Manchester City defense. Chelsea needed 70 minutes to register its first shot on goal. Joe Hart thwarted Eden Hazard’s effort when the Blues finally found their shooting boots.
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Manchester City doubled, then trebled its lead within 15 minutes of Hart’s save on Hazard. Komapany headed a corner kick past Begovic after outmuscling Branislav Ivanovic inside Chelsea’s penalty area. The difficult season Kompany endured in 2014-15 might have been a one-off rather than the start of the 29-year-old Manchester City captain’s gradual decline.
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Ferdnandinho then sealed the win with an 85th-minute strike, which was emphatic as the scoreline. Fernandinho rifled his shot home after Chelsea gifted Manchester City possession in its own third of the field. The discord affecting Chelsea was in plain view in that particular sequence and in the overall start to the Blues’ title defense.
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Manchester City’s ever-improving facilities give it the appearance of a leading club. Manchester City’s performances, both in recent campaigns and especially Sunday, confirm its status as a Premier League pace-setter won’t change anytime soon.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@premierleague
