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On 86 minutes, shortly after the outstanding Mateo Kovačić scored Manchester City’s second goal to seal the victory, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly stood up and walked out of his executive box at Stamford Bridge.
Maybe he had urgent business – yet another transfer to oversee? A phone call from Raheem Sterling perhaps? Maybe it was a call of nature. Or maybe he had seen enough. Whatever the reason, it was not a good look for Boehly and the television cameras immediately picked it up.
Kovačić did not celebrate. After all, he is a former Chelsea midfielder, whom Boehly and co sold last year for up to £30 million. That is almost a quarter of what Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernández, who allowed Kovačić to run past him easily for his strike, with goalkeeper Robert Sánchez palming the 20-yard shot against the post and into the net.
Despite Chelsea’s lavish spending, with another 11 players arriving this summer (although none of them started) and a total now of more than £1 billion committed in transfer fees since the takeover, and with a midfield three alone costing an eye-watering £280 million, it was the one they let go – Kovačić – who dominated that area of the pitch.
If that was an own goal by Chelsea then it was not the only one.
Oh, Marc Cucurella. You really need to walk the walk if you talk the talk. The Chelsea full-back may point to his European Championship winner’s medal with Spain, which is fair enough, although quite why he sang about Erling Haaland in his celebrations was a bit baffling.
And it came back to haunt him at the first opportunity. “Haaland you’d better tremble because Cucurella is coming,” he had sung. Unfortunately for Cucurella, he was the one trembling and falling to the turf as he bounced off Haaland when the City striker deftly scored in the first half.
“Well, Cucurella is a funny man,” Haaland later said. “Last season he asked for my shirt and this summer he sings a song about me”. Point made.
If City are undercooked, as Pep Guardiola warned, with their England contingent from the Euros all on the bench, then Chelsea are still trying to work out the recipe. In fact, no player in the match-day squad featured in their Champions League final win over City – and that was just three years ago.
They have a lot of talent, but head coach Enzo Maresca – a former City coach under Guardiola – has his work cut out, with fires all over the place. And it feels like this Chelsea crowd is not too far from turning.
Sterling was dropped and foolishly issued a statement demanding clarity over his future prior to kick-off. Chelsea fans chanted Conor Gallagher’s name following Haaland’s goal, Ben Chilwell is for sale, Armando Broja has had his squad number taken off him, Romelu Lukaku was also not on that list and Trevoh Chalobah is being forced out. It is a brutal approach and if you are brutal – unnecessary as it is – you must achieve results. And now Chelsea have lost their first game.
They played well in patches but this is a hotch-potch of a team recruited through an apparent scatter-gun approach and with 11 senior players not in the match-day squad. No one knows how this is going to go or, really, what the strategy is. Roméo Lavia, on his first start after a year out injured, played well, Nicolas Jackson carries a threat but is erratic, Pedro Neto is a terrific forward and came on as a substitute, Christopher Nkunku has pedigree – and there is Cole Palmer.
But given all the off-field issues, given all the squad questions that need to be sorted, the futures of players to be decided, it all looks like another extraordinary gamble. It might pay off, but at what cost? There is almost a ghoulish fascination to it all. Like some expensive Frankenstein-like experiment.
Against that is City’s iron-will and certainty as they stretched their unbeaten league run to 24 games. At the end Guardiola led his players over to the travelling fans and it looked like a pointed moment. If there was any doubt whether City, after an unprecedented four Premier League title wins in a row, had the appetite for a fifth then here was the answer. In the league’s game of the weekend, they went to Chelsea and won. Relatively easily. And they did so without Rodri, who has only just returned to training.
Haaland’s finish set the tone as the 24-year-old, whose nation Norway did not qualify for the Euros, scored his 91st goal in his 100th appearance for City. “It’s like Messi or [Cristiano] Ronaldo,” Guardiola said. And they were not doing those numbers at Haaland’s age.
He collected Jérémy Doku’s pass, which Bernardo Silva smartly touched on, and proved far too powerful for Cucurella and Levi Colwill before dinking the ball beyond Sanchez. Good feet for a big man, as they say, and, if anything, Haaland looks an even more imposing and filled-out presence after a summer of rest and recuperation.
“He feels better than he did at this stage than last season,” Guardiola said. That sound you hear is the collective gulp of apprehension from the rest of the league.
It was the third successive season, since joining City, that Haaland has scored the opening goal of their league campaign. And all those goals came away from home. That is an elite mentality. Not that anyone doubted it.
As for Chelsea, there are nothing but doubts and uncertainties, and maybe some regrets. Maybe even from Boehly over his decision to leave his seat. Yet again it sent out the wrong message.
“We are away, more or less. Good news is we have three points. Bad news is that we have 65 games ahead of us.”
“We know each other well. Players can be tired but still give you something special. Of course, there are things we can improve. In good moments, everyone is good. It is in the bad moments that define champions. I am so proud and fortunate to be manager of these good guys.”
Welcome to the new season. “A work ethic to match their great quality,” says Gary Neville of Man City. “Chelsea were decent at times but did not have that real threat up front.”
Doku looks a different player when he is on the left. Giving Chelsea’s backs a horrid afternoon now.
Chelsea give the ball away cheaply, defend half-heartedly, Kovacic wallops it at goal. Poor goal-keeping, weak wrist, goal and game over.
Feels like quite a portentous last 20 minutes in theory. A Chelsea equaliser would feel like a great result and give them a healthy momentum boost. City conceding would be punishment for some of their general laxness in this game. A City goal sets the business as usual tone and sends out a message to anyone who erroneously believes they will be challenging them for the title this season. The most likely outcome currently, though, feels like it stays 1-0. Cue eight goals, three penalties, one red card and a mascot suspended for inappropriate dances.
De Bruyne picks it up outside the area. This looked for all the world like it was going to be 0-2 but he curls wide.
Marc Cucurella crosses, Ederson makes a bit of a meal of that. Not been his usual rock-like self, Ed.
Aerial ball into the Chelsea box, Haaland chests it down and City ram the ball home. But Haaland has fouled Colwill in that encounter. And indeed the studs applied by Haaland to the inner thigh of Colwill are sufficient for a yellow card.
The scrappiness noted before half time has reared its untidy head so far in the second period. Neto should help off the bench for Chelsea. Close to a glorious start, as he emerged from practically out of frame, coming close to converting Enzo’s low cross.
Doku and Haaland were dawdling just now, some peeved body language from both, after Doku made a mess of his cut-across for the Norwegian. They were urged back to help defend by their bench, but it was Kyle Walker making his feelings felt, not Pep.
Neto replaces Nkunku, he’s been a big money capture from Wolves. Chelsea enjoying a good spell.
Robert Sanchez gives it away to Kevin de Bruyne but KDB’s cross is poor.
The second half is underway. Savinho, who had a good first half, is off and Foden is on. Savinho had picked up a knock.
This looks like a straight to Netflix film about a high school bully and the class nerd who unexpectedly end up in cahoots with each other for a heist pic.twitter.com/RD8nMajgLi
Chelsea came into it more as the half wore on, with some City mistakes creeping in too. Kovacic and Ederson both sloppy for the Jackson non-goal which was VAR-ed out. Riding their luck too with some hefty challenges in the box.
Midfield in general has been a scrap, frequently a messy one. Short on quality which is, I suppose, what you would expect for a first game of the season. Just feels a bit slog-y for both teams so far.
Chelsea fans restless, team well outplayed. Improved somewhat. City look to be resuming where they left off, only slightly better, because this Savinho winger would appear to be the real McCoy.
🤖 Erling Haaland has now scored 91 goals, provided 15 assists in 100 Man City games! 🌪️Erling has also been directly involved in 22 goals in 20 Premier League appearances against the PL’s Big Six. #haaland pic.twitter.com/PKq7zGVFez
Chelsea have the ball in the net. Palmer shoots, a rare mistake from Ederson as he parries the ball straight at Jackson. Jackson tips it in but is offside. “He’s crept in front for no reason, that’s sloppy,” says Gary Neville. “A true centre forward would look across the line.”
Home crowd still edgy, some murmurs of discontent with Chelsea dawdling at the back. Much more anger for the non-penalty with Savinho leaning on Enzo. Fourth official Darren England took the brunt of Maresca’s anger, right in his face. England seemed to indicate that Savinho had not gone over the top of Enzo, exerting the sort of pressure he would need to go down as he did, hence no pen.
More grumbles to England from Pep, who performs a series of ornate hand gestures to express his displeasure at the very late offside flag against Jackson. You’ve got to think Premier League fourth official is just one of the most joyless jobs in existence.
Better spell from Chelsea, albeit that they commit forward and nearly get hit on the counter as Savinho, impressing on debut, tees up Kovačić. The shot strikes Cucurella.
Enzo feels the slightest of contacts his back from Savinho on the edge of the City box and hurls himself forward for a faceful of turf but nobody is buying that as a penalty.
Palmer, who has been quiet bordering on anonymous, has a couple of involvements as he tries a run but finds himself swamped, before trying as cross that is easy pickings for Ederson.
This already feels bad for Chelsea, not just in the slightly hopeless manner in which they conceded that Haaland goal, good finish though it admittedly was, but now a few of the fans in the Matthew Harding stand are chanting the name of Conor Gallagher. Presumably in a hope to communicate with him in transfer limbo, a football version of Stranger Things’ The Upside Down. He can’t hear you, he is stuck in a Cobham netherworld (training with the U-18s)
De Bruyne gets the ball after an excellent run and first at the goal. It goes just wide. That looked highly likely to be the second there.
There’s the man Doku, on the left wing, cutting inside from the left and sliding a dangerous low ball through on the diagonal. Bernardo Silva gets the faintest of touches and the ball finds Erling Haaland. He takes a touch, and it looks like he has taken one touch too many but he uses his size and power to bulldoze his way past/through Marc Cucurella and tuck the ball away for the first of his 40-odd goals this season.
Suggestions of a hint of offside on B Silva but VAR clears it.
When a toenail keeps you onside…#BBCFootball #CHEMCI #PL pic.twitter.com/4HoCOUojKT
– It’s very warm
– A smattering of boos for the pre-match taking of the knee. What a throwback!
– Haaland looked weirdly ginger in adopting the pose, like it is not a regular part of his ice chamber Yogic stretching routines
– Who had 28 seconds for first aggrieved gesture from Pep Guardiola for failure to close down an opponent quickly enough?
– Enzo Maresca is wearing a long-sleeved tracksuit top and trousers, made from not very breathable-looking fabric. Must be hotter than the sun
– Savinho looks like the type of winger who is going to tear past defenders for several weeks. By then there will be a significant body of work for the analysts to get into and figure out how to neutralise him
– A chant for injured City winger Oscar Bobb to the tune of Feeling Hot Hot Hot, #realniceclassytouch
– Kovacic doing an excellent job in Rodri’s absence so far
– It really is very warm
– Cucurella seemingly being targeted by City, via Doku mainly, but standing up to the challenge well so far
– Chels a bit ponderous in general, and especially Jackson when seemingly played in from Palmer
Doku and Savinho have switched sides.
Nicolas Jackson gets onto a through ball but doesn’t get his head up, he had Nkunku. I don’t think Jackson is a top four striker, personally.
Doku has been switched to the right wing for this match, presumably to accomoodate the new signing Savinho. I feel Jeremy is better cutting in from the left onto his right foot, he looks a little unsure of himself trying to go on the outside down the right. A wild and wayward shot from Doku.
Wesley Fofana has a volley from a corner but that’s not troubling the scorers.
Savinho, City’s new boy, gives the ball Bernardo Silva. He shoots but it comes off Levi Colwill and goes wide.
Man City are the first of the sides to have an attacking moment. Jeremy Doku gets down the right and attempts to cross for Erling Haaland. He gets the cross wrong and almost inadevertantly chips the Chelsea keeper.
are out on the pitch and we are ready for kick off.
You will shortly be seeing this season’s Premier League pre-match Proscenium arch. Please try to contain yourself. It’s a four person job to put it up and you have to say the men in the Premier League branded polo shirts have done it brilliantly. Slotted in at first attempt, top marks to the operations team.
It has “Premier League live from Stamford Bridge” written on either side, in case anyone tuning in fears they have accidentally switched onto the wrong Premier League and it’s Lucknow Super Giants vs Rajasthan Royals, live from BRSABV Ekana Stadium.
Multi-angled flamethrowers are on the pitch and making a challengingly hot afternoon even less pleasant. Liquidator has its first non-West Brom airing of the 2024/25 season and the teams are imminent.
Read with interest Sam Dean’s piece about youngsters following players as much as clubs these days this week. Often think that idea has been overplayed in recent years, as kids have always been a bit fickle and liable to flirt with other more glamorous clubs before settling down for the long-term with their true footballing love.
What certainly feels new is the gaggle of Chelsea-shirted kids (and a few grown-ups) to my left, shouting at everyone they recognise coming out of the tunnel for an autograph and/or selfie, regardless of who they play for. In fact, I think the shouts for “Grealish!” (it’s always surnames, like it’s a 1970s private school) were loudest. You’re supposed to hate him, lads and lasses, not want his signature!
Afternoon from Stamford Bridge which is currently hosting a rousing display of pre-match pitch sprinkling, soundtracked by the Rockarfeller Skank by Fatboy Slim. How did we ever get by without football, for those 12 days it seemed to stop this summer?
Much made of Chelsea’s enthusiastic work in the transfer market this summer but it’s a relatively settled first eleven for Enzo Maresca, none of their many new signings make the starting line-up. No place for Raheem Sterling though, not even on the bench, which has raised immediate questions about his future.
Plenty of those about Chelsea too. Style will be as important as substance for Maresca, allegedly, but quite hard to envision much stability chat should they lose heavily today then away at Wolves next Sunday. A palette-cleansing Europe Conference League play-in against Switzerland’s mighty Servette in between the two.
All eyes on Savinho for City, bright new Brazilian hope on the wing. He and Jeremy Doku earn the over-friendly opening weekend slap on the back for Pep Guardiola. Phil Foden only on the bench, understandable given length of his Euros stay. Jack Grealish playing the Sterling role of pondering his future after being overlooked for the XI, but at least he’s made the bench.
Strikes me as somewhat surprising that a Premier League club is allowed an alcohol partner on its outfits. I understand obviously that this is not their match outfit.
Stamford Bridge 📍#ManCity | #AsahiSuperDry pic.twitter.com/ke2yiqEzYz
Checking-in! 👋#CFC | #CHEMCI pic.twitter.com/gUjeVDTtOO
Raheem Sterling demands answers from Chelsea after being left out of squad to face Man City
has been left out of the matchday squad and has released a statement saying that he “is seeking clarity” on the situation.
Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.
He returned to England two 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 FC 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 FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.
Your first City XI of the 24/25 #PL season! 🩵XI | Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Doku, Savinho, HaalandSUBS | Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Ake, Grealish, Nunes, Foden, O’Reilly, McAtee#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/xPrBjDQzN2
Your first Chelsea XI for 24/25. 💙#CFC | #CHEMCI pic.twitter.com/4ap2nzIa9W
The “Garden of Eden” at Stamford Bridge. Nice from @EASPORTSFC 👍👏 pic.twitter.com/naAymGoFN2
A huge fixture for the EPL opening weekend – both teams have the chance to make a statement start to their campaign. Back your fancies for the match on these best betting sites.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live blog of Chelsea vs Manchester City, the action comes to us from Stamford Bridge. It is a warm and sunny afternoon in South West London and an exciting fixture is on the cards. The champions begin the match as favourites but Chelsea will fancy their chances as well. The managers name their teams at 3.15pm and the kick off is at 4.30pm.
Pep Guardiola knows that everybody will want to raise their game against his side.
“So when you have conquered the Premier League for the last (four) years, everyone wants to beat us.
“In every stadium, in the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the Premier League especially. The Champions League of course is a little bit different.
“So we look at ourselves and say ‘what can we do better? What can we do better as a team’? Always you can improve. Always.
“You have to have the desire to be individually better. I want to be a better manager, the players want to be better individually.
“If we increase everyone a little bit our weaknesses, we increase 11 players. Our strength will be 11 times better.
“This is the target we have to be focused on. If just lifting the trophy is the only satisfaction, it cannot be because we’ve won it already.”
City were pushed all the way by Arsenal last season, needing victory over West Ham on the final day and Guardiola admitted it was more about the process than just adding to the collection.
“The satisfaction has not changed much with four, five Premier Leagues, six Premier Leagues, it’s not changed much,” he said. “It’s (about) how individually we can be better.
“As a football player to help the team be better. That will help us to stay there again and again.
“And of course when we arrive in the last month (of the season), close to winning another Premier League, that will be the motivation.
“But now, the motivation to win another Premier League is not there. For me it’s not there.
“It will be in the last month, but now it’s ‘can we beat Chelsea’? Last season we could not beat them.”
All to play for then and we’ll get to the action presently. Thom Gibbs will be sending updates from the ground.
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