September 25, (THEWILL) – Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City finally got the better of Tomas Tuchel’s Chelsea on the fourth time of asking with a Gabriel Jesus goal.
The Citizens played a compact yet determined match, having control for most of the game and moving temporarily to go level on points with the top four though Liverpool has a game in hand.
THEWILL recalls that City’s drive for a historic quadruple was scuttled in the space of six weeks by two losses to Tuchel’s Chelsea in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals.
At the time, it appeared Tuchel had Pep’s number. With the win on Saturday, Guardiola registered his 221st victory in all competitions as Manchester City manager; a new club-record for most wins by a manager, moving ahead of Les McDowall, who had 220 wins.
As expected of a Pep team, they seized the initiative from the start of the game, though as is typical of Tuchel’s Chelsea, the defence held on and Edouard Mendy was rarely tested in goal.
The blunt attack was not helped by City’s inability to find a replacement for Sergio Aguero, who left for Barcelona in the off season.
However, just eight minutes after the restart, a heavily deflected shot by Brazilian Gabriel Jesus broke the deadlock, rewarding Guardiola’s faith in him. Joao Cancelo’s long-range effort hit Jesus and the Brazil striker took over with a shot on the turn that flicked off Jorginho on its way past a wrong-footed Mendy.
The goal was the tonic the game needed to get more competitive. City could have been two to three goals up but did not take their chances. Romelu Lukaku did score for Chelsea but the goal was disallowed as Kai Havertz was ruled offside.
The Chelsea side shifted from their usual 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2 to accommodate Timo Werner and Lukaku up top. In the end, Jesus’ strike proved to be the difference in Chelseas’s first loss of the season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
