Ruthless City demolished toothless Chelsea

by Arthur · January 8, 2023

Table of Contents

Manchester City 4-0 Chelsea

WHEN THESE teams met at Stamford Bridge for a league match just three days ago, it narrowly ended in City’s favour.

But the return leg in Manchester was a case of the ruthless and the toothless as Pep Guardiola’s hungry side dispatched Graham Potter’s out-of-sorts Chelsea.

This FA Cup third round tie was beyond all shouting as Phil Foden headed in to make it 3-0 after 38 minutes.

The hero of the hour and a half was Riyad Mahrez, who troubled Chelsea’s back line, scored a shot, and was unlucky not to go home with the match ball.

Kyle Walker showed his experience on his return (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

In the tenth minute, the Algerian signaled his intentions by doubling up with Kyle Walker on the right flank to skate past 18-year-old Lewis Hall and flick a pass into the box.

That partnership continued throughout the game and it wasn’t long before another Mahrez sortie saw him chopped down. He picked himself up and curled a delicious free kick into the upper left corner of the net.

The goal saw City step up a gear, after a bit of a rough start, and left the West London side scratching their heads as to what to do.

With Sergio Gomez in a neat one-two on the left flank with equally promising youngster Cole Palmer, and Rodri in midfield, Chelsea found it difficult to contain City and difficult to break forward.

The visitors lacked a focal point in attack, having left Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in London after suffering a “tight back.”

It was a shame Chelsea didn’t have a tight back line, because minutes after conceding they were behind again, when the hapless Kai Havertz handballed in the area.

Potter, one of only three English managers in the Premier League, could be seen using what could be called Anglo-Saxon as he watched the handball on an iPad.

World Cup winner Julian Alvarez, enjoying a rare start for City and looking dangerous, dispatched the penalty with glee.

Riyad Mahrez, joined by Bernardo Silva and Sergio Gomez, troubled Chelsea (Image: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Just eight minutes later it was game, set and match for the sky blues, when Walker and Mahrez again combined well for the back to stick a pass to Foden who made no mistake.

Walker, captain for the day, showed his quality after being kept out since recently by 18-year-old Rico Lewis, who came on as a substitute in a midfield role.

Lewis again delivered an exceptional performance. He has everything – quality, awareness, calm under pressure and energy. It can’t be long before he gets full England caps.

In the second half Potter threw at the children – and what talented youngsters he has. 19-year-olds Omari Hutchinson and Carney Chukweumeka joined Bashir Humphreys – also 19 – who started at the back.

The teenage trio injected some energy into Chelsea and they looked more threatening in the second half, but for all their huffing and puffing, the final ball eluded them.

Potter’s side desperately need a striker for the big games. After loaning misfit Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan, the King’s Road outfit have tried Havertz or Raheem Sterling as a false nine, as City did in the last two Premier League winning seasons, but without the midfield creativity or possession football City had.

Potter admitted afterwards that his team was “second best to a good side”, but added that his young players “gave their all and showed their quality.”

While there was clearly a gulf in quality between the teams, the future still looks bright for Chelsea if they can continue to nurture their young emerging stars, clear the overcrowded treatment room and add a couple of top quality talents, especially up front.

Chelsea left their new £32m defender Beniot Badiashile on the bench at the Etihad. The 21-year-old cannot do worse than Kalidou Koulibaly, ten years older than him. The elder Frenchman looked unmoved and was targeted by City who ran at him all afternoon.

Koulibaly unceremoniously hacked down Bernardo Silva on the edge of the area in the 35th minute, only for Mahrez to curl a shot over the bar.

And in the second half, Koulibaly was at it again, chopping Foden, lumberjack style, in the box for Mahrez to score from the spot.

Chelsea will be delighted to see the back of Mahrez, who also scored the winning goal against them in the league on Wednesday.

For City, the FA Cup draw will see them face Arsenal or Oxford United at home as they continue to struggle on all fronts.

BATTLE RANKINGS

Manchester City

Stefan Ortega

Apart from one shot to save, a daisy that he tipped around the post, he was a spectator. However, his passing from the back was not up to Ederson’s standards, but then few are. 6.5

Kyle Walker

Fantastic game working with Riyad Mahrez. Attacked with consummate ease but was never tested defensively. 8

Aymeric Laporte

Steady presence at the heart of the defense with Manuel Akanji. A loose touch, but he recovered well. 7.5

Manuel Akanji

Hasn’t reached the heights of his early City form, but solid. Always looking to get an attack from behind. 7

Sergio Gomez

Busy and industrious at left-back, he often formed triangles with Cole Palmer and Phil Foden up front. 7.5

Rodri

Superb shift, which saw him dominate his territory, cut off Chelsea attacks and get forward himself. Ordered and then replaced, just in case. 8

Riyad Mahrez

The best on the field. Terrorized Chelsea, looking world class at times. Was unlucky to leave with only two goals. 9

Bernardo Silva

Clearly given a specific role to perform, so we didn’t see the usual box-to-box magician, but he got the job done. 7

Cole Palmer

Grew into the game and was a threat going forward. At half-time, he looked like a regular first-teamer. 7.5

Julian Alvarez

The Argentine forward has been given tons of goals his talent and energy deserve and they are sure to come. Looks very dangerous and deserved to score the penalty. 8

Kalvin Phillips (59, for Rodri)

Needs playing time. Didn’t do anything of note, but no mistakes. 6.5

Joao Cancelo (59, for Gomez)

Not vintage Cancelo, but we know what he’s capable of. 6

Rico Lewis (86, for Bernardo Silva)

In just six minutes, Lewis was highly involved and looked world class. He is still 18 years old. 8

Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Despite conceding four goals, hardly the villain. Not helped by those in front of him. 7

Trevoh Chalobah

Horrible first half but came back better in second, looked more composed and even started the odd attack with a good forward pass. 6.5

Bashir Humphreys

Failed to impose himself, but this 19-year-old is a quick learner and he showed flashes of talent to suggest the best is yet to come. 5.5

Kalidou Koulibaly

The 31-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge with a reputation as one of the world’s best, but played like a clapped-out jalopy. Enter a penalty. A responsibility. 2

Lewis Hall

The 18-year-old didn’t enjoy himself, but he was up against Mahrez and Walker. Some mistakes, but plenty of time to learn. 4

Mateo Kovacic

Started the game with a strong run at the City defence, but it was downhill from there. Ineffective in midfield and subbed. 4

Conor Gallagher

With Chelsea under pressure, this attacking midfielder often found himself closer to the defence. Booked and subbed. 5

Jorginho

Never noticed him on the field until his number came up on the board to be subbed. Bad. 3

Mason Mount

The English midfielder showed a certain passion and pride, attacking and starting anyway. Not a great game, but by no means the worst. 6

Kai Havertz

Tireless with bad body language. The German played as if depressed. Gave away a penalty and never came back after the break. 2