Chelsea 0-3 Man City: Josep Guardiola’s side underlined their title credentials by comfortably defeating the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and closing the gap at the top of the table.
Man City are now six points behind Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester City brutally crushed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, closing the gap on Arsenal to just six points.
Marc Cucurella looked to have given Chelsea a dream start, but his shot was chalked away by the linesman’s flag. Fellow fullback Nico O’Reilly was lucky to give City the lead in the opening minutes of the second half.
Moments later, Marc Guehi scored, and another City defender also joined in the scoring. Jeremy Doku scored City’s third goal when he found the pocket of Moises Caicedo.
City’s win leaves them just six points behind the Gunners with a game remaining and a series of fixtures against the North London side still to come. Chelsea currently remain in 6th place.
Here are the key talking points at Stamford Bridge:
read more: Arsenal’s terrible statistics reveal big problems for Mikel Arteta after Bournemouth defeatread more: Premier League title race: What happens if Arsenal and Man City end up tied on points?
Follow Man City FB page! Follow the Manchester City Mirror Football Facebook page
Cucurella got annoyed and left.
Cheers erupted in both west and north London when Spanish full-back Cucurella darted past Donnarumma and Chelsea appeared to have taken the lead. However, his celebration was cut very short as he was denied by an offside flag.
The full-back was just centimeters offside when he latched on to a deft pass from Joao Pedro and fired into City’s goal.
It was a great move, but the decision was ruled out by VAR, leaving both Chelsea and Arsenal dissatisfied.
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
O’Reilly rises to record high
City defender O’Reilly has become one of Man City’s star players this season. And just as he did against Arsenal at Wembley a few weeks ago, the young defender dealt the Gunners yet another blow in their opening game against Chelsea.
He crept forward, evading the attentions of Andre Santos, and met Rayan Cherki’s cross before firing a powerful header past Roberto Sanchez.
O’Reilly now appears to be a strong candidate for England’s World Cup squad.
Nico O’Reilly has scored nine goals this season (Image: Getty Images)
Cherki sets up Guehi
City had the upper hand from the moment O’Reilly’s header found the back of the net, and they converted moments later. Rayan Cherki, who had a great performance throughout the afternoon, produced a sharp run on the edge of the penalty area and fed Guehi with a fine pass.
The former Crystal Palace man showed the composure to take a touch before curling low into the top corner.
Both Cherki and Gehi have already been inspired by their signings from City, but they would represent bargains if they can get Guardiola’s side over the line in the title race.
Chelsea extension due to Doc strike
Chelsea have not beaten Man City at Stamford Bridge since 2018, when Maurizio Sarri was in charge. And when Doc grabbed City’s third goal, there was no end to that miserable run.
And it was a goal created by Chelsea herself. Sanchez tried to pass out to Caicedo, but the midfielder didn’t have as much time as he wanted. Doc picked up his pockets alive and calmly went home.
Although the result itself was disappointing, this defeat also greatly diminished their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Caicedo’s mistake gives City the third goal (Image: Getty Images)
Will City lose?
This weekend could well be the decisive one in the race for the Premier League title. Even before Arsenal faced Bournemouth, the Gunners were licking their tongues at the prospect of widening their advantage further.
But it couldn’t have gotten any worse. They are currently just six points clear of Mikel Arteta’s side, but there is a good chance that the gap could be reduced to three next weekend.
There is, of course, still time before the momentum swings back in Arsenal’s favor, but it’s hard to imagine City slowing down when they’re in such a great position.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
England’s 2026 World Cup kit
Various prices
england official store
Buy now from England’s official store
England and Nike have launched new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Use code: ENGFREEDEL to get free shipping on all orders.
