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Live Commentary: Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea


Welcome to Nigerianeye's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.


A run of three home draws in succession for the Citizens has seen them relinquish control of top spot, which is now held by their opponents following seven wins on the bounce.

The Blues have not fared too well at this ground in recent times, though, losing six of their last eight in all competitions, while also shipping six without reply in both league games last term.

Can City earn a first league victory on home soil since mid-September, or will the visiting side keep hold of top spot? Follow all of the action as it unfolds with our extensive updates below.

OFFICIAL LINE-UPS

MANCHESTER CITY: Bravo, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Navas, Sane, Silva, De Bruyne, Aguero

MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Caballero, Zabaleta, Sagna, Clichy, Yaya Toure, Fernando, Iheanacho


CHELSEA: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso, Pedro, Costa, Hazard

CHELSEA SUBS: Begovic, Aina, Ivanovic, Oscar, Chalobah, Willian, Batshuayi












An incredible game of football at the Etihad Stadium finally comes to an end, 10 minutes after the 90 minutes were up, meaning Chelsea go four clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. Gary Cahill's own goal seems like an eternity ago now, as Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard all found the net in the second half after the hosts missed a number of chances. Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were also dismissed for the Citizens, compounding their misery further. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the match!

90+9 min FULL TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 1-3 CHELSEA

90+8 min RED CARD! Fernandinho has also seemingly been sent off, as he is making his way down the tunnel area. Plenty of afters following that horror challenge from Aguero, but I think it was just the two reds - Aguero and Fernandinho.

90+7 min RED CARD! Time is officially up but the drama is not over quite yet. Aguero goes in with an absolute stinker of a challenge on Luiz, catching his opponent on the knee with his studs. An easy decision for Taylor to make - straight red.

90+5 min CHELSEA SUB! Michy Batshuayi is on for Eden Hazard for the remaining 60 seconds. A stunning victory for Chelsea is now just moments away from being confirmed. City, on the other hand, are now four without a league win here.

90+3 min Willian has been brilliant since coming on, with his shot being parried by Bravo. Just out of reach of Fabregas, who was unable to stab home a fourth for his side. Three minutes of added time still left to play here, but this one is surely over.

90+1 min A classic Chelsea counter is rounded off by Hazard, who kept his cool to surely seal the points for the visitors. They have had to ride their luck for a second week running, but Conte's men have shown yet again why they are surely now the standout title favourites.

90 min GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-3 CHELSEA (EDEN HAZARD)

88 min CHELSEA SUB! Conte has brought on Chalobah for Costa, as he opts to go for a more defensive approach in the closing moments. Cannot really blame him! Iheanacho's eyes lit up, but his shot from distance ends well wide of goal.

86 min Still so incredibly open at the Etihad Stadium in these closing stages, but the chances have dried up since Chelsea's key second goal. The Citizens close to playing a 1-9 formation now, throwing everything they have at their opponents.

84 min Still a couple of changes available for Conte to make. The Italian will surely use them at some point, even if it is just to disrupt the flow of the game. A free kick into the box is missed by Cahill, allowing Bravo to collect the loss ball.

82 min City win themselves a corner, which Otamendi can only head over the bar from 10 yards out. Chelsea lost six of their last eight games here, remember, but they are just eight minutes away from their biggest win in quite some time.

80 min MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Guardiola rolls the dice for the final time, bringing on Kelechi Iheanacho for John Stones. It does not take a genius to work out that the hosts will throw absolutely everything they have at Chelsea in the remaining 10 minutes.

78 min Another penalty shout for the hosts, this time after Alonso caught the foot of Navas. The City man was very much looking for it, though, so referee Anthony Taylor must be praised for getting that call correct - even if he did get the biggest of the lot wrong in the first half.

76 min MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Overlooked by Guardiola for so long, the City manager now turns to Yaya Toure to become a late hero - again! Gundogan the man replaced, with a little under 15 minutes to come at the Etihad Stadium.

74 min Chelsea just the second team to score more than once against City in the Premier league this term - Tottenham being the other to do so. A special moment for Willian, as he holds up his black armband - worn in remembrance of those Chapecoense players and staff who lost their lives earlier this week.

72 min Absolutely incredible! Following the theme of the game, Gundogan waltzes his way through the Chelsea defence but cannot find a teammate at the end of his attacking burst. Chelsea break, with Costa superbly turning and playing through Willian, who found a way past Bravo despite the angle being against him.

71 min GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-2 CHELSEA (WILLIAN)

70 min MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Right on cue, Guardiola goes and makes a change by bringing on Clichy for Sane - fresh legs in that wing-back area. Conte happy enough to keep things the same at this moment in time.

69 min This has got to be the most frenetic 90 minutes of Premier League action this term, perfectly balanced as we enter these final 20 minutes. Almost don't want either manager to make a change at the moment, because a stoppage in play will disrupt the flow.

67 min Really good defending from Moses, who gets to the ball before Aguero could tap in De Bruyne's cross - the Belgian getting plenty of joy down that Chelsea left. The hosts' latest penalty attempt, the weakest of the late, is again waved away.

65 min City ruing those missed chances now in the build-up to Chelsea's leveller because, that Aguero shot aside, it is the Blues who are in control of things. Home fans groan once more as the visitors get closer and closer to the box.

63 min SAVE! A 60-second breather would be welcome right about now! Chelsea completely stretched as Aguero is again played through, but the ball gets stuck under his feet and Courtois is equal to the shot when it does arrive. What a game!

61 min What a game we are witnessing at the Etihad Stadium. Chelsea should probably be three goals down but, just moments after Costa came agonisingly close to picking up the ball and equalising, the Spain international did indeed find a way through. Fabregas picked out his countryman with a ball over the top, but this goal was all about Costa who controlled, held off Otamendi and blasted through Bravo.

60 min GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-1 CHELSEA (DIEGO COSTA)

58 min MISS! Oh my word! A lightning City counter was crying out for De Bruyne to just tap home at the back post, but he somehow put it wide from point-blank range when picked out by Navas. Chelsea are still somehow in this game.

56 min OFF THE LINE! Almost another disaster for Cahill, who does redeem himself in the end. A simple ball was left by the Englishman for his keeper, but Aguero got there first and attempted to roll into an empty net. Cahill raced back to block it aside, saving further blushes.

54 min Willian, on the field for just a couple of minutes, drags a shot well wide of the target. Real end-to-end start to this second half, with both teams certainly not afraid to try their luck when finding the odd pockets of space in attack.

52 min SHOT! A decent chance for Costa to add to his tally for the season, but his fails to make the right contact with the ball and sends his shot from a right-sided position wide of the target. Kante is then shown a yellow for a foul, while Pedro is replaced by Willian - all happening!

50 min SAVE! Brilliant play from Sane, who moves up a gear the drive through the heart of Chelsea's midfield and has a player either side. The summer signing went to De Bruyne on his right, but the Belgian's attempt was kept out by the leg of Courtois. Silva then saw a shot, heading wide, collected by Courtois.

48 min A good cross into the box from the right is cut out by Luiz, who is having another decent game at the back. Man City starting this second half the better team, desperate to claim a second goal that they will likely require to claim all three points.

46 min RESTART! Chelsea get things under way in this second half at the Etihad Stadium. Just the two clean sheets for Manchester City in their last 16 games, remember, so plenty for Chelsea to play for in the remaining 45 minutes.


A gripping first half is brought to a close by Anthony Taylor, who has had quite an eventful first half himself. Chelsea perhaps should be a player light at the break, but Manchester City fans did at least see their side edge ahead in the final minute of normal time prior to the break - Gary Cahill miscuing the ball into his own net.


45+3 min HALF TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 CHELSEA

45+1 min Man City make the breakthrough right on the brink of half time, and it has come through a rather fortuitous route as Cahill has put the ball into his own net. Navas's cross from the right was not particularly hard to deal with, but he swung his right leg at the ball in an awkward manner and it went out of Courtois' reach into the far corner.

45 min GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 CHELSEA (GARY CAHILL, OG)

43 min CLOSE De Bruyne with another perfect cross into the box, which Aguero meets with his head bet sends narrowly wide of the far post. City then wanted a penalty but Kante looked to just get enough on the ball.

41 min Just the one shot on target combined so far - Aguero testing Courtois with a stinger down the middle. That does not tell the whole story, because Chelsea had the best chance of the lot when Hazard refused to go for goal from the angle with an open net gaping.

39 min Patience is the key word so far to describe this game; Otamendi summing that up nicely by picking up the ball on the right and moving central before spraying it out to the opposite flank. City are getting the ball into the box far more now, but Aguero is being well marked.

37 min Chelsea now taking the sting out of things with a spell of possession. Since getting in behind down the left flank when Hazard got the better of Otamendi, there has been no real danger from the hosts. A breakthrough goal before the break would set things up nicely!

35 min The hosts looking much the brighter since that wasted Hazard chance around 10 minutes ago, stepping things up and getting Sane and Silva more involved in attacking positions. Still no way through but a lively enough opening 35 minutes to the match.

33 min BLOCK! It is now City who are on top in this lively match, as Moses is caught ball watching by Sane who simply knocked the ball into a central position for Aguero. The Citizens' leading marksman was blocked from a few yards out by Azpilicueta.

31 min Huge moment in this match, as Luiz quite blatantly steps across Aguero to block him off when essentially the last man. Referee Anthony Taylor waved play on, saving the Brazilian from what surely would have been a straight red card.

29 min Real chaos in the City box, as the ball bounces around before eventually being run clear. Luiz just could not quite get it out of his feet, and the Citizens - failing to find their rhythm so far - are again able to breath a sigh of relief.

27 min CHANCE! Best chance of the game so far, coming moments after that disallowed goal up the other end. Otamendi was caught out and Hazard was in behind, rounding Bravo but opting not to go for goal from the angle. Far too unselfish, with his pass into a more central position cut out.

25 min GOAL DISALLOWED! So little room for City to manoeuvre in when they approach Chelsea's final third, but De Bruyne is one of the division's most classy players and is constantly looking to make something happen. His dead ball delivery was headed home by Fernandinho, but he was clearly offside

23 min Pedro the latest player to receive some treatment on the field. Hazard has looked fine since his early scare, but Blues boss Conte has another attacking problem to contend with now should the Spaniard fail to shake off this knock.

21 min SAVE! Classic Aguero. Barely had a touch all afternoon, but he is spotted in just a little space on the edge of the box, where he is able to turn and blast an effort on target which Courtois is happy to knock over the bar.

19 min Groans around the Etihad Stadium due to the hosts' insistence on passing it out from the back. Chelsea closing down high up the pitch and City get nowhere fast, eventually losing possession on the left flank. A more direct approach is sometimes better.

17 min YELLOW CARD! Near enough City's best move so far, as Fernandinho nearly picks out Aguero inside the box. Fernandinho, dropping deep into central defence, cuts out the danger well. Otamendi the first player booked following a late challenge.

15 min SHOT! First real attempt of the afternoon so far, as neither Stones nor Sane can get any distance on their headed clearances. Hazard took on the shot out of nowhere, sending it a yard wide of the target - decent enough effort.

13 min Chelsea without one of their key players in Matic today, but they are so accustomed to this system now and look the better side overall. Stones is required to meet Alonso's cross, cutting out the latest attacking move from the Blues.

11 min Fairly frantic start to this match, which was to be expected really considering the systems. Not quite like-for-like, so maybe a case of each side looking to find any weaknesses before exploiting them. One for the tactical purists, this.

9 min Stones again showing that he has got a long way to go before being considered anywhere neat the world's elite defenders, as he fails to usher out the ball and is caught out by Costa. The Spaniard was unable to pick out a teammate and City can breath again.

7 min In terms of the formations, I make it a 3-4-2-1 for City - Silva and De Bruyne playing slightly behind Aguero. That is in contrast to Chelsea, who of course shove Hazard and Pedro high up the pitch to join the more central Costa. The hosts want a penalty when the ball hit Cahill's hand, but that was never going to be given.

5 min Luiz had his heart in his mouth for a moment but Courtois was out to collect a through-ball with relative ease in the end. Hazard does seem to be OK at the moment, but his pass on the edge of the opposition box was straight to an opposition player.

3 min That Hazard injury really does look to be quite nasty. Fernandinho caught the Belgian's ankle with his studs - unintentionally - and he may well have to be replaced just three minutes into the game. He will try to run it off, but do not be surprised to see an alteration.

1 min KICKOFF! Manchester City, sporting their traditional sky blue colours, get us up and running at the Etihad Stadium. An early injury problem for Chelsea to contend with, as Eden Hazard was caught and is currently receiving some treatment.
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