Report and free play highlights as newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester City celebrated their title triumph with a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Julian Alvarez scored and Pep Guardiola made nine changes
Manchester City celebrated their Premier League title by beating Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Julian Alvarez scored early in the game and missed another handball by Riyad Mahrez in the build-up. Although Conor Gallagher hit the post for Frank Lampard’s struggling side, one goal was enough to move City seven points clear at the top.
With Pep Guardiola making nine changes to the team that knocked out Real Madrid on Wednesday evening, it was far from City’s strongest side but they were still playing exciting football. Chelsea are now confident of finishing in the top half of the Premier League table.
How the city of Maine celebrated its victory
With the stadium bathed in sunshine, there was a celebratory mood long before kick-off with the home supporters confirming their third consecutive title win after Arsenal’s defeat to Nottingham Forest the previous evening.
The winning goal came when Wesley Fofana gifted City possession with a poor pass and Cole Palmer’s pinpoint pass found Alvarez. The Argentine produced a composed finish to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga and really started the party inside the stadium.
Palmer had his chance soon after and Phil Foden also went close, his looping effort going wide after being tipped over by a good pass from Calvin Phillips. The midfielder looked confident in what was his long-awaited first Premier League start for the club.
It must have been heartbreaking for Chelsea to find themselves stymied by City’s back-up players but they had their moments. Raheem Sterling had a shot saved by Stefan Ortega when Klein was cleared, while Gallagher hit the post.
Phillips hit the post at the other end and Raheem Sterling had a shot cleared by John Stones as the tempo slowed in the second half. There was no second goal even though Alvarez thought he had it, referee Michael Oliver needed a VAR check to rule it out.
The city needed no other. In this game, as throughout the season, it turned out that they were too good. His supporters celebrated a pitch invasion. The team with the trophy raised. As Banner brought the pitch to Read, one down and two to go. The tripartite is underway.
Lampard: We deserved the draw
“I think today we needed to show a performance, I think, with everyone watching. I thought they looked very good today. I told them before the game, we have to show intensity and ourselves. Show that we are responsible for playing.
“The first 15 minutes were disappointing because we didn’t play like we said we would, but then we realized we could play with Enzo and Ruben, break the line and change the game, and on the ball. “Let’s be brave. Then the game started. We. We deserved to be in the final.”
Asked if he sees a path to Chelsea, Lampard praised the quality of the young players but insisted there is work to be done.
“It’s in their hands. I can’t predict how long it will take. We don’t know. It’s up to the players themselves, for the club it’s up to the direction they go with the new coach. The league is getting tougher, we felt it this year.
“A lot of things need to be adjusted to get to the Man City place, so there’s a lot of work to be done. There’s obviously a lot of young talent in the squad. Maybe a bit of instability, maybe a bit of imbalance. In the squad, these things are club issues.
Analysis: Even the city reserves are good
It was an odd situation with Chelsea giving the Manchester City reserve the guard of honours. Calvin Phillips started his first Premier League game for City. Sergio Gomes and Cole Palmer making their first Premier League starts for each.
But perhaps it was fitting what followed. City still won. They still beat Chelsea. It wasn’t the great stuff served up in the midweek demolition of Real Madrid but the patterns were recognisable. This is a testament to Pep Guardiola.
There are those who claim that the city’s vast wealth makes this inevitable. This was just a small hint as to why this is wrong. A talented team was inevitable. no this. Not five titles in six years, all of them have done a footballing feat that no one else can do.
There are 15 instances in the history of England’s top flight of a team winning 12 consecutive games. Guardiola’s City now count five of them. This particular run came with pressure, Arsenal’s pursuit of responsibility to retain their title.
With the pressure off and the superstars relegated to the bench, a starting lineup with three academy graduates stepped up and kept the streak going. The honor guard may have felt awkward. But the occasion highlighted what Guardiola had helped create.
What’s next?
The final day of the Premier League season is May 28 with every match kicking off at 4:30pm. Free match highlights will be published throughout sky sports Digital platforms immediately after full time.
Man City travel to Brighton on Wednesday – live sky sports – before ending his season at Brentford.
City then have an FA Cup final against Man Utd at Wembley on June 3 before the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.
Chelsea, meanwhile, travel to Old Trafford on Thursday to face Man Utd – LIVE sky sports – before hosting Newcastle for their final trip of the season.
Maine’s success in statistics
- Manchester City have won their last six games against Chelsea in all competitions without conceding a goal. City became only the second team, after Manchester United in 2010-11, to beat Chelsea four times in a season.
- Chelsea have lost 15 Premier League games in 2022-23, their joint-highest tally in a 38-game season in the competition.
- Manchester City have scored 100 goals in the Etihad this season, equaling the record (set by themselves in 2018-19) for most home goals in a season in all competitions by an English top-flight club.
- Since the start of last season, Chelsea have not won any of their 15 Premier League games against sides that started the day above them in the table, losing each of their last four.
- Julian Alvarez (17 goals) is Manchester City’s second highest goalscorer in all competitions this season behind only Erling Holland (52). At the Etihad, the Argentine was directly involved in 15 goals in his 12 starts (12 goals, 3 assists), finding the back of the net in all but one of those starts.
- Cole Palmer has won all 16 Premier League games he has appeared for Manchester City – the best 100% win rate of any player in the history of the competition.