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Report and free match highlights as Erling Haaland scored his 91st Man City goal on his 100th club appearance; Mateo Kovacic doubled the lead with a fine finish late in the second half; Chelsea had a goal ruled out and penalty appeals turned down.
Report and free match highlights as Erling Haaland scored his 91st Man City goal on his 100th club appearance; Mateo Kovacic doubled the lead with a fine finish late in the second half; Chelsea had a goal ruled out and penalty appeals turned down.
It took just 18 minutes for back-to-back Premier League Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland to open his account for the new season.
He collected a pass from Bernardo Silva – who survived a VAR check for offside – before bulldozing past the Chelsea defence and firing home his 91st Man City goal on his 100th club appearance.
The Blues thought they had equalized just before the break.
Ederson uncharacteristically spilled Cole Palmer’s shot, with a lurking Nicolas Jackson netting the rebound. However, VAR intervened and the goal was ruled out for Jackson’s offside.
The second half saw both sides trade blows and chances as impressive debutant Pedro Neto provided a spark for Chelsea. In the 65th minute, Man City thought they had added another as Rico Lewis smashed home, but a foul from Erling Haaland on Levi Colwill in the build-up ruled the goal out. Another Chelsea penalty appeal went unanswered soon after as Malo Gusto’s attempt to send the ball back into the area hit Mateo Kovacic’s elbow. And the former Chelsea midfielder showed his former side what they were missing when he doubled their lead in the 84th minute.
After another loose Chelsea midfield pass, Kovacic cruised to the top of the area before firing past Robert Sanchez, who for his part should have done better. The Croatian did not celebrate against his former side, but helped his current one to all three points, extending Man City’s unbeaten run to 24 Premier League games.
A summary of what the players that started the match and those on the bench.
- Enzo Maresca named Romeo Lavia – who only played 35 minutes last season after an ankle injury – in his first competitive Chelsea XI.
- Cole Palmer was also ready to start, along with Christopher Nkunku, who also missed much of last season through injury.
- Savinho made his Man City debut after an impressive loan spell for Girona last season. There was no Rodri or John Stones, Kyle Walker or Phil Foden but the England trio were on the bench, alongside Jack Grealish.
Sky sports