Erling Haaland marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City in style, netting his 91st goal to help the champions secure a spirited 2-0 victory over Chelsea as they launched their Premier League title defence on Sunday. “Three points, a perfect start,” Haaland told Sky Sports after the match.
The Norwegian striker, fed by Bernardo Silva, muscled his way between Chelsea defenders Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana, slotting the ball past Robert Sanchez in the 18th minute. “It was a really good goal. I remember last year he made a really good save against me, so it was a perfect goal,” Haaland added.
Manchester City, aiming for an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League title, looked composed and dominant throughout the match. Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic sealed the victory for City with a powerful strike in the 84th minute, cutting through a disorganised Chelsea midfield to thump the ball into the back of the net. “We are away from our best, so three points is the good news. The bad news is we have 65 games ahead of us,” City manager Pep Guardiola remarked, emphasising the long road ahead in the season.
Chelsea, under new manager Enzo Maresca, showed glimpses of promise but ultimately fell short in their first Premier League outing of the season. Despite some hopeful attacking moves, including a well-timed intervention by Ruben Dias that denied Nicolas Jackson in the 14th minute, Chelsea struggled to convert their chances. Jackson had the ball in the net before being ruled offside late in the first half, while former City player Cole Palmer forced a couple of saves from Ederson.
New signing Pedro Neto looked lively as a second-half substitute, but it was clear that Maresca has work to do with his squad. “The performance was there, but we didn’t take the chances,” Maresca admitted. “Probably the big difference was inside the box. I’m quite happy in terms of performance.”
City’s control was evident as Sanchez was kept busy in the Chelsea goal, making saves from Haaland and Jeremy Doku, while Rico Lewis consistently troubled the Chelsea defence as he pushed forward. Guardiola acknowledged the advantage of continuity, saying, “We have an advantage, it’s our ninth season together, so we know each other well.”
Source: Reuters
