Manchester City gave up ground in the Premier League title race as they were held to a draw against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola will believe his team deserved more after they dominated possession and created a plethora of chances for Erling Haaland that were not taken.
Mauricio Pochettino set up his Chelsea team to counterattack with the pace of Raheem Sterling leading the line and it was the former City man who opened the scoring. Nicolas Jackson breaking down the right before slipping the ball to him. Sterling dribbled into the box, cut inside of Kyle Walker, and curled a cool finish past Ederson.
Chelsea tried to hold onto their slim lead and even switched to five at the back, but City turned up the heat several degrees. The pushed, repeatedly whipping crosses and set pieces into the box and earned a reprieve thanks to crunch player Rodri who popped up inside the final 10 minutes to get them level.
City couldn’t push on for the winner though and Chelsea made it through stoppage time to secure a brilliant result against the champions.
Relive the action with our live blog below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Manchester City vs Chelsea LIVE
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Rodri’s late rescue robs Chelsea of their best result under Mauricio Pochettino as Man City rue wasted chances
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Manchester City drop points in well fought for draw with Chelsea
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83’ GOAL! – Rodri slams home a deserved equaliser (MCI 1-1 CHE)
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55’ SAVE! – Ederson comes to the rescue with last ditch stop (MCI 0-1 CHE)
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51’ CLOSE! – City counter-attack but Haaland’s volley goes wide (MCI 0-1 CHE)
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42’ GOAL! – Sterling scores on the counter-attack (MCI 0-1 CHE)
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22’ SAVE! – Ederson charges down Jackson who fumbles his chance to score (MCI 0-0 CHE)
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12’ CHANCE! – Erling Haaland nods great chance over the crossbar (MCI 0-0 CHE)
Manchester City FC 1 – 1 Chelsea FC
Rodri’s late rescue robs Chelsea of their best result under Mauricio Pochettino as Man City rue wasted chances
19:56 , Mike Jones
The last time Chelsea beat Manchester City, Rodri had a watching brief from the bench. He was an unused substitute in the 2021 Champions League final and if both his and Chelsea’s fortunes have shifted dramatically since then – the Spaniard scoring the winner in Europe’s biggest club game of 2023 while the former champions finished in the lower half of the Premier League – it took a crunch player’s latest crucial intervention to extend two unbeaten runs.
Thanks to his equaliser, City have not lost to Chelsea in the subsequent eight rematches. They have not been defeated at home in 34 matches, spanning 462 days. And yet, well-timed as his damage-limitation exercise was, it was still a day when City suffered harm. Liverpool and Arsenal registered emphatic wins so City find themselves third in a three-horse race, their sequence of 11 straight wins ended. This was a reminder to the wider world that glory is no formality.
Rodri’s late rescue robs Chelsea of their best result under Mauricio Pochettino
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
20:10 , Chris Wilson
Guardiola is speaking to Sky now, and says his team were “really good”. He says City had chances, but that the rhythm wasn’t there.
He says he is “pleased” with Haaland, and that “next game he will score”.
“We did perfectly well the first half,” he adds.
He praises Liverpool and Arsenal, as they won earlier, but says that City are “happy with where we are”.
Very little of real substance there for the Catalan,
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:57 , Chris Wilson
Pochettino is first to speak to the media. He calls it a very good performance, saying he was”very pleased”.
“I think that is the spirit that we want to show. We are working for that. I think they are the best team in the world and to show this performance, I think we need to be proud. We were very brave.
“I think we were aggressive with the ball going forward and winning duels. In the second half I think they dominated and they forced us to defend deeper.
“I am so happy. It is a good draw for us. Manchester City have the quality and capacity to create chances and they have amazing players. It is fantastic for us and we need to grow.”
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:51 , Chris Wilson
Rodri is speaking to Sky now, and says that City “weren’t great in the first half”.
“We conceded another easy goal. I think we have to defend better. They almost created nothing in the first half.
“We knew about their counter-attacks and fast players, but we have to defend the counter-attack better. From there, it’s always more difficult to come back.”
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:46 , Chris Wilson
Conor Gallagher is speaking to Sky. He says Chelsea are slightly disappointed, but felt like they had chances to win the game.
“We’re disappointed to concede quite late, but this is a good point.
“We had quite a lot of chances, we countered them well.
“It’s a fair result in the end. We had a chance or two to get the second, but they had chances as well. It was a good performance.”
He ends by saying this performance gives them momentum, and says they’re excited ahead of the League Cup final.
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:42 , Chris Wilson
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:36 , Chris Wilson
That result keeps Manchester City in third, two points behind Arsenal and four behind leaders Liverpool.
They have a game in hand on both sides, and face Brentford in midweek.
A good result for Chelsea sees them move back into tenth, with 35 points from 25 games. They can take a lot of encouragement from that performance going into next week’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool – they have no midweek Premier League game either.
FULL-TIME! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:30 , Chris Wilson
In the chaos at the end, a goal-bound shot was blocked by a Chelsea defender and narrowly drifted wide. That would have been so harsh on the away side.
Both teams played well in parts, though a draw was certainly a fair result. City’s quality was not on show in the same way it usually is, but Chelsea set up well to frustrate the champions.
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:28 , Chris Wilson
95 mins: FULL-TIME!
The VAR check is finished and there’ll be one last opportunity for City from a corner.
The ball is cleared and the whistle goes for full-time! 1-1 final score.
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:27 , Chris Wilson
94 mins: CLOSE!
There are VAR checks galore as the ball pings around the area. It looks like Colwill controls the ball with his hand in the box.
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:26 , Chris Wilson
93 mins: It isn’t as tense as you’d think, though both teams are obviously looking for the winner.
A City corner is cleared, but City continue to pile on the pressure. There’s no way through yet though.
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:22 , Chris Wilson
90 mins: City are working the ball from left to right on the edge of the Chelsea box, but there are no openings so far.
A De Bruyne corner finds Haaland, but his header is towards the ground and straight at Petrovic.
There’ll be four minutes of added time.
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:19 , Chris Wilson
87 mins: It’s a bit hectic now as both teams search for a winner. City are more convincing, with cross after cross entering the Chelsea box.
Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:17 , Chris Wilson
84 mins: The goal had been coming, to be fair. City are looking for the winner, and you wouldn’t bet against them getting it.
Silva is booked after he follows through on Caicedo.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea
19:15 , Chris Wilson
82 mins: GOAL! Rodri with a late equaliser!
A bit of pinball in the Chelsea area. The ball comes in, Walker hits it towards goal on the half-volley and it bounces out to Rodri. The Spaniard slams it goal-ward and it hits the man on the line and goes into the roof of the net.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:13 , Chris Wilson
81 mins: Jackson comes off for Cesare Casadei, who was recently recalled from his loan at Leicester City.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:12 , Chris Wilson
79 mins: Another City chance as Silva cuts in from the right and curls a shot past the far post. That would’ve been impressive.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:10 , Chris Wilson
77 mins: CLOSE! City are totally dominant now but so far haven’t been clinical (and Chelsea have defended well).
City have a golden opportunity as De Bruyne clips in a ball from the right. Haaland meets it centrally, around eight yards out, but his header is over the bar again!
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:08 , Chris Wilson
74 mins: A Chelsea win would actually take them to eighth, not seventh. They’ll hardly be thinking abut that now though – these last 15 minutes will feel like 60.
City win a corner after Caicedo had looked like he fouled De Bruyne on the edge of the box. The play from the Belgian and Foden is sloppy though, and City settle for the throw. Bernardo Silva clips a ball towards the far post, but it just runs long and out of play.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:05 , Chris Wilson
72 mins: De Bruyne is played in behind on the left, but his cutback is just intercepted and it runs to Petrovic.
City come again, but it’s cleared and Chillwell is in space in the City half. His cross-field ball eventually reaches Gusto, but he’s isolated and loses it.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:03 , Chris Wilson
70 mins: Fernandez almost does well to carry the ball away from pressure, but he loses it for a throw. Chelsea are under pressure now – Pochettino brings on Trevoh Chalobah for Cole Palmer.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
19:00 , Chris Wilson
68 mins: City continue to probe, but their build-up has been unusually lacklustre. Both teams seem to be relying on counters for their best chances, which is certainly unlike City.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:58 , Chris Wilson
65 mins: CLOSE! Doku shrugs off a challenge from Caicedo, and threads a ball through to Haaland. He takes a touch and gets the shot away, but Disasi does brilliantly to get a block that helps Petrovic to save.
At the other end, Gallagher is sent through by Palmer, and squares it to Nkunku. The ball is poor and Nkunku can only cut back, and gets away a shot which is blocked. It looked offside anyway.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:56 , Chris Wilson
64 mins: Sterling is replaced by Christopher Nkunku. There is both booing and applause for the former City favourite.
Bernardo Silva replaces Julian Alvarez for City, with around 25 minutes left.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:55 , Chris Wilson
62 mins: Petrovic is booked for time wasting. The replays from the Ederson save also show a great goal-line clearance from Dias after the initial save from Ederson. It would’ve been a Walker own goal, I think.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:53 , Chris Wilson
60 mins: Ake and Akanji are basically playing on the edge of the Chelsea box as City look to pile on the pressure. Chelsea are compact in defence, with City’s crosses more hopeful than calculated. From the latest effort, Foden hits it at Disasi and it almost falls to Haaland, but Colwill blocks brilliantly.
In the meantime, Palmer is booked for a late challenge.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:50 , Chris Wilson
57 mins: Doku has been a constant threat down the City left, while Disasi has constantly snuffed out threats in the middle for Chelsea. The home side retain the ball.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:48 , Chris Wilson
55 mins: CLOSE! Chelsea probably have the best chance of the second half so far!
Palmer releases Gusto down the right, and his ball in looks like it is hit towards his own goal by Walker, but Ederson saves well, and City manage to scramble clear.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:46 , Chris Wilson
54 mins: City have started this half much better, while Chelsea have been wasteful. Jackson has the chance to release Sterling on the counter but his ball is drastically overhit.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:45 , Chris Wilson
53 mins: Jackson is released down the left, but his ball to Gallagher isn’t quite perfect and City manage to stop his shot. The home side have the ball again, and are very much in the ascendency.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:43 , Chris Wilson
51 mins: CLOSE! City counter, and De Bruyne releases Foden down the right. He lofts a ball across goal to Haaland, whose finish is sloppy again, and the ball ends up far wide of the left-hand post.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:42 , Chris Wilson
49 mins: City fans want a penalty as Haaland is grabbed in the box, but nothing doing. From the goal kick, Petrovic sends it straight out of play.
City have constantly had the ball this half, and they want a penalty as Sterling brings down Kyle Walker in the box. It’s more of a coming together than a foul – it looks like Walker has dangled his leg to try and get the penalty.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:39 , Chris Wilson
47 mins: Kevin De Bruyne lines up the free-kick and its a brillaint effort. He curls it towards the far corner, but it’s inches too high, landing on the top netting.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:38 , Chris Wilson
KICK-OFF! City get us back underway.
The half begins with a City attack, as Doku gets to the touchline and lifts a ball in, but it is cleared easily. Caicedo fouls Rodri on the edge of the box, and the crowd reminds the referee that he’s already on a booking.
HALF-TIME! Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:36 , Chris Wilson
If the game were to end like this, City would go into their midweek game against Brentford five points behind Liverpool, but with a game in hand.
The champions would hardly be worried about such a points gap – having caught Arsenal last year from further back – but dropping points today would be a bitter blow ahead of the two teams facing each other on 10 March (with a Manchester derby the week before).
Chelsea, on the other hand, stand to move up to a season-high position of seventh if they win.
HALF-TIME! Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:30 , Chris Wilson
City had 68 per cent of possession in that half, with 14 shots to Chelsea’s three.
But only two of their shots were on target compared to Chelsea’s three, and the quality of the away side’s opportunities was better too.
The nine fouls that Chelsea have committed – compared to City’s three – gives you some insight into their disruptive, counter-attacking game plan.
HALF-TIME! Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:26 , Chris Wilson
HALF-TIME! Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:22 , Chris Wilson
HALF-TIME! The ref blows the whistle and Chelsea go into the break one goal up.
An interesting half, after which Chelsea probably deserved to head in ahead. Both sides have had chances, but City haven’t been their usual selves.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:20 , Chris Wilson
46 mins: There’ll be three minutes of added time.City venture into the box again, and Alvarez’s shot is blocked. City are just lacking that little bit of quality now – even a Kevin De Bruyne cross is overhit, and Chelsea clear.
Ake sends in a cross from the left; Haaland wins the header easily, but it goes wide of the right-hand post.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:18 , Chris Wilson
44 mins: City come searching for an equaliser, and a ball comes in towards Haaland at the far post, but Disasi heads it behind. From the corner, Disasi clears again after Jackson’s header is goal-bound, and Haaland can’t make the most of it as the ball comes to him.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
18:15 , Chris Wilson
41 mins: GOAL! Sterling against his old side!
Jackson is played in down the right, much like Gusto was for his opportunity, but he plays a great ball across to Sterling. He can’t get a shot away initially, but he cuts back inside and places it past Ederson’s right, placing it into the far corner.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
18:13 , Chris Wilson
38 mins: Gallagher is struggling here, but it looks like one that he’ll be able to run off.
City have provided some uncharacteristically sloppy play but have the ball again, knocking it around the Chelsea box but failing to really penetrate.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
18:09 , Chris Wilson
36 mins: That Sterling opportunity looked like he would have been offside, but if not that’s two excellent chances for Chelsea to take the lead. They’ve been fairly impressive so far, and have had the best chances while only once being really threatened themselves.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
18:07 , Chris Wilson
34 mins: Caicedo comes through the back of De Bruyne, and he’s finally booked. A lot of time to play against City on a booking.
From the free-kick, Foden’s ball in is cleared by Colwill.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
18:05 , Chris Wilson
32 mins: Chelsea are just lacking a little bit of quality in the final part of their attacks. Sterling is the latest culprit, with a poor touch after he’s sent through with a ball over the top. The ball runs to Ederson, who sets up a counter, but Doku’s shot is right at Petrovic.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
18:04 , Chris Wilson
30 mins: Caicedo is checked for a red card challenge after following through on Doku, but is cleared by VAR. There’s a lull in attacking activity as Doku sends in a cross which is headed away.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
18:00 , Chris Wilson
27 mins: There’s a check for a penalty as Haaland looks to have been rugby tackled almost, but VAR clears it. De Bruyne swings in a free-kick, but Haaland can only head it onto Gallagher’s back.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:59 , Chris Wilson
26 mins: Gusto’s ball was a little behind Jackson, so it may be unfair to call it a bad touch. In any case, that’s the best opportunity so far, and Chelsea fans will feel they should be ahead.
The Blues keep the pressure on, with Palmer curling a ball into the box looking for Sterling, but City defend well and clear.
On the counter, De Bruyne pops up on the left and does well to carry it past Disasi, but his one-two with Haaland ends with a corner, which is cleared.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:56 , Chris Wilson
22 mins: CLOSE! Palmer does excellently in the City half to take a couple of players out of the game, and releases Gusto down the right-hand side. The Frenchman squares to Nico Jackson, whose touch isn’t great and it allows Ederson to close him down. The Brazilian makes a good save, and it’s cleared.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:53 , Chris Wilson
20 mins: Haaland’s chance remains the only clear-cut opportunity for either side. City look a little more settled now, though Haaland’s poor touch means they miss the chance at a counter.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:51 , Chris Wilson
17 mins: It’s City’s turn to counter now, but Rodri’s shot from outside the box is blocked easily, and Chelsea end up winning a free-kick. Chelsea haven’t managed to keep the ball for any extended period of time, though they’re threatening at times.
Jackson closes down Ederson and wins the ball fairly, laying it off to Conor Gallagher. The Englishman plays a lovely ball behind Ake, looking for Palmer, but City do well to clear for a corner.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:47 , Chris Wilson
14 mins: Perhaps unsurprisingly, it looks like Chelsea have chosen to rely on counter-attacking opportunities.
It looks like De Bruyne and Alvarez are both playing in advanced central roles, though the Belgian is repeatedly popping up near the right wing too.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:45 , Chris Wilson
12 mins: CLOSE! Gallagher wins the ball well to start a Chelsea counter, but the pass to start the counter is wasteful and Sterling has no chance.
City have the ball again, and Doku plays in Alvarez behind the Chelsea defence. His cross is straight to Erling Haaland, who uncharacteristically heads over the bar.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:42 , Chris Wilson
9 mins: A City free-kick is cleared, but Alvarez’s deflected shot causes Petrovic a lot of trouble. He flaps at it, and luckily Alvarez’s follow-up header is straight into his hands.
17:40 , Chris Wilson
7 mins: Chelsea’s first foray forward is the best chance so far. Palmer fizzes it into Enzo, whose first time pass sets Chelsea in behind the City defence. The ball across tries to find Jackson, but Walker clears.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:39 , Chris Wilson
5 mins: A bit of pinball in the City half ends with Foden winning a free-kick, and City have the ball again. They work it through the middle and the ball is played into Foden, but he is tagged by two men and Chelsea win the throw.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:37 , Chris Wilson
3 mins: Not a lot of action as we begin the game. That De Bruyne role is certainly no more defensive than he usually is, with the Belgian taking up many of his usual positions. We’ve had an easy spell of City possession so far.
Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
17:34 , Chris Wilson
1 min: City have a chance already. Haaland collects the ball on the edge of the box, and he lays it off to Alvarez, whose shot is wide of the far post.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
17:33 , Chris Wilson
KICK OFF! Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea get us underway. Kevin De Bruyne looks to be playing alongside Rodri in a position more akin to a holding midfielder (according to the graphics anyway), so that might be what Guardiola was alluding to earlier. We’ll find out very soon.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
17:26 , Chris Wilson
It’s been pouring at the Etihad, with the sort of conditions that often produce a slippery, difficult-to-predict game. Though there’s a clear favourite today, November’s 4-4 draw between these two sides proved that you never know what’s coming in these big Premier League games.
With both Liverpool and Arsenal winning earlier today, Pep Guardiola will be acutely aware of how important a home win tonight could be come May.
The stadium is filling up and the teams are in the tunnel.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
17:24 , Chris Wilson
Head-to-head
Chelsea are winless in seven league and cup games against Manchester City since a 1-0 victory in the 2021 Champions League final.
The two teams drew 4-4 at Stamford Bridge in November, and that game put an end to six consecutive City victories. Chelsea have just six wins in the last 20 games between the two sides, dating back to April 2017.
Recent matches between the two have been close, with the exception of a 4-0 City win in the FA Cup last year.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
17:16 , Chris Wilson
Guardiola is first to speak to Sky, and says it is important to stop Palmer, Sterling, Jackson and Enzo among others.
He says that Bernardo is getting better, and cryptically says that De Bruyne ‘may play in a different way’, but that we’ll have to “wait and see”.
Pochettino believes his team can get a result as they did in the 4-4 at Stamford Bridge.
“Be brave, play forward. We know that City is decisive when they have the ball, but it is a good test for us before the final.”
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
17:10 , Chris Wilson
Ahead of his first return to the Etihad, Cole Palmer has admitted it will be strange to return to his former home ground.
“It will be strange, a weird feeling, but I’m looking forward to it and the team’s looking forward to it.
“I’m very excited to be honest, even though it will be strange. Obviously, I played against them at Stamford Bridge, but I think going back to the Etihad will be even stranger. But I’m really looking forward to it.”
Cole Palmer reveals true feelings ahead of Manchester City return
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
17:00 , Chris Wilson
Mauricio Pochettino promised his Chelsea side would attack Manchester City when the two clubs meet at the Etihad Stadium for Saturday’s Premier League clash.
The defending champions drew a memorable game 4-4 at Stamford Bridge in November with former City player Cole Palmer scoring a penalty in stoppage time for the hosts to snatch a point.
Pochettino said there was no chance they would sit and wait for City – who have lost just once at home in the English top flight in almost two years – to come on to them.
“The lesson (from the first game) is that we’re going to face one of the best teams in the world, but at the same time you need to be brave enough to try to force them to defend, to run back and to face their goal,” he said.
“If we go there and wait to see what’s going on, it’s a team that can dominate you and will make you suffer.
Chelsea will attack Manchester City at Etihad Stadium – Mauricio Pochettino
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:53 , Chris Wilson
The home side come into this game in fine form, having lost none of their last 10 games, including the midweek Champions League tie away at Copenhagen. They last lost on 6 December, away at Aston Villa.
Chelsea have had more mixed fortunes, with two 3-1 wins in a row over their last two games, which were away at Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. However, in the two games before that, the Blues lost 4-2 to Wolves and 4-1 to Liverpool.
City are bidding to top the table by winning their games in hand, while Chelsea may well have one eye on next weekend’s League Cup final already.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:42 , Chris Wilson
City make three changes from the team that beat Copenhagen in midweek. Doku replaces Grealish, while Bernardo Silva and John Stones drop to the bench. They are replaced by by Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez respectively.
For Chelsea, there are only two changes from the side that beat Crystal Palace. Colwill replaces the injured Silva, and Sterling replaces Madueke to face his former club once more.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:34 , Chris Wilson
Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell (c); Caicedo, Enzo, Gallagher; Palmer, Sterling, Jackson.
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:32 , Chris Wilson
Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker (c), Akanji, Dias, Ake; Rodri, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Alvarez, Haaland
Your squad to face Chelsea! 👊
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Foden, Alvarez, Doku, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Stones, Kovacic, Bernardo, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Susoho, Lewis#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/ch1iVE6nqN
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 17, 2024
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:15 , Chris Wilson
Team news
Perhaps the biggest team news is that Jack Grealish has been ruled out after coming off in midweek against Copenhagen due to a muscle problem.
Bernardo Silva is being assessed after a mild injury in the same game, while summer signing Josko Gvardiol remains sidelined. Mateo Kovacic and Sergio Gomez have both returned.
For the away side, Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill are both fit after minor issues from the Crystal Palace game, with Robert Sanchez also set to return to the match day squad after his knee injury.
Thiago Silva remains sidelined after coming off against Palace.
Jack Grealish out of Chelsea clash as Manchester City await news on groin injury
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:10 , Chris Wilson
Betting tips and predictions
Few people will be expecting an away win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (5:30pm, Sky Sports Main Event) and football betting sitesinevitably agree that City are overwhelming favourites. Is there any hope for Chelsea to force a seemingly unlikely win on the road?
Odds
Manchester City 4/11
Draw 5/1
Chelsea 15/2
Manchester City vs Chelsea predictions: Premier League betting tips, odds and free bets
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
16:00 , Chris Wilson
Manchester City will look to continue their ominous form in the Premier League as Chelsea visit the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s defending champions have re-established themselves as the favourites for the title, with the returns of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland aiding a winning run now 11 matches long in all competitions.
Chelsea travel north some 18 points back from their opponents, though the immediate pressure on Mauricio Pochettino appears to have been alleviated by a stoppage-time win over Crystal Palace.
The challenge will be significantly bigger against the quadruple winners, though, and Pochettino will know his side will have to be much better to emerge with a positive result.
Here’s everything you need to know. Get the latest Manchester City vs Chelsea odds and tips here.
Is Man City vs Chelsea on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
15:45 , Chris Wilson
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has taken some of the blame for Palmer’s exit from City, saying it was his responsibility.
“For young players, we always want them to stay but this is normal. After two or three seasons he wanted more minutes than he had the last season. I understand completely.
“If Palmer had the minutes I gave to Phil (Foden) from the beginning, Cole Palmer would be here – but I didn’t give them to him. That is my responsibility.
“Why? Because of Bernardo (Silva), Riyad (Mahrez), Phil. In that moment, I chose the other ones.
“After one season it is nice, and the second season, but the third season it is, ‘Oh guys, I want to play, I don’t want to sit on the bench. It’s normal.”
Guardiola admits ‘responsibility’ for Palmer leaving Man City
Manchester City vs Chelsea – LIVE
15:33 , Mike Jones
Who is the only player to score in the Premier League, the League Cup, the Community Shield and the European Super Cup in the same season? The answer comes in the form of a man who has scored in two finals for Manchester City and cost them two points.
Cole Palmer’s Manchester City career was a statistical curiosity in itself: seven goals in six competitions – including a Football League trophy strike for the Under-21s – but none of them in the Premier League. His Chelsea career has been a revelation.
Having spent last season in the shadows at City – only 130 minutes of Premier League action before the title was won and none in the Champions League’s knockout stages – he has traded life as a substitute for a record-breaking team for the status of a star of a side of record-breaking cost. The £1bn project has a lone unqualified success. Once again, Palmer stands alone.
How ‘Cold’ Palmer became the one player Man City regret letting go
Manchester City vs Chelsea
15:30 , Chris Wilson
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Saturday evening’s game between Manchester City and Chelsea.
The champions host Chelsea after a convincing Champions League win in midweek, while the Blues come off the back of good wins away at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
