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City have yet to reach the goalscoring form of Pep Guardiola’s team in their prime, as for the third consecutive league game they were limited to one solo goal.
But Kyle Walker’s long-range shot against his former club was good enough to earn him a 1-0 win over goal-shy Sheffield United.
A fourth win in five games in the entire competition puts City in eighth place, but two points behind joint leaders Everton, Liverpool and Wolves at a concerted table.
And there was another boost for City after the game, as Pep Guardiola ruled out a return to Barcelona despite the presidential candidates’ interest in the Catalan giants for bringing the club’s most successful manager to the Camp Nou.
“I said it many times, my time as a manager in Barcelona is over,” said Guardiola, whose contract at Etihad expires at the end of the season.
“I am incredibly happy here, I still have the desire to do well and this is the most important thing.”
On the field, there were plenty of positives for City, as newly formed center-backs Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias played their part on a second clean sheet in a row.
However, without injured forwards Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesús, City struggled to turn their dominance into goals.
“We played very well,” Guardiola added. “We fight to score goals because of the opportunities we create, 16 shots, eight on goal, it’s a lot against this team.”
Instead, Walker was the unlikely winner of the match with his first goal in a year in his 100th Premier League appearance with City.
Chelsea sped up
Chelsea are also getting back into shape after a slow start to the season, as Frank Lampard’s men came away with a 3-0 win at Burnley to extend their unbeaten streak to nine games.
Hakim Ziyech had his first Premier League start after scoring in a 4-0 Champions League win over Krasnodar midweek and Moroccan Nick Pope’s shot with the wrong foot to open the floodgates for visitors in 26 minutes.
Kurt Zouma’s bullet header then doubled Chelsea’s lead from the Mason Mount corner just past the hour mark.
Timo Werner had to rest until a warm-up injury against Christian Pulisic forced the German international into Lampard’s lineup.
And Werner rounded out an excellent performance by the Blues in the second half with a fine shot from Ziyech’s pass.
After much criticism of his team’s defense, Lampard will be equally delighted with a fourth clean sheet in a row as Chelsea moved into the top four, just one point from the top.
However, Liverpool have a chance to move three points clear when the champions host West Ham at Anfield later on Saturday.
kca / jc
