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Manchester City shook off the impact of a COVID outbreak in their ranks to beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
City manager Pep Guardiola had six players unavailable after positive tests, but his team responded brilliantly with goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne that dismantled Chelsea within 16 minutes of the first half. .
After that, it felt like damage limitation for a moderate Chelsea whose season is unraveling alarmingly after a strong start, though substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi took some consolation in injury time.
Sportsmail’s Sami Mokbel rated the players.
Chelsea (4-3-3)
Edouard Mendy: 90 miserable minutes for the goalkeeper. After its excellent start to the season, questions are now being asked. 5.5
César Azpilicueta – He has been an incredible server for the club, but it is very clear that his team misses Reece James’ athleticism on the right. 6
Kurt Zouma – Like a rabbit caught in the headlights as Manchester City rampaged in the first half. 5
Thiago Silva: It has been one of the main reasons behind the improvement of Chelsea’s defense, but he couldn’t do anything here when City went for the jugular. 5.5
Ben Chilwell – Given a rough ride by fellow England Raheem Sterling. Not an afternoon that the left back wants to remember in a hurry. 5.5
Matteo Kovacic – The game passed by as City taught their opponents a lesson in midfield control. Reserved. 5
N’Golo Kante – His sloppy passing led to City’s third, a mistake that encapsulated Chelsea’s error-filled display. Reserved. 5.5
Mason Mount – He showed some initial promise, but his efforts were deemed redundant by the city’s excellence in attack. 6
Christian Pulisic – Found himself in some promising positions, but couldn’t find the lethal touch. Reserved. 6
Timo Werner – Clearly talented, but seems completely lacking in confidence and quality at the moment. 5
Hakim Ziyech – First game in nearly a month after recovering from injury and it showed. Hooked. 5
Subs: Hudson-Odoi 7 (Ziyech 64); Gilmour 6.5 (Kante 64); Havertz (Kovacic 77)
Unused subs: Giroud, Rudiger, Jorginho, Emerson, Kepa, Abraham,
Frank Lampard – The pressure grows. After a victory in seven games, the boss of the Blues must stop the slide quickly. 5.5
City of man (4-2-3-1)
Zack Steffen – Relatively calm in his Premier League debut when he replaced Ederson, affected by Covid. 5.5
Joao Cancelo – Secured on the right side. Solid on defense and backed City’s irresistible attack excellently. 7
Ruben Dias – Growing in stature in the heart of the City defense. He did not put a false foot for Guardiola’s team. 7
John Stones – Has to be the comeback story of the season so far. He navigated through this game with confidence. 7
Oleksandr Zinchenko – A rare start in the Premier League for the left-back, but he didn’t seem out of place when City dominated. 7
Rodrigo – Influential in the engine room to help City’s midfield control the game convincingly. 7.5
Ilkay Gundogan – Supreme in central midfield, his excellent goal to put City ahead completing a brilliant display. 8
Bernardo Silva – He kept things going wonderfully for City. He saw a lot of ball and hardly wasted a ball for his team. 7.5
Raheem Sterling – Rampant in attack for Guardiola’s team. Chelsea’s defense had no response to his explosions. 7.5
Kevin De Bruyne – Poetry in motion. A goal and an assist from the Belgian magician against his former club. 8.5
Phil Foden – He made his goal wonderfully and gave the pass to Gundogan to open the scoring. It produced goods when it mattered. 8
Subs: Fernandinho 6 (Gundogan 75); Agüero (De Bruyne 86); Mahrez (Foden 86).
Unused Subs: Mendy, Harwood-Bellis, Delap, Carson, Mbete
Pep Guardiola – A performance more in line with the high standards that City has set for itself. They were irresistible at Stamford Bridge. 7.5
Referee: Anthony Taylor – The referee was not greatly bothered as the game went by without any real controversy. 6.5
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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