Manchester City defeated Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium in their Premier League clash on Sunday, celebrating their fifth title win in six seasons in style.
Julian Alvarez netted a goal early in the game (12th minute) for City and had another ruled out for a handball by Riyad Mahrez in the build-up. Frank Lampard’s struggling team had Conor Gallagher hit the post, but one goal was sufficient for City to pull ahead of the pack by seven points.
Even though Pep Guardiola made nine changes to the team that thrashed Real Madrid on Wednesday night, City was still the club that played the smoother football. Chelsea will undoubtedly place in the bottom half of the Premier League standings at this point.
With the stadium drenched in sunlight, there was a festive atmosphere well before kickoff as the home fans revelled in the confirmation of their third consecutive title win following Arsenal’s loss to Nottingham Forest on the road the previous evening.
Wesley Fofana’s careless pass gave City the ball, and Cole Palmer’s accurate pass found Alvarez for the game-changing goal. The Argentine defeated Kepa Arrizabalaga with a fantastic finish to kick off the celebration inside the stadium.
Soon after, Palmer had an opportunity of his own, and Phil Foden also missed the target; his looping attempt drifted just wide after being set up by a superb Kalvin Phillips ball. In what had been his long-awaited first Premier League start for the team, the midfielder exuded confidence.
The fact that Chelsea’s backup players outperformed City’s starters must have been infuriating, but they did have their moments. Stefan Ortega saved a shot from Raheem Sterling after the player had advanced unimpeded, and Gallagher’s header hit the post.