Manchester City earned a 1-0 win at Chelsea thanks to two second-half substitutes, as Jack Grealish set up Riyad Mahrez for the winning goal
It was a night when Pep Guardiola twisted on the tactical front and then twisted some more. For much of a slow-burning encounter, part of the battle was to decode the schemes of theHis most recognised left-back, João Cancelo? Pinned high on the right wing. The returning Kyle Walker? On the right of a defensive three. The midfield was flexible to the point of indecipherable. And for the opening 45 minutes, it did not work.
There were 60 minutes on the clock when he introduced Riyad Mahrez on the right and Jack Grealish on the left. It was a double substitution to highlight the riches at his disposal and one that surely turned Graham Potter a shade of green. Themanager had lost Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to injuries in the early running, on the back of seeing Mason Mount ruled out with a training-ground knock. Potter can now count his senior absentees on all of his fingers and thumbs.
Within three minutes Grealish teased over a low cross, Mahrez swooped to finish and City were on their way to cutting Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to five points. It was a lovely team move, out to the right, then back over to the left, with Kevin De Bruyne prominent. Grealish’s assist was a beauty and the only question was why Kepa Arrizabalaga did not stick out a hand before it reached Mahrez. The ball had seemed to be there for the Chelsea goalkeeper.
Potter had brought on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when Sterling limped off in the second minute but he would substitute the substitute as he chased the game. Hakim Ziyech was also hooked. Potter sent on the 19-year-old Omari Hutchinson for his debut on the right wing and the 18-year-old Lewis Hall at left-back, sticking with his 4-2-3-1 formation and simply rotating the personnel.
The equaliser never looked on and Potter was left to reflect on another blow to Chelsea’s hopes of a top-four finish. The club have attacked the January transfer market, announcing the capture of another centre-half – Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for £33.6m – before the game. They also want to add the midfielder Enzo Fernández from Benfica and
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