Five Things Learned: Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Erling Haaland scored the winner and Mateo Kovacic provided the insurance, as the defending Premier League champions kicked off their title defence with an 0-2 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Erling Haaland now has 106 total goal involvements (91 goals and 15 assists) in his first 100 matches for Manchester City.

Summer signing Savinho was given his first ever Premier League start, as Pep Guardiola was forced to play a rotated squad due to injuries to Rodri and Oscar Bobb.

Chelsea started the match off solid defensively, but Erling Haaland broke through in the 18th minute, the Norwegian beat a pair of Chelsea defenders off the dribble and chipped goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for an excellent goal. Haaland’s goal was assisted by Bernardo Silva, and set-up by Jeremy Doku.

It appeared as if Chelsea had equalised in one of the final moments of the first-half when Nicolas Jackson pounced on an Ederson error for a tap-in, but the Sky Blues were saved by the Senegalese striker just narrowly drifting offsides.

After a lackluster performance in the opening 45 minutes, Chelsea began to respond in the second-half, creating far more chances and putting Ederson under pressure early and often. However, the defending Premier League champions found a way to stay ahead of the London club and regained control of the match.

Kovacic’s insurance goal came in the 84th minute when the Croatian midfielder won the ball at midfield and carried it to the edge of the box, before firing his shot past a diving Sanchez.

After match-week one, Manchester City are joint second with several times on the league table, trailing only Brighton on goal difference.

Here are the five things learned from Manchester City’s 0-2 win against Chelsea!

Savinho will be an instant success

There were plenty of jokes and comparisons made when Savinho was unveiled and chose the number 26. But after his cameo appearance in the community shield and his first ever star for the club, the jokes and comparisons were actually understated.

The Brazilian led the squad in take-ons, dribbles and chances created before being substituted off as a precaution. The former Girona winger isn’t nearly as direct as Jeremy Doku, yet there’s still a threat level that no other City winger (minus Doku) can bring. The two of them together as a wing pairing will give every manager and backline plenty of headaches for years to come.

Kovacic (and Rico Lewis) can fill in for the Rodri role

Another year, another backup for Rodri not signed. It’s been an exhausting few years for the Spanish midfielder, and this season likely won’t be any different. However, a midfield pairing of Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis were able to make due in a massive away fixture against a “Big 6” side.

While Kovacic isn’t known for his goal scoring prowess, the Croatian didn’t his best Rodri impersonation by rifling in a world class effort from outside the box. Cover for Rodri still should be a priority, but it’s good to know that Pep actually has a backup plan now,

Ederson still hasn’t shaken his rust

After a rough preseason that saw Ederson needing to be better as a shot-stopper, there were a few moments that showed that the Brazilian hasn’t gotten all of those mistakes out of his system yet.

Chelsea nearly had an equaliser in the first half due to Ederson unable to control a Cole Palmer shot, but City were saved by the offside flag. Separate from that there were a few other shaky moments that saw the Brazilian struggle to hold on to the ball.

Fortunately, Ederson also made an excellent point-blank save when Chelsea were starting to knock on the door. It was a bright spot that shouldn’t be forgotten from his performance.

Haaland looks refreshed

While nearly every member of the Manchester City squad spent their summer competing in international tournaments, Erling Haaland wasn’t one of them. The Norwegian was awarded an actual offseason, something that was surely needed after a “down” year that was marred with injuries.

The result? A refreshed and energetic striker that was constantly threatening Chelsea’s back line. Haaland’s dribbling and close control was on full display for the goal, and an early confidence boost is always a great way to start the season.

Stamford Bridge continues to be an easy fixture

It shouldn’t be easy to win away from home against a “Big 6” side. However, Manchester City have made Stamford Bridge look like another version of Etihad South. The Sky Blues have now won four out of their last five league matches against Chelsea at away from home, and are unbeaten since the UEFA Champions League final loss in 2021.

To pick up three points from one of the presumably most difficult fixtures in the season so early, with a limited squad, is simply massive. Manchester City have been plagued by slow starts and dropped points in most of their title wins. It’s just good to see them take advantage of their opportunity early in the season and not wait for a resurgence in the Spring.