Match Report: Struggling Chelsea battle back to draw 1-1 with Man City | OneFootball

Chelsea battled back to score a late equaliser at the Etihad to steal a point that looked very unlikely at times in the 1-1 draw.

Man City dominated the first half – and most of the second too. Once they had broken Chelsea’s resistance late in the first half, it seemed just a matter of time before they added a second and put us out of our misery.

But a half time tweak from Chelsea’s caretaker coach Calum McFarlane added Andrey Santos to midfield, and after the break the Blues played a bit more football. Even that just pushed City back- they were still on top.

And then, just when we had given up all hope after some frustrating wasted chances in the second half, Malo Gusto somehow found the energy to burst to the byline in the 95th minute. His cutback took a touch off Nathan Ake which carried it into the path of Enzo Fernandez, who hacked the ball twice into the goalkeeper, then finally managed to squeeze it in at the third time of asking.

That earned Chelsea a point which was stolen in some ways – but also fully deserved considering this was a game they were expected to lose heavily.

MOTM – Enzo Fernandez

Analysis

Andrey Santos against Man City. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The removal of Estevao at half time to be replaced by another midfielder was the notable tactical shift in the game. It meant Pedro Neto switching to the left wing and Cole Palmer going to the right, with Enzo Fernandez moving into Palmer’s former position in the number 10.

If Rosenior is happy with Palmer on the right wing, we could see more and more of this used – in fact, some fans have been calling for it for a while as it gets the best out of Enzo and adds more physicality to the midfield, without the need to use Reece James there.

Teams

Man City Gianluigi Donnarumma Nunes Matheus Luiz Ruben Dias Josko Gvardiol Nico O’Reilly Rodrigo Hernandez Rodri Bernardo Silva Rayan Cherki Phil Foden Tijjani Reijnders Erling Haaland

Substitutes James Trafford Nathan Ake (s 81′) Jeremy Doku (s 70′) Abduqodir Khusanov (s 51′) Ryan McAidoo Divine Mukasa Rico Lewis Stephen Mfuni Reigan Heskey

Chelsea Filip Jorgensen Josh Acheampong Trevoh Chalobah Benoit Badiashile Malo Gusto Reece James Enzo Fernandez Estevao Cole Palmer Pedro Neto Joao Pedro

Substitutes Alejandro Garnacho Marc Guiu Jorrel Hato (s 62′) Andrey Santos (s 46′) Jamie Bynoe-Gittens Liam Delap (s 62′) Tosin Adarabioyo Max Merrick Gabriel Slonina

Stats

Quote of the game

“1-0 down at the Etihad, interim manager, players falling ill on the day of the game, the day before the game, all the change. And for them to regroup and take that information on and execute it speaks volumes about the characters we have at this club.” – Interim coach Calum McFarlane praises his players for coping with the current mess.