City v Chelsea: Here’s what you missed | OneFootball

The dust has settled on a truly memorable WSL clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City earned a dominant 5-1 win over reigning champions Chelsea to extend our lead at the top of the table to 11 points.

The display on the pitch added to a fantastic overall experience, which included a special live performance ahead of the action, and some incredible prizes being won by lucky supporters.

Don’t worry if you missed out, as there are still four home fixtures you can buy your tickets for, but below is a rundown of what went on away from the action…

The Wanted 2.0

Fans were treated to a very special set ahead of kick-off, with the Wanted 2.0 performing pitchside at the Etihad Stadium.

Founding members Max George and Siva Kaneswaren performed some of the Wanted’s iconic songs, including ‘All Time Low’ and ‘Chasing the Sun’, to get the crowd into the matchday mood.

Their first performance of 2026, the pair more than delivered on the big stage… just like the team!

Kids Fanzone

An exciting day began at our Man City Kids Fanzone, a free event on the indoor pitch at the City Football Academy.

Thousands of young City fans enjoyed some fun pre-match activities, including meeting Moonbeam and Moonchester, inflatable games and arts & crafts before making the short journey over to the Etihad Stadium for the game!

Blue Carpet Experience

Our Blue Carpet Experience, located at the West Reception of the Colin Bell Stand, got under way from 12:30 and provided some memorable entertainment ahead of doors opening at the Etihad.

As well as special guest interviews with The Wanted 2.0’s Max and Siva who as promised offered a City shirt to a lucky fan, live music, DJ sets, selfie frames and face painters made it an incredible experience for supporters of all ages.

As well as greeting the players as they came off the team bus, some incredible money-can’t-buy giveaways also took place, including the chance to be a mascot on the pitch and high five the players as they went into the dressing room!

What’s more, our Blue Button fan, was also selected to officially start the match by pressing the famous button ahead of the game!

Team Photo and Lucky Winners on the Day

At every home fixture, there’s an opportunity to be involved in the pre-match team photo, and this week it was The Pannal Sabres who joined in!

A community-focused club based near Harrogate, they are dedicated to giving children of all ages the opportunity to enjoy sport in a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment.

The girls stepped onto the Etihad Stadium pitch ahead of kick-off to take a photo with some of their heroes.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR GROUP BOOKINGS

For this fixture as well, we gave additional groups the chance to win unforgettable, money-can’t-buy experiences.

These included watching the team warm up pitchside, deploying the famous centre circle in front of the entire stadium with the pyro show, and high-fiving the team on the blue carpet.

If you don’t want to miss out on future opportunities like these, enquire for your group here.

In-seat drinking

As with all our home games at the Joie Stadium supporters had the choice to drink alcohol in the stands, with City one of seven clubs taking part in a WSL trial this season.

Blocks 034-039 represented our Alcohol-Free Zone, but around the rest of the stadium fans were able to enjoy alcohol responsibly while watching the action.

SIGN IN FOR FREE ACCESS

Sign in to watch

Don’t have an account? Register now

Hat-trick hero

And the action on the pitch certainly delivered, with City winning 5-1 against Chelsea.

The victory was spearheaded by Kerolin’s hat-trick, as the Brazilian became the first player in WSL history to score three against the reigning WSL champions.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s march to a record third successive Golden Boot continued with her 14th of the season, while Vivianne Miedema also increased her all-time WSL goal record to 93 with a flick-on header to complete the scoring.

A 13th WSL win in a row for a City side who’ve now scored 41 goals in just 14 league matches this season!