Man City vs Chelsea Review:

Calum McFarlane, Chelsea’s head coach for the evening, was on his way to the Windsor light show with his family when a surprise call told him he was going to take charge vs City. He arrived at the Etihad clutching a notebook labelled “Academy Staff,” about to coach his first senior game against Pep Guardiola, who had surpassed 1000 games as a manager only weeks ago.

New Manager Bounce

His work would not have been made easier after knowing Cucurella, Sanchez & Fofana were all unavailable on top of Moises Caicedo’s suspension. There was also intense scrutiny on each player too - how would they react to Maresca’s sacking?

Any answer to that question is never completely all substance, but this was not the Chelsea that had ambled cluelessly through December. City’s rotations dragged Acheampong out from RB to midfield, pushed Estevao back to right wingback. Nobody on the pitch won more than Enzo Fernandez’s 7 tackles. Erling Haaland had just 1 touch and 0 passes to show after 25 minutes.

Mistakes though started to creep in, and Haaland began to sniff blood. A few dangerous openings served as warning signs, before another turnover saw Reijnders take on Badiashile before slamming one past Jorgensen.

Subs & Tweaks

McFarlane had curiously switched Estevao and Neto around towards the end of the first half, and made an interesting switch at half-time. Andrey Santos was brought in for Estevao to add another body in midfield, and Enzo Fernandez was moved up to left wing. Moving Gusto from his less favoured left flank to his preferred right side would also pay dividends in the dying seconds, as the Frenchman galloped past O’Reilly before putting in the cross that Enzo would prod in for the equalizer.

Liam Rosenior reportedly arriving in London to sign as new Chelsea manager also galvanized two other subs who have worked with Rosenior previously. Santos was excellent in the middle of the park, orchestrating build up under immense pressure and linking Chelsea’s midfield to its miserable attack.

Delap’s introduction proved transformative too - the young Englishman sparked straight to life after coming on with some excellent lay offs and touches. There was a slaloming dribble that almost saw him emerge in the box for a 1v1. Delap worked with Rosenior during their time at Hull; if Rosenior’s use of Emegha at Strasbourg and Joao Pedro’s form is anything to go by, Delap played like he sensed an opening on the horizon.

Onwards

Since that glorious win over City in Porto, Chelsea had travelled to the Etihad 7 times and walked away with one draw. By all counts, this was a game that could have heaped misery over a bad run of results and a chaotic sacking.

In the second 45’, as City conceded more of the possession and looked to pick their more anxious opponents on the break, momentum shifted. Chelsea outshot City 5 to 7, created 3 big chances & conceded none. This was a point well earned, not given.

Rosenior’s first assignment will be ending a 4-game winless streak at Fulham before a breather against Charlton in the FA Cup. This was a priceless point that helped dissipate a few thick clouds of gloom and misery that have been hanging over the Bridge these past few weeks. All eyes now on Rosenior’s first week in the hotseat.