Chelsea were humiliated by a blistering Manchester City side at the Etihad Stadium. Goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho punished the sloppy Blues, who are now five points off City in the table. Jose Mourinho brought John Terry off at half time, the first time he’s ever done that in the Premier League.
Asmir Begovic came in for the suspended Thibaut Courtois ahead of this tough game, while Ramires replaced the injured Oscar. The Brazilian started on the right, with Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic in central midfield. Aside from that, the team was unchanged from the one that drew at home to Swansea last week.
Begovic had a busy time on his first full start for the club, as he was called in to action to stop Aguero on several occasions. The Argentine had four chances early on to put his side ahead, before he finally converted. That goal had been coming, as David Silva ran the show early on, slicing through a Chelsea side who again looked off the pace.
Eliaquim Mangala had a great chance to double the lead, but he headed wide from a free kick. Gary Cahill and Begovic collided while trying to defend that free kick, with the former ending up with a bloody nose for his troubles. That brought the Chelsea physios on to the pitch, much to the delight of the home support.
Soon after, there were more wounds for the Blues, as Diego Costa went down after being elbowed in the head by Fernandinho. That left a lot of work for the medical staff, which dragged attention away from the fact that the City man deserved a red. That decision could have changed the game, but somehow the referee only gave him a booking.
Terry’s half time substitution left a lot of fans scratching their heads, as Kurt Zouma took his place. Cahill stayed on, despite being covered in blood with his nose swelling up. It seemed like a message to the top at how thin the squad currently is at the back. They did manage to push forward in the second half, with Eden Hazard missing a glorious chance.
Branislav Ivanovic didn’t have the best time of things last weekend, and he really struggled here. The Serbian was at fault for the second and third City goal, and he looked way off the pace. Ivanovic was brushed off by Kompany from a corner, and the City captain headed in to seal the win.
Ivanovic’s sloppy clearance then fell in to the path of Fernandinho, and he hit a long range strike that sailed past Begovic. The keeper had very little he could do about the result on the day and he made a few impressive stops early on, but the defenders ahead of him left him exposed against a very talented attacking force.
LCN Man of the Match: Asmir Begovic