Dj Vnyash
Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City’s resilience in overcoming a disrupted pre-season to start their Premier League title defense with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday. Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic scored to defeat Enzo Maresca in his debut as Chelsea’s manager.
Despite missing all four of their Euro 2024 finalists—Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden—City still managed a strong performance. Guardiola had given them additional rest to recover from the summer’s demands. Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, and Manuel Akanji, who also had a late return to training after the Euros, played the full match.
Guardiola admitted he was surprised by the result, given the team’s limited preparation time. He commended the players’ commitment and expressed his gratitude for working with such a talented group.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are facing challenges as Maresca tries to integrate a large squad with 43 players, including those on loan. Before the match, Raheem Sterling’s camp expressed frustration over his exclusion from the squad. Ben Chilwell was also left out, and Conor Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku did not receive squad numbers. Notably, none of Chelsea’s nine summer signings were included in the starting lineup, and Enzo Fernandez, despite recent controversies, was named captain.
City, known for their consistency and excellence, saw Haaland, one of the few players who had a summer break, score within 18 minutes. A cross from Jeremy Doku, deflected by Bernardo Silva, allowed Haaland to calmly score over Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea had chances to level the score before halftime but were denied by Ederson and an offside Nicolas Jackson. Foden had to step in earlier than planned due to an injury to Savinho. The game’s pace was slower than usual for a major Premier League clash, with Chelsea pushing for an equalizer but leaving opportunities for City to extend their lead.
Maresca acknowledged Chelsea’s competitive performance but noted the key difference was finishing chances. Sanchez made a crucial save to deny Haaland a second goal but was at fault for Kovacic’s decisive strike, which found the top corner due to a weak attempt by Sanchez to stop it.
