Chelsea vs Man City: Haaland stars as champions silence Maresca's Blues at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea vs Man City: Haaland stars as champions silence Maresca's Blues at Stamford Bridge

Ifeanyi Ufomadu 18:31 - 18.08.2024

Goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic helped Manchester City defeat Chelsea 2-0 in their season opener at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca endured a debut to forget, losing 2-0 to a superior Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, under new manager Maresca, looked to start the season in style and looked inventive in the opening moments as Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez showed their quality in midfield but City slowly got into the game.

The champions, chasing a fifth successive Premier League crown, eventually got the breakthrough when Erling Haaland held off Marc Cucurella and retained his composure to score past Robert Sanchez with a fine finish.

Sanchez made a spectacular full-stretch save to deny Jeremy Doku, tipping his shot over the bar, and keeping his team in the game just before the half-hour mark.

Just before halftime, Nicolas Jackson thought he had equalized for his team, but his effort was ruled out for offside after Ederson spilled Cole Palmer's powerful shot.

Maresca introduced four new signings in a bid to turn the game around, but it was a familiar face that proved costly. Mateo Kovacic, a former player, drove forward and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box that Sanchez couldn't handle, securing the win for Guardiola's men.

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