1 year ago
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‘Vinci Per Luca’ read a banner draped over the Chelsea end. Win for Luca was the request but Graham Potter’s subdued side were unable to deliver as Manchester City cruised into the fourth round with an emphatic victory at the Etihad Stadium.
The teams have met three times this season in three different competitions, City winning and shutting out Chelsea every time. Chelsea’s first third round exit for 25 years – when the late Gianluca Vialli scored twice in a 5-3 loss to Manchester United – continued their miserable run of form and results under Potter, who has seen his team beaten in five of their last seven outings.
This was the fifth time in seven games that Chelsea have failed to score. They never looked likely to throughout a chastening cup tie when City operated at a class apart, scoring three times in the first half through Riyad Mahrez, Julián Álvarez and Phil Foden. The excellent Mahrez added a fourth from the penalty spot late on.
Both clubs paid a fitting tribute before kick-off to Vialli, who died on Friday aged 58 and whose name was chanted regularly by the 8,000 travelling supporters. Chelsea players warmed up in number nine shirts in memory of their former player and manager while the entire stadium rose to applaud the great Italian when his picture appeared on the giant screens. City then got on with the business of ushering Chelsea out of another cup in an utterly dominant first-half display.
Pep Guardiola made seven changes from Thursday’s win at Stamford Bridge, Potter six, with teenagers Bashir Humphreys and Lewis Hall starting in the visitors’ defence, new signings Benoît Badiashile and David Fofana on the bench and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang nowhere to be seen.
The Chelsea manager’s plan was to contain and strike on the counter-attack but neither was executed convincingly as his team were gradually taken apart. There were boos from the away end when the half-time whistle sounded and many fans did not return for the second half. A double substitution at the break suggested Potter had a similar opinion on Chelsea’s opening 45 minutes.
It was a cagey start with City probing patiently against an initially compact visiting side. The lively Cole Palmer squandered the first chance of the tie when played through by Aymeric Laporte’s lofted pass out of defence. Palmer had World Cup winner Álvarez unmarked to his right but opted to shoot through the legs of Kepa Arrizabalaga and struck the side-netting. There would be no cause to rue the miss.
The hosts took the lead five minutes later courtesy of a stunning free-kick from Mahrez. Thursday’s match-winner was fouled 25 yards from goal by Hall and brushed himself down to curl an unstoppable strike into Arrizabalaga’s top left-hand corner. The shot may have taken a touch off the Chelsea wall but that did not alter the flight of the ball as it flew beyond the Chelsea keeper, giving Mahrez his third goal against the Stamford Bridge club this season.
City were soon handed a second. Literally. Play continued after Chelsea cleared a corner from Palmer but referee Robert Jones was instructed to check his pitchside monitor by VAR. There he spotted a clear and inexplicable handball by Kai Havertz, who had been fortunate early on not to be penalised for standing on Rodri’s foot, as he challenged with Laporte for a header at the corner.
Jones pointed to the spot and Álvarez, making his first start since the World Cup, drove the penalty into the bottom corner. Arrizabalaga got a hand to the spot-kick but could only turn it onto the post and in.
The third was peak City, a sublime team goal that killed the tie, encapsulated the fun their players were having and sent some Chelsea supporters to the exits. Sergio Gómez and Álvarez worked the ball to Rodri on the left and he switched play with a glorious crossfield pass onto the toes of Mahrez. The winger fed Kyle Walker as the right-back motored into the penalty area and, when he cut the ball back from the byline, Foden stretched to steer a finish past Arrizabalaga.
It was almost four before half-time with Álvarez inches away from converting Mahrez’s low cross along the face of Chelsea’s goal. Potter replaced Havertz and Mateo Kovacic with Fofana and Denis Zakaria respectively for the second half. There was modest improvement in the Chelsea performance but never enough to trouble Stefan Ortega in the City goal.
Police and stewards moved in to the away section late in the second half to remove Chelsea fans who had been throwing drinks and objects on to City supporters in the tier below them. Those that remained for the closing stages saw Mahrez made it four from the penalty spot after Foden had been clumsily upended in the area by Kalidou Koulibaly. Oxford or Arsenal await City at the Etihad Stadium in round four. Another inquest awaits Potter.
English (US)