EPL: Man City start title defence with emphatic win over Chelsea

Manchester City scored once in each half to claim an emphatic 2-0 win over Chelsea in their opening match of the 2024/25 English Premier League (EPL) season. 

Erling Haaland and Matteo Kovacic, a former Chelsea player, were the goalscorers as the defending champions began their title defence at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s owner, could not watch the match till the end as he hurried out of the stadium with few minutes left. He had splurged on at least six new players ahead of the new season, but the investment showed little promise under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, the team’s new manager.

The Italian gaffer, formerly Pep Guardiola’s assistant, did not have a response to his former boss’s tactical manoeuvres.

Man City went ahead in the 18th minute through Haaland, the highest goalscorer in the EPL for the last two seasons. The Norwegian collected a Bernardo Silva pass and conjured a dinked finish to open his season account.

Chelsea had the ball in the net for what seemed the equaliser, but Nicholas Jackson’s effort was ruled offside. The hosts failed to produce much in attack going into the interval.

A slick City continued to control proceedings while Chelsea tried to work their way back into the game without much success.

The Citizens then sealed victory six minutes from time after Kovacic breezed past Chelsea’s mega-signing duo of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo before curling a 25-yard shot that Robert Sanchez could only push into the net.

Defeat for Chelsea is the London club’s seventh consecutive game they’ve failed to defeat Man City in the EPL, and ten matches in all competitions.

However, it is City’s longest unbeaten run against Chelsea, breaking the nine-match record set in 1949.

Pep Guardiola’s City also created EPL history by becoming the first side to win ten consecutive matches by two or more goals.