Man City vs Chelsea result live
Man City vs Chelsea result as Alvarez strikes before Premier League champions lift trophy
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Man City
- Julian Alvarez 12
Chelsea
- Champions to lift trophy after match, 4pm kick-off (BST)
- Photo essay: ten moments that changed the title race
- Share your thoughts with Daniel with a tweet or an email
The pitch has been largely cleared now, or at least those left on it are behind the line of stewarts stewards, so the trophy should soon be with us.
The Premier League title is decided, but the WSL pot is bang in the balance. And what a match we’ve got for you now…
“I imagine how United and Inter beat City would be very much getting a stomp on from the get go,” reckons Bill Preston. “Nick a lead, then thrilling defensive heroics. Three points make a triangle and everything comes from there.”
Thing is, City just start games so well – Madrid weren’t allowed so much as a breath in the first 20 minutes.
Walker also praises the quality, camaraderie and mentality in the squad, while Phillips is hoping to play in the remaining games but if not he’s there to “support the lads” and is “praying to God” that Leeds stay up.
Back to Phillips, he says that City can win the Champions League theuy’ll be cemented as one of the greatest temas ever, and he’s right.
Walker says the “lads did tremendous today”, praising their ability to stay focus. In particular, he’s happy with how Phillips did, and Phillips is happy to have won the league and to have played. Confidence-wise, he’s had the lowest moments of his career this season, and leaders like Walker have kept him going.
Walker then says that Phillips is “a gem, one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in football”, and that it’s hard playing for “the manager” so a bit of time to settle is to be expected. He then references the win over Liverpool just after the World Cup as when he thought they could win the title again, they beat Leeds in the next game, and now they want to win the lot.
“This season of football ended on the day when bright minds in Bavaria gave Nagelsmann the boot,” reckons Yash Gupta. “As good as City have been and they would still be favourites as Pep has a better team than Bayern, that match could’ve been a blockbuster. Nagelsmann looked like he learnt from his mistakes this season. Needless to say I enjoyed Bayern demolition.”
I’m not sure about that – Nagelsmann’s Bayern looked a mess to me.
Kyle Walker takes a seat on the City bench; he’s earned it.
Full time: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
City finish their home programme with a win – they lead Arsenal by seven with two games left to their one – there’s a pitch invasion, some blue flares, and the players are escorted off the pitch.
90+2 min Of course, it’s not as simple as that – under pressure, perhaps City don’t keep winning – except we’ve seen them do it before.
90+1 min There’s a buzz in the crowd as throats are warmed for the final whistle. I should say that if Arsenal had beaten Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, City would still be a point above them.
90 min There’ll be three added minutes.
90 min Chukwuemeka wins the ball in midfield and finds Mudryk, whose shot definitely doesn’t go in because I can see the score remains 1-0, but I’m not sure what happened to it as my SkyGo crashed.
88 min Gary Neville gives player of the match to Foden; I’d’ve gone Alvarez, but it’s been nice to see the former screeching through the middle and prompting on the half-turn. It’ll be fascinating to see if he wins his first-XI spot back next season. Oh, and Chelsea brought on Pulisic for Havertz.
86 min I don’t feel we’ve settled the how do United and Inter beat City question.
86 min There’s not loads going on on the pitch, City sweeping forward and Alvarez curling over the top from 20 yards.
85 min “It’s 11 miles from Selhurst Park to Arsenal’s ground, and 14 miles from Vicarage Road to Arsenal’s ground,” tweets Kieran Toms, and fair play, I didn’t check because I was so certain it was nearer it didn’t seem necessary. That’s what traffic does to you.
84 min “I am old so I understand the preference for Billy Bragg v rap protest music,” writes Mary Waltz. “But I would remind some of my older citizens that the ‘he isn’t singing he is croaking’ was the exact arguments made against Bob Dylan when he went electric. If the rap style turns you off try reading the lyrics first and think of it as musical spoken poetry. I am not saying I am a hip-hop aficionado but an open mind will occasionally expose oneself to some gems.”
Absolutely. As I’m constantly reminding my niece, nephew and daughter, be open not closed.
82 min Trevor off Eastenders Paul Dickov is at the game in a City kit. He’s 50.
81 min I keep forgetting who’s in this Chelsea squad, and on comes Koulibaly – today, it’s him – for Hall, with Chukwuemeka replacing Loftus-Cheek – and also him.
80 min “I’m not a Chelsea supporter,” brags Alexandra Ashton, “but from what I’ve seen of Fernandez during the World Cup and in these recent months, he seems like a skilled young player with potential, not a generational talent with the world at his fingertips. Benfica signed him for €10M from River and I think his value, although having increased, is most certainly not close to €120M. €50M would be my value as of after the World Cup, maybe 60. Maybe in five years Chelsea will have won the league three times with him as a central figure and we’ll be saying he was worth the price, but I doubt it.”
What I like about him is that he’s good at defeating the press with a good range of passing, but as you say, for the money you’d expect more.
79 min He giveth and he taketh away.
@DanielHarris pic.twitter.com/LFnoHbhBDY
— eoforic (@Eoforic) May 21, 2023
78 min Two more changes for City, the big guns sent on to enjoy the final-whistle celebrations. De Bruyne and Rodri on, Gomez and Laporte off.
76 min “Ah come on now,” says Pedro Da Feu. “While I spent a large portion of my life very annoyed at my commute having to get a train from central London to Croydon for work every day, and passing their stadium, I can at least acknowledge that Crystal Palace is a London club, while Watford definitely is not.”
I was messing, but Watford is a lot nearer Arsenal and Spurs than Palace and Charlton are.
74 min Alvarez carries forward before slipping a ball in behind to meet Haaland’s diagonal run. But taking possession down the left of the box, he can only skew an attempted shot wide of the far post.
74 min Change for city, Haaland for Mahrez.
NO GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
I’m not sure how Mahrez avoids a booking for that, because it was so obviously snide and deliberate, but he does.
VAR wants a look...
…Mahrez crouched to try and hide it, but he definitely used an arm to nudge the ball away and into his path as Hall slipped. This’ll be disallowed.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea (Álvarez 71)
Here they come again, Mahrez getting away from Hall, who slips, crossing low, and Alvarez – what a signing he’s been! – tapping in.
70 min “For all your, I’m sure justified, dissing of Chelsea,” says Richard Hirst, “they’ve had four shots on target to City’s one. Funny game, football.”
Yup. I guess part of playing well is taking chances, though, and Chelsea have a real lack of conviction in everything they do.
69 min Double change for Chelsea: Mudryk and Madueke for Gallagher and Sterling.
69 min A ball over the top sees Alvarez worrying Fofana, and a quick shove sends him over – more easily than you’d like. So Alvarez squares, Mahrez taps home, and the flag goes up for the foul.
67 min On Fernandez, how do we think he’s doing? I wasn’t that impressed during the World Cup – he played fairly well, but nothing that made me think he was worth whatever the price was. I’m sure processing his achievement while emigrating to a country with different language and culture was tricky, all the more so given the mess he walked into. But I’m still not seeing a generational talent, though those who’ve watched him loads, much more than I have, think to the contrary.
66 min Fernandez kicks the ball away and is booked.
65 min Fernandez clips over the top for Sterling, loitering in the middle, and have a look! You do not see that often, and by “that” I mean Walker diddled. But diddled he is, Sterling going inside then out, shooting low, and though Ortega gets a touch, the ball trickles golawards … except Stones humps off the line, just before the flag goes up anyway.
63 min “Your reference to the Romanian national team players bleaching their hair brings back some vivid memories not from USA ‘94 but France ‘98,” chides Fifi Bartels.
This what happens when you get old, all the years merge into one.
61 min “I suspect you’re right about Foden,” emails Josh Wilson, “however he may have to move into the centre to take Bernardo’s minutes next season. In that case, we’d be looking for a winger to play both sides and a left-back. As for replacing Dias - haven’t you watched him this season? Best centre-back in the league by a mile.”
Yeah, when things weren’t going so well for City, I was shocked to see a Guardiola side with Mahrez and Grealish out wide as neither has much pace. Now, though, not so much, and though I think Dias is a good player, I don’t think he’s as good as Martínez, Saliba or Varane off the top of my head. His leadership and bloody-mindedness make a massive difference to this side though because those are qualities it’s lacked in the past.
60 min Sterling is trying his best and he roadrunners through the middle, finding Hall outside him, but the resultant shot is pushed away by Ortega easily enough.
58 min Mahrez swerves in flat and fast, Phillips is up … and he nods against the near post! He’s putting himself about here.
58 min On which point, how crazy is it that Stones is suddenly fulfilling his potential now that he’s not longer playing in position? Anyway, free-kick City out on the left, Mahrez to take…
57 min Change for City: Akanji off, Stones on.
55 min On which point, you wonder what kind of lift they’ll need to get them going again next season. I guess the most obvious comparator is Man United, who were appalling under Ralf Rangnick at the end of last season – though not this appalling, which seems a mad thing to say having lived through that period because how could anything be worse? But Chelsea are, and unlike United have a bunch of players who are new together rather than a squad that’d finished second twice. On the other hand, I daresay Mauricio Pochettino will quite like the squad he’s been bequeathed, and he definitely has the personality and smarts to inspire them to better.
54 min Chelsea knock the ball about without intention or intensity.
52 min “Your opening thoughts about the financial backing for City can’t be ignored, reckons Mary Waltz. “It reminds me of the Faustian bargain we make. My love of sport borders on the juvenile occasionally and ignoring my conscious to continue my passion for it is sometimes required. Sometimes we as a collective say Enough!, as the fans in the UK did with the craven attempt of the owners to set up the super league. Nine years ago the NFL went too far and I abandoned 40 yeas of fandom and boycotted them but I substituted the PL and I am faced with similar compromises with a different accent.”
Yup – sport’s problem is that it’s just too good: too good to avoid people whose interest is in using it for their own selfish ends. As supporters, we shouldn’t have to debate whether we can enjoy or continue watching our team because we also care about human rights, but the avarice and myopia of authorities and governments means we are where we are.
51 min Sterling carries forward and finds Hall to his left; Hall takes a decent first touch that carries him inside, across the face of the box, before shooting low, hard and too close to Ortega.
50 min Alvarez into Lewis into Foden, who shoots from edge … but Thaigo Silva blocks at source.
49 min Loftus-Cheek carries forward and finds Gallagher, who passes behind Havertz. It’s a serious effort for players this talented to be this dreadful – in some ways, it’s admirable.
47 min “Further to Richard Hirst’s message,” says Liam Curson, “with us playing Forest at home next week, there’s a glorious opportunity for Palace to finish above Chelsea too. Hell, I wouldn’t even put it past Chelsea to concede another four here, lose to Newcastle, and West Ham to overtake them on the final day … when were Chelsea last bottom of the PL London clubs?”
Good question. Even the last time they went down, 1987-88, Watford were below them, and if Palace count as a London club, they surely do too? I’m not sure whether or not I’m joking there.
46 min “There is only one Bard of Barking, Daniel,” tweets @Grog_Eisenbein, '“and he’s the singing kind.”
Why do we need to choose when we can have both? Seriously, check out that record and come back to me.
46 min We go again…
Back come the teams…
Elsewhere, Brighton guaranteed themselves European football with a 3-1 win over Southampton; they need one more point to make it Europa, not conference. What an absurd impact Robert Di Zerbi has had, and what great work by Tony Bloom and chums in appointing him.
“Your comment at 45 mins about Chelsea having the ‘how to play football’ bit of their brains removed,” says Simon Mazoer. “A Lampotomy?”
Arf! Sadly, though the malaise predates him; a toddsplant, maybe?
Half-time email: “Phil Foden receiving five winners medals before the average person passes their driving test is cause for a celebration of achievement,” says William Preston. “He’s phenomenally gifted and also managed to absolutely rock a peroxide blonde barnet which when I tried it ended up looking like a 1970s pub ceiling. Actually, yeah, five medals at the age of 22?! Stop this bus, and hold them in trust for a few years for ‘the good of the nation’.”
Nothing will ever beat Romania at USA ’94, but I’ve not seen anyone wear the do less well than Alejandro Garnacho.
Half-time entertainment: Potter Payper’s new album is the realest talk I’ve heard in a long, long time. Rap storytelling at its finest, but be prepared for it to finish you.
Half-time: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
City are good, Chelsea are not. Stick with us for further insights.
45+2 min Chelsea win a free-kick just outside the box, right of centre, and Havertz curls into the wall, a header sending the ball behind it, and Lewis does really well to cover, taking away from Gallagher.
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