Chelsea vs. Manchester City: What more can you ask for?

Chelsea vs. Manchester City is a game we shouldn’t expect to see too often. Were you not entertained?

Chelsea vs. Manchester City would have been the most boring of premier league games had City ran off with yet another routine win, and after the performance today by the Blues, it surely would have been unfair to Mauricio Pochettino’s side had Thiago Silva’s own goal being the winner of the game.

Simply put, the performances today surely placed both sides in unfair positions had either side come out from this game with all 3 points.

Manchester City were never going to allow that to happen, leave Stamford Bridge with nothing, and Chelsea were never going to let a mere visitor from Manchester intimidate them yet again.

An 8-goal thriller was the only outcome that could be considered to be a fair game. An 8-goal thriller where both sides shared equal amounts of goals in both halves.

Like the bully they have become to premier league sides, the Cityzens raced into an early 1-0 lead in the first half, thanks to what would be called a soft penalty call by Anthony Taylor to gift Erling Haaland yet another premier league goal in the weekend.

However Chelsea were quick to respond to the threat thanks to the ever reliable big man at the heart of the Blues’ defense; Thiago Silva to level the tide before City could get off to a rather more threatening start.

Former Manchester City player, Raheem Sterling returned to haunt his former manager shortly before the half time whistle to put the Blues up ahead, but Pep Guardiola’s side proved resistant to the threat as Manuel Akanji leveled things up just like his counterpart did before the half-time whistle went.

Of course, after a 4-goal thriller started the first half, there was no way the second half could have been any duller.

The second half surely wasn’t going to be any boring as seconds into the restart, Erling Haaland came through to put City once more ahead for yet another goal.

However, the hattrick boy in last Monday’s thriller versus Tottenham Hotspur, Nicolas Jackson had other ideas for Manchester City as he leveled the tie once more in the 67th minute. The game could have ended as a 3-3 thriller, but Manchester City being City came through via a Rodri strike that was deflected off Thiago Silva to gift Pep Guardiola’s side the lead again.

It was a late goal in the 86th minute that surely should have been a winner. But the Blues had one word, ‘Not Today’, and surely, it wasn’t to be Manchester City’s night as a late substitution by Mauricio Pochettino to bring in Armando Broja changed the score line for the 8th and final time.

The introduction of the Albanian forced out a penalty in the nick of the dying minutes for Chelsea as Broja was brought down in the City box by Rodri. Hero to Villain it would seem the Spaniard was for his team, but to Pep Guardiola,  the real villain who came to haunt his side was his former player, Cole Palmer who converted the spot kick to level things finally.

The England international though chose not to celebrate in respect for his former manager and club, he left Pep Guardiola gnawing at full-time. His side may have avoided defeated and thrown all 3-points, but the real war wasn’t over. The coast isn’t clear yet as much as he would have preferred heading into the international break.

In the aftermath of the international break, there stands ahead a storm; perhaps the storm that might determine his season.

If you were expecting a boring Manchester City win in this game, you surely weren’t paying attention.