Manchester City have won their first piece of silverware for the 2018/19 season, as the reigning Premier League champions tore through Chelsea in a dominant 2-0 victory at Wembley. Pep Guardiola’s side appears to be carrying the momentum from last season over into this one, as they swept the Blues aside in a ruthless display that once again highlighted just how dangerous they can be.
From before the game even kicked off it was clear to see that City were considering this to be more of a priority than Chelsea were, with Maurizio Sarri taking this opportunity to see how some of the younger stars in the team fared. The heat was a big factor throughout with both Chelsea and City struggling to deal with the temperature at times, with water breaks being introduced to ensure that the players remained safe under tough conditions.
It didn’t take long after the game kicked off for the favourites to stamp their authority on proceedings, with Sergio Aguero opening the scoring within 15 minutes. The Chelsea defence allowed the striker far too much time on the ball and kept backtracking when the attack initially began, and when he eventually found space in the box, all he had to do was slot his shot into the bottom corner.
Chelsea were unable to create any kind of legitimate attacking opportunities, to the dismay of their fans who travelled to see what can only be described as a disappointing performance. Aguero got his second of the day after moving onto Bernando Silva’s pass, before once again calmly putting the ball into the back of the net. The Argentine forward may have had a disappointing World Cup in Russia, but he seems to be back on form in time for the domestic season to start. City rode out the rest of the encounter with minimal worry, easing to a win that’ll give them a boost heading into next weekend.
Both Sarri and Guardiola will have a lot that they can take from this game with the Premier League being right around the corner, with Chelsea, in particular, counting their lucky stars that this wasn’t a game with any true major stakes involved. The Blues will begin their PL campaign with a trip up north to play Huddersfield Town.
The champions, on the other hand, will face a much tougher task as their defence of the title begins. They’ll go head to head with an Arsenal side who are brimming with confidence in the wake of Unai Emery’s arrival, with the Gunners also picking up a pre-season victory over Chelsea with a new and improved squad.
In terms of the pre-season opener, though, this was a job well done from a City side that still hasn’t even scratched the surface of what they can accomplish.
Match Report
Chelsea: Caballero (7.5), Azpilicueta (6), Luiz (4.5), Rudiger (5), Alonso (5.5), Jorginho (5.5), Barkley (5.5), Fabregas (6), Hudson-Odoi (7), Pedro (5.5), Morata (5)
Manchester City: Bravo (6.5), Walker (6), Stones (7.5), Laporte (6), Mendy (7), Fernandinho (7), Foden (8), Mahrez (6.5), Silva (7), Sane (7.5), Aguero (9)
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Goals: Aguero x2
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
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