S Poddar
High-intensity Manchester City brushed aside Chelsea 4-2 in an exciting US pre-season encounter to show that Erling Haaland was the man to bank on when it comes to hitting the net.
It was Haaland who opened the scoring with a penalty just three minutes into the match, thus giving the team under Pep Guardiola an early lead. Moments after scoring the first goal, he scored another by launching a strong shot that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez of Chelsea could not help but allow. These goals set the tone for the game and had City well in command.
As the game wore on, Chelsea remained out of sorts against an irrepressible Manchester City. The second half got underway with Citizens on the attack and not long afterward, a third for Oscar Bobb took the wind out of Chelsea’s sails. Not wanting to be outdone, Haaland—the man with a point to prove—added his third in the 56th minute, capping an excellent display of clinical finishing for the well-on-top City.
Not an easy task to do, but Chelsea dug deep. At the hour mark, Raheem Sterling pulled one back for the Blues with a close-range strike, putting some hope into the Chelsea camp. This match continued to be a hard battle, with both teams flashing moments of brilliance and determination.
In the latter stages, a 89-minute strike from Chelsea’s Noni Madueke made the final score 4-2, adding some respectability to the scoreboard. However, it was not enough to do anything about changing the result, as Manchester City’s dominance in the earlier periods had already won them the game.
The preseason game was a good lesson to the two teams as they head into the season. In the case of Manchester City, this match served to underline that Haaland is in incredible form—alongside the rest of the attack. Chelsea, on the other hand, will try to solve the defensive lapses that gave City what they needed early in the game.
Final Score: Chelsea 2-4 Manchester City
Chelsea lineup: Sanchez, James, Tosin, Colwill, Gusto, Lavia, Caicedo, Enzo, Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku, Mudryk
Manchester City lineup: Ortega, Lewis, Phillips, Gvardiol, Wilson-Esbrand, Kovacic, McAtee, O’Reilly, Bobb, Grealish, Haaland
With two giants of the Premier League, this game was sure to set the tone for football—nothing short of excitement and unpredictability—no less in pre-season friendlies. Fans will indeed be keen to see how both teams do when it really matters.
