Kevin de Bruyne came back to haunt Chelsea, as Manchester City beat their title rivals 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium to go 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday.
The Belgian midfielder struck in the 70th minute, curling his shot past the helpless Kepa to break Chelsea’s resilience.
The Blues’ had chances themselves; Romelu Lukaku went close to level the scoring but Manchester City’s dominance paid off in the end, with Pep Guardiola’s side winning 12 Premier League wins in a row.
Let’s look at how the Chelsea players fared in their narrow defeat against Manchester City.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs Manchester City
Kepa Arrizabalaga- 7/10
Kepa had a very busy game between the sticks. Spread himself well to deny Jack Grealish in the first half after a mistake from Mateo Kovacic saw Chelsea cede possession. The Spaniard tried his best to deny Kevin de Bruyne’s shot but was beaten.
Antonio Rudiger- 6.5/10
Playing on the right-hand side of the back three, Antonio Rudiger defended aggressively as he usually does and kept things tight.
Thiago Silva- 6.5/10
Returned to the Chelsea starting XI and led the backline well. The veteran Brazilian was in control throughout the game, defending robustly and using the ball well.
Malang Sarr- 3/10
The weakest link of Chelsea’s back three, Malang Sarr struggled to impose himself on what was just his second-ever Premier League start. He was shaky in possession and failed to link up well with Marcos Alonso on the left. Made a top sliding challenge on Raheem Sterling to win the ball after the break.
Cesar Azpilicueta- 4/10
As always, Cesar Azpilicueta gave his all in the game. Looked a bit off the pace and struggled to cope with Jack Grealish’s dribbling and movement.
N’Golo Kante- 6/10
Did the job of covering the ground and breaking play very well. The diminutive Frenchman used the ball to good effect too but missed the one tackle he missed proved costly for the Blues.
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Mateo Kovacic- 6/10
Tenacious and tigerish in the middle of the park. Pinched the ball of the Man City players a few times in the first half. After being booked, the Croat’s blushes were saved by Kepa after he nearly gifted Man City a goal at the edge of the Chelsea box in the first half. A mixed afternoon.
Marcos Alonso- 3/10
Marcos Alonso endured a chastening afternoon and his struggles started with an early yellow card. The Spaniard was indecisive with his passing and positioning, with Sterling enjoying a lot of joy down his flank. A game he will try to forget as quickly as possible.
Christian Pulisic- 3/10
Christian Pulisic really struggled to make an impact in the game with very little service coming his way. He was hooked in the second half.
Hakim Ziyech- 3/10
A frustrating display from the Moroccan, highlighted by an overhit pass with Romelu Lukaku waiting on the last line of defence. Had a half-chance to equalise in the second half but skied his volley.
Romelu Lukaku- 3/10
Cut a furlong figure throughout the afternoon. Saw his effort saved by Ederson in the second half. Lacked service and was completely dominated by Man City’s two centre-halves.
Substitutes
Callum Hudson-Odoi- 3/10
Replaced Ziyech just before the 70th minute but failed to provide any sort of inspiration to his side.
Timo Werner- 3/10
Came on for Pulisic but never really threatened the Man City backline.
Mason Mount- 4/10
A head-scratching decision from Tuchel to leave Mount on the bench in such a big game. Came on nine minutes from normal time and upped the tempo of the game with his quick passing and smart movement, as Chelsea hunted for the equaliser.