Premier League
City Lands The TKO On The Blues
The skies were painted blue and the Etihad would be the scene for the most anticipated match of the weekend. With major implications for the top four race on the line, Chelsea would be looking for their sweep of the champions after a 2-0 win earlier this season. After City’s short week, Chelsea would hope their invasion into Manchester would expose the possibility of tired legs. On a weekend where Liverpool, United, Arsenal, and Tottenham all picked up wins, no one can afford to drop points as the season carries on.
First Round Knockout
It would only take four minutes for Chelsea’s hopes of retaining a top four place in the table to be under fire. Raheem Sterling would be the first surgeon to cut into the heart of Chelsea’s defense. The floodgates would burst open when league-leading scorer Sergio Agüero would net a brace in the span of five minutes. The Argentinian would be responsible for a beautiful upper ninety goal from twenty yards out. Gündogan would makes it four 25 minutes in as Chelsea were in severe search for a pulse. Chelsea’s attackers had little to nothing to work with as their back line was under constant pressure.
A Proper Thrashing
Chelsea’s inability to close down City’s midfield left them exposed and picked apart. The blues defensive irresponsibility would carry on throughout the rest of the game. Agüero would get his hat trick and Sterling would close out the game getting on the score sheet once again. Chelsea defense was out of sorts and unable to match up with City’s creative and purposeful runs. City’s early cuts left Chelsea with an open wound that could never be closed.
A Tale of Two Cities
Today marked one of the most embarrassing performances Chelsea have put forth. The blues conceded six goals for the first time in their Premier League history. Motivated or not, Chelsea should not be susceptible to a drubbing such as this. With today’s heavy defeat, Chelsea find themselves in sixth place only trailing Arsenal by goal difference. On the other hand, Manchester City find themselves once again atop of the Premier League table. With teams reporting for European and FA Cup play, the teams will have a break in league action. City will see their momentum stall while Chelsea will be looking for a hard reset. Manchester City will travel to Newport County for a fifth round FA Cup meeting while Chelsea will travel to Malmö for their first leg of Europa play.
Photo credit to Manchester City via Twitter
