LONDON: Manchester City kicked off their Premier League title defense with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea, thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic. Haaland, celebrating his 100th appearance for the club, netted his 91st goal, while Kovacic scored on his return to Stamford Bridge, giving Pep Guardiola’s side a strong start in their quest for a record fifth consecutive English top-flight title.
City’s squad was missing all four of their Euro 2024 finalists—Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden—as Guardiola granted them additional rest following their summer duties. Despite this, City made a statement by defeating one of the few teams they failed to beat last season.
Chelsea’s new manager, Enzo Maresca, faces the challenge of integrating a bloated squad of 43 players, with over 50 in total including those on loan. Before the match, Raheem Sterling’s camp voiced displeasure at his omission from the matchday squad. Ben Chilwell was also left out, and Conor Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku did not receive squad numbers.
None of Chelsea’s nine summer signings were in Maresca’s starting lineup, and Enzo Fernandez was named captain despite recent controversies related to social media posts about Argentina’s Copa America victory.
In contrast, City demonstrated their usual consistency. Haaland, one of the few City players who had a summer break from international tournaments, opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Jeremy Doku’s cross was deflected by Bernardo Silva into Haaland’s path, allowing him to lift the ball over Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea had their chances, with Ederson spilling a shot from Cole Palmer, but Nicolas Jackson was offside when he attempted to convert the rebound. Foden was called into action earlier than expected due to an injury to Savinho, and the game’s pace was slower than usual due to the lack of pre-season preparation for many players.
Chelsea pushed for an equalizer but left themselves vulnerable to counterattacks. Sanchez made a notable save to deny Haaland a second goal, and De Bruyne fired just wide from the edge of the area. However, Sanchez was at fault for the goal that sealed Chelsea’s fate when Kovacic powered a shot into the top corner after being allowed too much space in midfield.
Earlier, Brentford began their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, with goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. Manager Thomas Frank revealed that England international Ivan Toney was omitted due to other clubs’ interest.
On Saturday, Aston Villa overcame West Ham United 2-1 in Julen Lopetegui’s first game in charge. Villa took an early lead through Amadou Onana, and despite Lucas Paqueta’s equalizer with a penalty, Jhon Duran secured the win with a goal in the 79th minute.
