Premier League holders Chelsea made the trip to title rivals Manchester City on Sunday afternoon looking to bounce back from their opening-day draw with Swansea City.
Sergio Aguero passed up four excellent chances for the hosts in the opening half, but the Argentine scored at the fifth time of asking to hand his team a one-goal lead at the interval.
Chelsea improved in the second period, but it was City that scored the game's all-important second goal, with Vincent Kompany making it 2-0 10 minutes from time.
The hosts were not finished, however, and added gloss to the scoreline late on through Fernandinho.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
Afternoon all! Sports Mole's Premier League coverage continues from the Etihad and it is a big one as Manchester City welcome the reigning champions Chelsea. City can put five points between the two teams with a victory here, but Chelsea will be confident of bouncing back following a disappointing result in their league opener last weekend. It is a massive game, even this early in the season!
Just a reminder that kickoff is not actually until 4pm UK time in Manchester, but stay with us throughout the afternoon and you will not miss a moment. The team news is expected to land just after 3pm here and it will be fascinating to see just what XIs are selected. Both managers have calls to make in the final third of the field, while Chelsea have a certain goalkeeper to replace!
This match is obviously not going to be decisive – far from it – at this stage of the season, but in terms of confidence, a victory over one of your main rivals is always important. Will these two be direct challenges for the title? Most likely, but Arsenal and Manchester United will also have something to say about that this term. It should be a fascinating title race in England's top flight.
So, the new season is one week old and as mentioned, Manchester City actually ended matchday one top of the table following a comprehensive 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Monday. Yaya Toure was twice on the scoresheet for the former champions, while Vincent Kompany also found the back of the net. It was a very, very impressive performance.
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The fact that Man City won so comfortably without needing to start star forward Sergio Aguero is also a positive sign for the season ahead, with the Argentine's injury problems certainly a concern. It is still very early days of course, but opening your campaign with a win is always important.
LATEST: In today's other Premier League fixture, Crystal Palace and Arsenal are level at 1-1 at the interval of their clash at Selhurst Park. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Arsenal, before Joel Ward equalised for the hosts. You can keep up-to-date with the action from London with our live commentary here.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were not impressive in their league opener at home to Swansea last Saturday. The Blues managed to take a 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge courtesy of Oscar, but Jordan Ayew levelled the scores for the visitors in the 29th minute. The Blues did restore their advance in the 30th minute when Federico Fernandez scored an own goal, but that was far from the end of the story.
The match turned early in the second period when Chelsea's Belgian stopper Thibaut Courtois was sent off for bringing Bafetimbi Gomes to the ground inside the box and the Frenchman stuck away the penalty for 2-2. Swansea might have won it late on, but overall, a point apiece was probably a fair result in South London. Chelsea's struggles from the end of last season were still very much apparent.
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The Swansea match also saw a bizarre incident involving Eden Hazard and club doctors Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn. Following a late injury to Hazard, the medical team entered the pitch to treat the Belgian, but Jose Mourinho was furious with his staff due to the fact that it left his team with nine men for the final moments. As a result, neither Carneiro or Fearn will be on the bench today - strange!
In truth, Chelsea were the best team in last season's Premier League by a considerable distance. They absolutely flew out of the blocks and seemed to stay there. In the end, they finished on 87 points – eight clear of Man City in second, while Arsenal finished 12 points behind in third. Manchester United, meanwhile, were an incredible 17 points behind the winners. The Blues were deserved winners.
It will not come as much of a surprise that Chelsea's challenge last season was built on exceptional home form, where they did not lose a single game in the league – winning 15 of their 19 games. They also conceded just nine times on their own patch, but the fact that number has already risen to two this season is a sign that not all is right at the moment. This really is a massive game for Chelsea.
Chelsea's away form in the league was also very strong last season – winning 11 of their 19 games and losing just three times in the process. As a result, they finished with the best defensive record in the league, but they scored 10 fewer goals than Man City, who hit 83 in their 38 matches.
Man City did not exactly have a poor 2014-15 league season, but some disappointing results ultimately cost them the chance to retain the title. They won 24 of their 38 league games, drawing seven and losing seven. At the Etihad, they won 14 of their 19 games and lost just twice, but they were beaten five times on the road, including a thumping defeat at rivals Manchester United.
Head coach Manuel Pellegrini recently signed a new contract at the Etihad, but it would be fair to say that the Chilean is under pressure to deliver trophies. Another season without major silverware could be the end of the experienced boss in Manchester, but he has the air of a man confident that his team have enough to challenge on all fronts this season. The team news is around 20 minutes away here.
Somewhat surprisingly, neither manager has been that busy in the transfer marker this summer. Man City have brought in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph and Patrick Roberts, but there have been a number of departures, with the likes of Edin Dzeko, Steven Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo all being allowed to leave in this window. Are they now short in the final third? Quite possibly.
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As for Chelsea, it is no secret that head coach Jose Mourinho wants to improve his squad before the end of the transfer window. Thus far, Asmir Begovic and Radamel Falcao have arrived, while the likes of Filipe Luis and Petr Cech have been sold. The Blues still have an excellent squad, but will the Portuguese regret not making further improvements at an earlier stage? Time will certainly tell.
Even Mourinho would admit that his team looked leggy against Swansea last time out and in truth, they almost stumbled over the line in the Premier League last season. In their last four or five matches, they were solid rather than spectacular and managed to grind out the results they were needed to win the title. This afternoon provides the chance to put down a strong marker.
The omens are also pretty good for Chelsea, with the Blues not losing any of their last 28 Premier League games in the month of August – winning 23 times in the process. What's more, they have won four of their last nine Premier League games against Manchester City and suffered just two defeats.
Mourinho has also won seven and lost just two of the 12 meetings that he has had with Pellegrini, with their rivalry dating back to Spain when Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid and Pellegrini had the hotseat at Malaga. There is respect between the two bosses and not quite the fiery relationship that Mourinho has with a certain Arsene Wenger! The team news should soon be with us here.
In terms of the recent meetings between the two teams, both league matches last season finished 1-1. At the Etihad, Frank Lampard scored late on to secure a point for City against his former club, before the pair played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge towards the end of January. As expected, both games were extremely tight indeed and that should again be the case this afternoon.
TEAMS
CITY: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; Navas, Silva, Sterling; Aguero
CHELSEA: Begovic; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Costa
So there we have it. The big news for City is that Aguero is deemed fit to start. The Argentine came off the bench against West Brom on Monday, but is in the first XI here. There is also a home Premier League debut for Raheem Sterling, while Bacary Sagna is preferred to Pablo Zabaleta at right-back.
As for Chelsea, Asmir Begovic, as expected, replaces the suspended Courtois between the sticks. Diego Costa is also considered fit to start for the champions, while Ramires comes into the midfield alongside Nemanja Matic. Willian and Eden Hazard will once again play in a wide areas for the Blues.
You get the feeling that if either team is going to win this match then they will need a star performance from their centre-forward. Neither Aguero nor Costa are fully fit, but both are capable of deciding matches of this magnitude. Who would I have? Both are stunning, but Aguero, just.
Right, that is the team news sorted then! We still have around 45 minutes until kickoff, but that time will fly past. The stadium is filling up nicely and you can already sense the importance of this match. It is still very early in the season, but fixtures against your biggest rivals are always massive.
Have a look at what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this one here...
Let's take a look at pre-season form and what both teams have to come in the weeks ahead. Man City played five friendlies this summer and it would be fair to say that they had a mixed run of results. Pellegrini's side did beat Melbourne City and Vietnam, but drew 2-2 with Italian side Roma in 90 minutes and were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid and 4-2 by Stuttgart. They conceded plenty of goals!
It appears that Pellegrini still has a decision to make in defence and he will hope that his skipper Vincent Kompany, who scored against West Brom on Monday, can rediscover his best form. In terms of looking ahead, Man City will travel to Everton in their next league fixture next weekend, before hosting newly-promoted Watford in their final fixture before the international break.
A difficult trip to Crystal Palace will then arrive on September 12, before they welcome West Ham United the week after. The first Manchester derby of the season has been pencilled in for October 25 at Old Trafford and I am already looking forward to that one! The new campaign is well and truly upon us folks – very exciting isn't it! Little over 30 minutes until kickoff in this massive game.
As for Chelsea, they also had some mixed results in pre-season. They opened their preparations for the new campaign with a heavy 4-2 defeat to New York Red Bulls, before drawing back-to-back games against Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona (winning both on penalties). They then lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield in what was a disappointing performance from Mourinho's men.
Chelsea still had one more game to prepare for the new season after facing Arsenal at Wembley, but it was another poor result as they lost 1-0 at home to Fiorentina on August 5. As a result, they have not actually won a game in 90 minutes since overcoming Sydney during their post-season tour in June.
Chelsea also have some very difficult fixtures to come and defeat here would suddenly place them in a difficult position. Next weekend, they will travel to West Bromwich Albion, before welcoming Crystal Palace on August 29 in their final fixture before the international break. On September 12, they will travel to Everton, before welcoming Arsenal the Saturday after. It is a hard start to the campaign.
A trip to Newcastle United will then arrive on September 26, before they welcome Southampton at the start of October. That is a really difficult run after the international break, which plays more importance on their next three fixtures. We are almost there now, little over 20 minutes until kickoff.
Recap of the team news for this afternoon...
Today's teams in full...#CFC pic.twitter.com/GanAlaHX5c
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 16, 2015
You just get the feeling that the first goal - if there indeed is one - could be crucial this afternoon. I am a touch surprised that Kurt Zouma was not brought into the Chelsea midfield, but Ramires does give some protection alongside Matic. As expected, it is a slightly defensive line-up for the visitors.
It is also a massive game for Sterling on his home debut. Man City parted with £49m to acquire the England international this summer and they will want a return in terms of goals and assists. The attacker will seemingly operate on the left, with Jesus Navas selected on the opposite wing.
"It is a big game. The champions against the former champions, but it is the second fixture of the season. It is far from being crucial or decisive, it is just a game, but the winner gets three points and stops a direct opponent from winning," Mourinho has just told Sky Sports News before kickoff here.
PREDICTION! Draw for me this afternoon, no doubt about that in my mind. Man City have been tipped by many to pick up all three points against an out-of-sorts Chelsea, but I think that the champions have enough to claim a point. Unfortunately, I am going to back a cagey goalless draw!
Here we go then. Both sets of players join us on the field for the first period. Thanks for sticking with me throughout the two-hour build-up - now it is time for the action. Let's hope for a good game!
KICK OFF! The pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged by the two captains. The visitors get the first 45 minutes of action underway at the Etihad...
... CHANCE! City come close to scoring inside the first minute as Silva picks out Aguero with a super through pass, but the Argentine's low effort is blocked by Begovic. What a chance!
Good grief - Chelsea's defence have already been caught for pace. That could be a problem here. Navas and Sterling are lightening and Aguero is also no slouch. City possession early on.
It must be said that the pitch is in wonderful condition this afternoon. The weather is also perfect for a game of football - it has been a beautiful day in Manchester, not often that you can say that! Chelsea have managed to gain a period of possession in the last minute or two at the Etihad.
City threaten once again as Sterling slides a super pass into Silva, who attempts to find Aguero, but Azpilicueta manages to fire behind for a corner. Chelsea look nervous in the early minutes here.
Chelsea want a penalty as Costa goes down inside the box under a clumsy challenge from two defenders, but the referee is not interested. The home side break straight down the other end with Sterling, but the visitors manage to close down the space in a wide area. All happening early on!
Sometimes matches of this magnitude can take a little while to get going, but that has not been the case this afternoon. Both teams are committing numbers each time they break the lines here.
Another half-chance for the home side as Kolarov delivers a super free kick towards Aguero, but Begovic manages to claim. The Bosnian has been the busier of the two goalkeepers thus far.
The referee has been a busy man in the opening 12 minutes as he is forced into blowing his whistle once again when Silva dives into Ivanovic. Still no bookings, but the first cannot be too far away.
Kolarov is almost playing as a left winger for the home side at the moment as he continues to deliver from a forward position. The full-back wins another corner that he again takes, but Chelsea clear their lines. If this were a boxing match, Man City would have won the opening 14 minutes 10-9.
Chelsea are just showing a few signs that they will cause problems this afternoon as Fabregas links with Costa, but the return pass is gathered by Hart. Still goalless with 16 minutes on the clock here.
CHANCE! Another wonderful chance for the home side to take the lead as Aguero spins inside the box before drilling one towards the bottom corner, but Begovic makes another excellent stop!
SAVE! Aguero versus Begovic - part three. Again the Chelsea stopper manages to get down and deny the Argentine, who had met a low cross from Navas. All Man City at the moment!
City will feel that they should be at least two goals ahead at this stage of the match, but that is why Chelsea are the champions - they have the ability to stay in the game even when they are struggling.
Half-chance for Chelsea this time as Hazard collects a pass from Fabregas before drilling a cross towards Matic, but the midfielder's header is over the crossbar. Better from the visitors here.
CHANCE! Yet another Aguero chance - incredible! However, once again the Argentine cannot convert as he bundles a low Kolarov cross wide of the post. Four big opportunities!
Chelsea could be three of four goals behind at the moment and that is no exaggeration. The Blues really need a period of possession, but the hosts are pressing and winning the ball back here.
Best spell of the game for Chelsea as they work the ball into a wide area and pass and probe in the final third, but Willian cannot find the run of Costa. Much better from the visitors at the moment.
You just cannot take your eyes off this game at the moment as the play continues to flow from end-to-end. Man City are by far the more dangerous side in the final third, but Chelsea have just started to show bits and pieces in the opposing half. Still goalless with 29 minutes on the clock here.
Half-chance for Chelsea as Hazard leads a break before finding Ivanovic, but his powerful strike is blocked en route to goal. The pace has just settled in the last couple of moments at the Etihad.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Chelsea (Aguero)
It had to him didn't it? Aguero finally has his goal as the Argentine combines with Toure before rolling his effort into the bottom corner. It had been coming and the home side deserve to lead here.
BOOKING! Kompany (Man City) is booked for a poor challenge on Costa.
Mourinho cannot be happy with what he is seeing at the moment and a scowl from the Portuguese tells the story of the first period. The home supporters are full of voice as we approach the break.
Navas sets up Sterling on the edge of the Chelsea box, but the winger blazes over.
Kolarov has a low cross deflected wide of the post as Chelsea continue to struggle to stem the flow at the Etihad. One more goal for the home side could be decisive in terms of the final result here.
At 1-0, Chelsea will always be in the match, but they need to be really careful at the moment as the home side continue to utterly dominate matters in all areas of the field. Man City looked energised in the early stages of this season and I think that a few people may have underestimated them.
Much better from Chelsea as Hazard drives down the left before eventually finding Ramires via Fabregas, but the Brazilian's low effort was always moving wide of Hart's right-hand post.
It appears that Chelsea's Kurt Zouma might be introduced at the interval here - the big central defender has been going through a substantial warm-up for the past five or 10 minutes.
CHANCE! Mangala comes close to scoring a second for the home side after meeting an excellent free kick from Kolarov, but the centre-back's header flies wide of the post!
Cahill takes another whack to his nose and has a real problem as he hits the deck. Chelsea's medical staff enter and are greeted with applause from the Man City supporters - oh Jose, Jose.
We are into the second of two added minutes at the end of the half.
BOOKING! Fernandinho (Man City) is booked for an elbow on Costa.
Chelsea have players injured all over the shop here and seem to have a lack of medical staff!
Cahill is still being treated, while Costa is down in a heap. Problems for Chelsea.
Chelsea are down to nine men at the moment...
... the whistle goes as Silva fouls Terry. That should be that for the first period.
HALF-TIME: Man City 1-0 Chelsea
So there we have it. The referee brings an explosive first period to a close, with Man City leading Chelsea 1-0 at the break courtesy of a smart finish from Aguero. it has been a half absolutely dominated by the home team, who should be two or three goals ahead. Aguero missed four excellent chances before eventually netting and it would be fair to say that Chelsea have been out of sorts thus far!
STATS! Man City have just about shaded the possession with 51%, while they have had nine attempts - four of which have been on target. Chelsea, however, have not managed to test Joe Hart with any of their four attempts thus far. There have also been two bookings - both for the hosts.
BENCH WATCH! The home side have plenty of attacking options on their bench this afternoon, with the likes of Bony, Nasri and Iheanacho certainly all capable of making a difference. As for Chelsea, it appears that Kurt Zouma will be coming on at the break. The Blues also have Juan Cuadrado, Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy as forward options on the bench. Plenty of quality there!
RESTART! Here we go then. Both sets of players rejoin us on the field for the second 45 minutes. What will occur at the Etihad? The hosts resume the action with a one-goal lead...
... CHELSEA SUB: Zouma has replaced Terry at the interval.
Terry has returned straight to the Chelsea bench, which suggests that the change was tactical rather than enforced. Man City have started the second period on the front foot and force a free kick when Fabregas brings Kolarov to the ground. Kolarov delivers towards Mangala, but it is just too high.
BOOKING! Ivanovic (Chelsea) is booked for bringing Sterling to the ground.
CHANCE! Another wonderful chance for City as Kolarov flashes a low cross into the six-yard box, but somehow Cahill manages to clear under pressure from a host of attackers.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Ramires has the ball in the back of the net for Chelsea after collecting a through pass from Hazard, but the Brazilian was in an offside position when he was found.
BOOKING! Toure (Man City) is booked for a foul on Ramires.
The half-time break has done nothing to stop the intensity and flow to this match - it has been an incredible 52 minutes of football at the Etihad. I have a feeling a red card is coming somewhere.
Willian has the chance to deliver a dangerous free kick into the Man City box, but Kompany heads into the arms of his own goalkeeper. This match is really at boiling point - such entertainment!
You just get the feeling that the next goal - if there indeed is one - is just massive. Chelsea are on the front foot at the moment and it is Willian who is causing City problems in a wide position.
Costa seems to have calmed himself, which is good news for the visitors, who are very much on the front foot as things stand. We are entering a vital period of the match and both managers will know that all too well. If Chelsea can take a point from this game then it would be just incredible.
Little over 30 minutes of football remaining and both managers will be considering changes at the Etihad. As it stands, Zouma for Terry is the only alteration that has occurred in this match.
Toure tests Begovic with a drive from outside the box, but the Bosnian makes a comfortable stop.
Man City have just started to turn the screw once again, with Navas twice delivering dangerous crosses into the Chelsea box. This game is just so delicately poised with 63 minutes on the clock.
CHELSEA SUB: Juan Cuadrado enters in place of Ramires.
CHANCE! Another opportunity for the home side as Navas sets up Aguero on the edge of the box, but the Argentine's low effort is wide of the post. He could have had six today!
CITY SUB: Samir Nasri replaces Navas for the hosts.
Man City should be out of sight at this stage of proceedings, but Chelsea are still very much in the game as the score stands. You just get the feeling that there is another goal in this match.
The home side have just managed to regain some control in terms of possession, while they are the team now looking for the game's second goal. Both managers can still alter things off the bench.
SAVE! Wonderful chance for Chelsea to level as Costa drives away from Kompany before finding Hazard. The Belgian puts Mangala on the deck, but his strike is straight at Hart. What a moment!
There are some tired legs out there at the moment and Chelsea are looking dangerous, which will be a concern for Manuel Pellegrini. Little over 15 minutes of football remaining and City still lead.
You just get the feeling that something is going to happen in the final segment of this match - a goal, a big decision, a red card. Something is almost waiting to occur as Chelsea press forward again.
Sterling does well to run away from Ivanovic before delivering a low cross towards Aguero, but Matic is on hand to clear the danger. Chelsea attempt to break, but the ball just does not stick.
Kolarov continues to threaten in a wide area as he delivers another super cross towards the far post, but Begovic manages to make the save. It is the home side pressing for a second goal here.
CITY SUB: Sterling is replaced by Martin Demichelis.
CHELSEA SUB: Falcao replaces Willian for the visitors.
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Chelsea (Kompany)
The home side score their second of the match as Kompany heads a near-post Silva corner past Begovic. That might well be all three points for the home side and in truth, they deserve it.
BOOKING! Hazard (Chelsea) is booked for a foul on Toure.
Chelsea are all over the place at the moment as Begovic is forced into another save to deny Toure, before Nasri fires over the crossbar. This could well get worse for the visitors late on here.
CITY SUB: Aguero is replaced by Wilfried Bony for the hosts.
GOAL! Man City 3-0 Chelsea (Fernandinho)
Good grief. Man City score their third in the 85th minute and it is a wonderful strike from Fernandinho, who allows the ball to drift across his body before striking one into the bottom corner.
There could be another goal in this game as Chelsea continue to press forward, which is a surprise at this stage of the match, especially for a Mourinho team. The visitors have taken a hiding here.
Toure is crowded out on the edge of the box as the home side threaten to score a fourth goal here. The home supporters are in good voice and the Chelsea supporters, as expected, look glum.
We are into the first of three additional minutes here.
BOOKING! Mangala (Man City) is booked for a foul on Costa.
The game is just drifting at the moment as we enter the final 60 seconds.
POST! Costa hits the post for Chelsea as the visitors come close to netting a consolation late on. Hart then denies Falcao from close range to keep his clean sheet in tact.
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-0 Chelsea
So there we have it. It is a dominant performance from the home side as they secure all three points with a 3-0 victory over Chelsea. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for the action and be sure to stick around for the analysis and player ratings, and all of the reaction from this incredible game!
