As the game wore on at Stamford Bridge, there was the sense that if Manchester City didn’t leave SW6 with all three points, it might well the origin story of Pep Guardiola as a supervillain (if he isn’t one already). The City boss spent a lot of time on the touchline; kicking, screaming and gesticulating, at one point almost taking a swipe at his own man in Joao Cancelo, and having to get pulled back by the fourth official.
There was the sense that Guardiola was wary of getting egged in the face by Thomas Tuchel once again. Few managers have beaten Pep in his 13-year spell as a first-team gaffer so far, even fewer have gotten the better of him with such frequency, and in such a small period of time. Between April and May of this year, Chelsea scored three victories over City; one quite pivotal, one relatively academic, and one very paramount. One against two holding midfielders, one against man at the base of midfield, and one against no one there.
The accusation that Guardiola overthinks games is rife; but against Chelsea, he almost had to; the routine wasn’t working. Whether overthought, underthought, or thought the right amount, the outcome was the same. Which makes this victory for City at Stamford Bridge very satisfying, if not a cause of relief as well.
But this wasn’t just a win for Pep over Tuchel. This was also one for City, against the much-heralded Chelsea. This was as much as statement victory in terms of beating the European champions as it was in the aspect of upping the ante for the season. It was obvious in the post-match celebrations from the City players. The sense of joy right after the whistle, despite being only six games into the league season.
Many still fancy City to retain their Premier League crown, but for much of this early season, something has felt missing. City haven’t quite seemed like themselves in aspects of games, and just as important, when put in comparative discussion against the other potential contenders for the title. The first game of the season was a tepid defeat to Spurs (although that could be chalked off as the anomaly of City doing everything except not losing at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium), and there was last week’s draw against Southampton.
But even when City were winning, something still felt off; even when they put five past Arsenal, and Norwich, and scored six against Leipzig in the Champions League, the tempo still felt awry. City spent the summer chasing Harry Kane, and missed out on the Spurs man, and despite having more than enough quality to make do, it was the kind of thing that the footballing world was expected to spend time dissecting.
Meanwhile, Chelsea looked near imperious. The Blues haven’t found their rhythm either, especially up front, but something feels complete with the European champions. They went into this game having conceded just once all season, which was a penalty at Anfield. They possessed an identical with Liverpool, and shared top spot with them. Even Manchester United entered this weekend with a feelgood factor.
Hence why this win was important. It wasn’t just the result; but also, the manner of it. City were by every means the superior side at Stamford Bridge, but it wasn’t just that either. It was that they upped the tempo, both on and off the ball. Right from the off, they hounded Chelsea, and when they needed to, they scrapped. When they needed to, they booted the ball upfield, almost with reckless abandon.
It’s probably more fitting, and more of a morale booster for City, that they won this game by such a narrow margin. That they won without their best player necessarily having a good game. That they won with a scuffed deflected shot, and without registering any attempt on target in the first half. There was a brief period when they had the backs to the wall, and it looked like they relished it. Ruben Dias was lunging in front of shots, Kyle Walker was booting clearances away, all with a relative sense of calm.
Chelsea were too passive for much of the game, almost too respectful, but its credit to City that the hosts had to force the issue at some point. For the first time in a while, the game wasn’t being played on Chelsea’s terms. For Pep and City, this was a sense of control being wrestled back. When the season called for it early on, they produced a statement victory, in more ways than one.
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