Chelsea 0-2 Manchester Metropolis: Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic rating as Pep Guardiola’s aspect start quest for a fifth consecutive title by inflicting defeat on new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca

A win for Manchester Metropolis and a objective for Erling Haaland. As for Chelsea, this was one other day of noise and confusion. Now that the beginning of the 2024/25 Premier League season has rolled round, little has modified.

Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola rested half a workforce and nonetheless noticed his aspect win. Simply as soon as within the final fourteen seasons has this not occurred.

Chelsea’s new coach Enzo Maresca, in the meantime, one way or the other managed to decide on eleven from his squad of 43, left Raheem Sterling out altogether and handed the captaincy to Enzo Fernandez, a participant filmed signing racist songs in regards to the French within the wake of Argentina’s Copa America success in July.

Let it not be stated that Maresca, who has French gamers in his squad and was as soon as an assistant of Guardiola’s at Metropolis, doesn’t know his personal thoughts.

By way of the way in which his workforce performed, there have been worse Chelsea performances over the course of those latest years of head scratching coverage. Maresca’s gamers have been dedicated and united however, finally, not fairly ok, notably when it got here to the difficult matter of creativity.

Metropolis weren’t at their scintillating finest both. Guardiola had stated they wouldn’t be because of the exertions of the summer time. As if to show the purpose, England’s Euro 2024 gamers Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and John Stones started on the bench.

They have been ok to win comfortably, although. Norway weren’t on the Euros so Haaland spent the summer time together with his ft up. The Metropolis ahead regarded contemporary and scored from shut vary within the 18th minute. Then, after Chelsea had briefly threatened a late surge on the again of some attacking substitutions, former Stamford Bridge midfielder Mateo Kovacic ran too simply by midfield and scored from 25 yards through a deflection with six minutes of regular time remaining.

It was a fairly reflective scoreline by the top. For all their heavy spending of latest years. Chelsea have nonetheless not discovered a technique to rating sufficient objectives. Metropolis, in the meantime, fielded their one signing of the summer time, the Brazilian Savinho, and he was glorious for 45 minutes earlier than taking a knock to his knee.

Haaland, for his half, was instantly recognisable. He took three minutes to attain his first Premier League objective of final season as Metropolis gained at Burnley. Right here, he waited fifteen minutes longer.

Metropolis had been the higher workforce early on with out fairly discovering their recognisable rhythm. Their two huge gamers – Jeremy Doku and Savinho – had supplied the menace with some direct and constructive working however there had been no clear probabilities.

Haaland typically solely wants one, although, and right here he gleefully profited from some indecisive Chelsea defending to edge the defending champions forward.

Doku had began on the correct however, having skilled no pleasure in opposition to the Spanish Euro 2024 winner Marc Cucurella, had converted to the left after fifteen minutes. It was the Belgian’s ball inside to Bernardo Silva that prompted Chelsea their preliminary drawback as central defender Levi Colwill was pulled marginally out of place as he tried to shut the state of affairs down. This meant that when Silva moved the ball shortly on to Haaland, Cucurella was uncovered. Energy and timing within the deal with was required however the Chelsea left-back produced neither and Haaland was in a position to take management and elevate the ball over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and in to the objective.

For Chelsea a tough afternoon instantly grew tougher. With the gang singing for exiled midfielder Conor Gallagher, there was no scarcity of points on and off the sector.

By way of the soccer, Chelsea didn’t instantly reply. Kevin de Bruyne drove a low shot huge after which Savinho pulled a cross again to Kovacic whose effort was blocked. Chelsea weren’t in need of business however within the first half an hour not less than, couldn’t get hold of sufficient possession or territory to put a platform. On the base of the house workforce’s midfield, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia performed collectively for the primary time however even this wasn’t sufficient.

There have been a few penalty shouts for Chelsea – each waved away accurately by referee Anthony Taylor – whereas Nicolas Jackson rolled the ball in to the web after Metropolis goalkeeper Ederson fumbled a low shot from Cole Palmer. Jackson was, sadly for him and his workforce, about six inches offside when Palmer took his shot and the celebrations died in Chelsea’s throats.

Palmer had been his workforce’s finest participant within the first half. Stationed out on the correct within the place the place Raheem Sterling began final season, it’s possibly little marvel Maresca sees little future at Stamford Bridge for the older man.

Chelsea not less than reached the break having performed an growing half within the sport. Metropolis carried the higher menace. Their passing was extra incisive and their working off the ball carried higher intelligence. However Chelsea’s extra direct model of soccer had saved them in contact not less than and they won’t have been disheartened to notice that Savinho didn’t reappear for the beginning of the second half. He had been a thorn of their aspect till the second he took a knock to the knee within the fortieth minute. The 20-year-old was changed by Phil Foden.

Metropolis have been first to threaten within the second interval, although, as Haaland introduced a flying save from Sanchez with a left foot roller from inside the realm. It was a very good likelihood however a reasonably routine save to repel a shot struck too near the goalkeeper.

Maresca then sough to freshen issues up with the intention to discover one other manner in a sport Metropolis had not managed to remove from them. Pedro Neto, signed for £50m from Wolves throughout the summer time, was despatched on and virtually moved on to Fernandez’s low cross to the far submit. Neto appeared set to attain with virtually his first contact however younger Metropolis full-back Rico Lewis reached the ball marginally forward of him.

There have been additionally quickly Premier League Chelsea debuts for Kiernan Dewsbury-Corridor, signed from Maresca’s previous membership Leicester, and in addition the 18-year-old Spaniard Marc Guiu.

Earlier than that, nonetheless, Jackson got here devilishly near equalising. A free ball on the sting of the penalty space was nodded again in direction of objective by Lavia and when Jackson hooked it on from six yards Ederson did terrifically effectively to face tall and hold it out with each fingers raised.

Proof, then, that Metropolis nonetheless wanted a second objective and with fifteen minutes remaining they hadn’t actually come that near scoring it. By this stage Chelsea had matched their opponents for touches within the penalty space however had struggled to clarify probabilities. That was maybe the important thing distinction.

Metropolis weren’t at their finest. Nowhere close to it. They’d been resolute, although, and that was threatening to be sufficient. And when Kovacic was in a position to transfer too simply previous Caicedo and Fernandez in centre discipline with six minutes left, he launched a shot that beat Sanchez through touches from the chest of Colwill and the goalkeeper’s left hand submit.