A below-par Manchester City salvaged a crucial point in their hunt for a fourth successive Premier League title, as Rodri’s late strike denied Chelsea a shock win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Having seen title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal register impressive away wins earlier in the day, Pep Guardiola’s men knew there was no room for error against their West London visitors. Erling Haaland came close to giving the hosts a dream start inside the opening quarter-hour, but the Norwegian talisman directed a close-range header uncharacteristically over the bar.
Despite seeing little of the ball, Chelsea showed plenty of attacking intent in the final third, and Nicolas Jackson spurned a glorious opportunity to put the visitors ahead when his one-on-one effort was thwarted by Ederson.
Undeterred by that miss, Chelsea continued to soak up the pressure from the hosts while posing a threat at the other end, and their superb first-half showing was rewarded with a breakthrough three minutes before halftime.
Jackson did brilliantly to release Raheem Sterling, and the former City man cut inside Kyle Walker before finding the far corner with a clinical finish.
Determined to find a swift response, Guardiola’s side came flying out the blocks in the early stages of the second half, but Kevin De Bruyne could only bend a sublime free-kick inches over the bar. Chelsea remained a threat on the break, however, and Ederson came to City’s rescue, reacting impressively to prevent Walker from diverting the ball into his own net before denying Ben Chilwell’s follow-up attempt.
Grateful for that narrow escape, the hosts looked to up the ante with time ticking into the final half-hour, but Haaland’s frustrating evening continued as he somehow missed the target with a free header in the six-yard box.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down, and City’s pressure finally paid dividends with seven minutes remaining, as Rodri pounced on a loose ball to rifle home a thunderous strike beyond Đorđe Petrović.
That set up a fascinating finale, but despite sustained pressure from the hosts, a winning goal ultimately proved a step too far, as the Chelsea rearguard held firm to secure a deserved point. The result extends the Cityzens’ unbeaten league run at home to 23 matches (W18, D5) yet leaves them four points adrift of leaders Liverpool, while Chelsea remain winless in the last eight H2H meetings (D2, L6).
Sterling has now scored in both of Chelsea’s games against Manchester City this season, after also netting in their 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge in November.
The draw sees City drop to third position on the log, four points behind leaders Liverpool but with a game in hand – they can close the gap, and overthrow Arsenal in second position if they beat Brentford on Tuesday.
Chelsea stay in 10th, but head to Wembley for next Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
