Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City: 3 things we learned | Premier League 2018-19
Chelsea and Manchester City have been two of the most successful teams in the Premier League in recent times.
Pep Guardiola's side came into the game unbeaten and looked to retain the top spot. Last season, this fixture got decided by Kevin De Bruyne's brilliance and City wanted to make it a double at Stamford Bridge.
Early in the game, Sterling got a good chance after Jorginho lost the ball in the midfield, but the England international could not time his shot correctly. Manchester City got numerous chances in the first half to score with Sane and Sterling repeatedly making darting runs down the flanks.
However, against the run of play, Sarri's side took the lead after Hazard teed up Kante who fired home from just inside the penalty box. It was the first time in nearly a year that Manchester City went into the half-time break with a goal down.
The home side started the second half on the front foot with Willian forcing Ederson into a couple of decent saves. Chelsea were the better team in the second half and deservedly doubled their lead after Luiz headed in from a corner. It ended City's unbeaten run in the campaign and their stay at the top of the league table.
Here are the three things we learned from the game:
#3 Resilience pays off for Chelsea
Playing against Pep Guardiola's side is always a tough ask for any opposition. The way City set up, they can roll over any team at will.
Sarri is someone who prefers to keep the ball and play in an attacking style. However, using that philosophy would only mean playing into the hands of Guardiola.
The Italian formulated a slightly defensive tactic last night, allowing City to have all the possession and then hit them on the break. It required the defense to be resilient and compact and never allow much room for Manchester City's full-backs to run in. David Luiz shrugged off his horror show against Spurs with Marcos Alonso performing his defensive duties pretty well.
Even the midfield of Kante and Jorginho didn't allow the two Silva's -- David and Bernardo to dictate the play which they like to do. It was a stable performance from Maurizio Sarri's side.