"Was a good advertisement for the Premier League" - Pep Guardiola lauds Chelsea's performance in their 4-4 draw with Man City
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's 4-4 draw against Chelsea on Sunday (12 November) was a 'good advertisement' for the Premier League.
The Cityzens took the lead in the 25th minute after Erling Haaland converted a penalty conceded by Marc Cucurella. Four minutes later, a smart run and a header from Thiago Silva on a corner kick leveled the scoreline.
Chelsea took the lead once again when former Cityzen Raheem Sterling lost Kyle Walker and had a tap-in from an unmissable range from Reece James' cross. The Blues thought they were heading into the break with the lead but Manuel Akanji, left unmarked in the box, headed in the equalizer from a short corner-kick routine.
Haaland put Manchester City in front within two minutes of the second half before Nicolas Jackson pounced on Ederson's parried save to make it 3-3 in the 67th minute. Rodri then came up with another crucial late goal for his team three minutes from time.
But Ruben Dias' challenge on Armando Broja, who delayed his shot to draw the tackle from the Portuguese center-back, won Chelsea a priceless penalty in stoppage time. Cole Palmer, sold by Pep Guardiola's team to the Blues for £42.5 million in the summer, made no mistake from the spot.
Asked to give his verdict on the game, Guardiola said that the game had 'everything' (h/t beIN Sports on X) and was a good advertisement for the competition:
"I give credit to the opponent, it was a good advertisement for the Premier League honestly!"
Manchester City are still top of the tree after gameweek 12 with 28 points to their name. They lead Liverpool, who are in second place, by a solitary point. The two teams will meet at the Etihad after the international break on 25 November.
Chelsea star explains not celebrating goal against former club Manchester City
Raheem Sterling spent seven wildly successful years at Manchester City before leaving to join Chelsea in 2022 for a fee of £47.5 million.
The Englishman was an important part of Pep Guardiola's team that won 12 trophies, including four league titles, during that time. Sterling expectedly started for Chelsea when the two teams met in west London this weekend.
The former Liverpool winger's first-half goal put his side 2-1 up at home. Given the intensity of the match, the support from the home crowd, and the manner in which Chelsea took the lead, the 28-year-old couldn't help but start to celebrate his goal.
However, Sterling stopped himself from celebrating it just a few seconds later. Explaining his gesture, he told Sky Sports (h/t BBC):
"Scoring is a good feeling, but you remember it's your old club."
Sterling now has five goals and two assists in 14 games across competitions this term.