Manchester City won 2-0 against Chelsea in the first round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League (EPL) at Stemford Bridge in London on the 19th (Korea time).
With the victory, Manchester City, which is aiming at winning its fifth consecutive league title, is set to start the new season in a good mood. Chelsea, on the other hand, sighs due to its poor decision-making and defense despite massive investment.
The game was somewhat one-sided. In the 18th minute, Manchester City quickly poked a pass into the penalty box after Doku dribbled through. Silva lightly pushed it in, providing Holan with a chance to score. Two defenders joined, but Holan overcame it with a monstrous force and finished with his left foot to take a 1-0 lead.
Even after the first goal, Manchester City continued its wave offensive. Chelsea, which had been defensively, had a good opportunity in the 44th minute of the first half. Ace Palmer fired a threatening shot with a good movement. Ederson blocked it but Jackson finished the ball that flowed because he couldn’t catch it. However, Jackson’s unfortunate positioning declared offside.
Chelsea had difficulties developing its offense in the second half as well. Eventually, it excluded Nkunku at the 14th minute of the second half and added Netu, which it newly acquired in the summer transfer market. He displayed threatening movements. Netu crossed the line after penetrating the left side at the 16th minute of the second half, but Jackson’s shot was regrettable.
After Netu’s introduction, Chelsea started to gain strength. However, it lacked determination. Jackson continued to be disappointed. Eventually, Chelsea put in Ki-woo, a promising striker, instead of Jackson at the 23rd minute in the second half, but still had difficulty scoring a goal.
Rather, Manchester City scored one opportunity in the 39th minute of the second half. Kovacic intercepted the ball that was being cleared from the back. He connected it with a dribble breakthrough and scored a net goal with an accurate right foot shot. The game was tied up with Manchester City’s 2-0 victory.
“Chelsea spent 150 million pounds (about 265.1 billion won) to recruit players including Netu in the summer transfer market alone. However, none of those players made it to the starting lineup,” the Sun said after the match. “Chelsea has as many as 43 available players in its squad.”안전놀이터
“Chelsea is in trouble due to its oversized squad. As many as 15 players have been excluded from the training for the first team,” The Sun said. “Kaicedo who scored 115 million pounds and Fofana who scored 70 million pounds made mistakes in Kovacic’s winning goal.”
In fact, Chelsea’s squad problems are likely to drag its feet throughout the season. Chelsea’s owner Todd Boehly left the stadium right after Kovacic scored the finishing goal. The Sun stressed, “Boehly disappeared when Kovacic scored. Other Chelsea fans were the same.”