Guardiola will rue Man City setback after Pochettino repeats Tottenham trick
Even Gary Neville must have been tempted to turn on the TV at half-time.
It was developing into the kind of Manchester City game he likes. They were losing. And City don’t get beat with the same regularity that they did when Neville was growing up on the outskirts of town.
Mind you, he might have reached for the remote control again seven minutes from the end when Rodri came up with another crucial goal to rescue a point for the champions.
Rodri is the defensive midfielder whose strike won the Champions League last season. Twelve months earlier he scored in a last-day, title-deciding victory over Aston Villa. Even a Manchester United legend must surely appreciate that?
Neville finds Pep Guardiola’s brand of football so boring that he couldn’t bring himself to watch them in the Champions League. But styles make fights - and if a manager is brave enough to send his team out on the front foot like Mauricio Pochettino did at the Etihad then they sometimes get an opportunity to land a knock-out blow.
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Raheem Sterling would have enjoyed putting his former manager on his backside with the goal that put Chelsea into a richly-deserved lead. But the visitors paid the price for failing to follow it up when the champions appeared to be reeling.
Sterling’s relationship with Guardiola during their six years together was often strained and when he was sold to Chelsea he couldn’t resist having a pop at the City boss. The winger complained he wasn’t given enough game-time; Guardiola insisted he could have stayed to fight for his place.
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Raheem Sterling came back to haunt Manchester City (Nick Potts/PA Wire)Both will agree that Sterling’s finishing prowess improved beyond recognition after Guardiola asked Mikel Arteta to work on his composure in front of goal. So when Nicolas Jackson’s clever flick left City exposed in the 42nd minute and Malo Gusto’s return pass sent the Gambian striker free down the right, the City boss would have feared the worst when he spotted Sterling making a dash into his team’s box. He was right to.
Sterling still had work to do when Jackson’s cross found him. But a slight feint was enough to unbalance Kyle Walker and he cut inside to beat Ederson with an accomplished finish.
Pochettino has ordered both Sterling and Cole Palmer to celebrate if they scored against their former club. The winger offered up a hand of apology. But the grin on his face showed how much he enjoyed it.
They would have been celebrating at Anfield and the Emirates as well. And there might have a roar of appreciation in downtown Bury when news of the goal reached the Neville household.
It was a rough day for Erling Haaland and co (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)Sterling should have scored again early in the second half. It took a brilliant Ederson save to thwart him but the Chelsea winger really should have given the City keeper no chance from point-blank range. When Sterling was replaced just after the hour, boos from the home fans were eventually drowned out by applause by appreciative City supporters who understand the role he played in their team’s rise.
Pochettino has shown before that he isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with Guardiola. He did it regularly at Tottenham and back in November he saw his team produce a stunning performance in a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge that will live long in the memory.
City were constantly hounded in midfield by Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez and the aggressive Moises Caicedo. The pace of Sterling and Nicholas Jackson always gave Chelsea a threat. Only a dreadful first touch by Jackson enabled Ederson to make a vital save when the game was still goalless.
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At the other end, Erling Haaland couldn’t shake off Levi Colwell and Axel Disasi. Until, that is, when De Bruyne picked the Norwegian out with a perfect cross in the 78th minute and the unmarked striker sent his header over.
City have come from behind to win five times already this season. They would have fancied doing it again with eight minutes remaining when Rodri equalised.
Walker’s shot was blocked by Disasi and Rodri marched onto the rebound to connect with a fierce left-footer that flew into the roof of Dorde Petrovic’s net off the knee of Trevor Chalobah.
City felt they should have had a penalty in a frantic finale when Colwell handled but VAR Peter Bankes felt referee Andy Madley didn’t need to take a second look. They will close to within a point of leaders Liverpool if they beat Brentford on Tuesday night but Guardiola will see this as an opportunity missed.
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