Chelsea keep Man City title celebrations on hold with win at Etihad in Champions League final dress rehearsal

Chelsea forced Manchester City to keep their Premier League title celebrations on ice as the London club defeated their rivals at the Etihad, before the two teams prepare to do battle in the Champions League final later in May.

In the latest meeting of Thomas Tuchel’s resurgent team and Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions-elect, a scuffed injury-time goal from Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso handed his team a 2-1 win.

That came after Hakim Ziyech's second-half goal canceled out a 44th-minte opener from Raheem Sterling, in an intermittently entertaining meeting which saw the visitors have a hat-trick of strikes ruled out for offside, while Sergio Aguero was guilty of a horrendous penalty miss for the hosts.

When the dust settled, Chelsea had moved into third position in the Premier League table, one point above Leicester City in fourth and six points clear of West Ham in fifth. 

It will still be a question of 'when' and not 'if' Guardiola's City team wrap up a third title in four years, although cross-town rivals Manchester United can trim the 13-point gap at the top of the table if they win at Aston Villa on Sunday.   

Perhaps most importantly in the context of their looming Champions League showpiece, Tuchel's Chelsea team proved once again that they can get the better of City, having also beaten them in their FA Cup semi-final in April. 

City fans had massed outside the Etihad before kick-on Saturday knowing that a victory for their team would seal the Premier League title, although discussion had also centered on how much – or how little – each manager would reveal in terms of personnel and tactics ahead of the two teams’ Champions League final meeting later this month.

Both men in the dugout ended up ringing the changes from their midweek heroics, with Guardiola making nine swaps from the team which swept past Paris Saint-Germain as playmaker Kevin de Bruyne was left out of the matchday squad altogether.

Former Chelsea man Nathan Ake stepped into the team while the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez began on the bench.   

Tuchel made five changes to the starting line-up that eased past Real Madrid, leaving out Mason Mount and bringing in youngster Billy Gilmour for a rare start in midfield, while winger Hakim Ziyech was among those who also came in.

Tuchel and Guardiola did battle again at the Etihad. © Reuters

The changes indicated a willingness from both Guardiola and Tuchel to keep their cards close to their chests before they meet again on May 29, although the Spaniard was far better placed to do so with clear daylight at the top of the table while Tuchel’s men remain in a scrap for a top-four finish.

A subdued start at the Etihad perhaps signified the disruption to both starting line-ups as neither team settled, although City captain Raheem Sterling was seen as lucky to escape sterner punishment when he was only given a yellow card for a dangerous studs-up lunge on Timo Werner.

The German recovered and momentarily thought he had given his team the lead the 32nd minute when he turned in a Reece James shot, only to be flagged well offside. Ziyech then cut in from the right to let fly with an effort that drew an acrobatic save from Ederson as the game burst into life just before the break.

It was City, however, who took the lead when Andreas Christensen misjudged a lofted ball, allowing Gabriel Jesus to maneuver him out of the way and cut the ball back for Aguero. The Argentine’s touch was heavy, but Sterling was there to steal the ball from under his feet and finish past Edouard Mendy.

Christensen had injured himself in the lead-up to the goal and made way for Kurt Zouma, although City’s lead should have become two straight after as Gilmour bundled over Jesus in the box to allow strike partner Aguero to step up from the penalty spot, only for the Argentine to fluff an embarrassing Panenka effort straight into the arms of a grateful Mendy.

Aguero is departing City at the end of the season as the club’s all-time top scorer and with a list of illustrious strikes to his name, but this was a moment to forget on the 32-year-old’s farewell tour from the Etihad.

City were made to pay for that profligacy in the 63rd minute when Rodri meandered into midfield but was dispossessed by Cesar Azpilicueta, before the ball found its way to Ziyech on the edge of the box and he fired a low drive past Ederson into the bottom corner.

Ziyech drew Chelsea level at the Etihad. © Reuters

Guardiola hooked off the disappointing Aguero and Ferran Torres in the 70th minute as he introduced Foden and Gundogan in a bid to inject some impetus and turn the game.

Tuchel meanwhile brought off N’Golo Kante for Jorginho after another all-action performance from the French World Cup winner, while goalscorer Ziyech was replaced by winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Chelsea then made it a hat-trick of strikes ruled out for offside when first Werner had the flag raised against him after the putting the ball in the net and then Hudson-Odoi tapped home from an offside position soon afterwards.

Sterling then demanded a penalty for City late on as he went down under pressure from Zouma, before drama at the other end when the ever-eager Werner found space in the box to cut the ball back for Alonso, who scuffed the ball over Ederson and into the net with teammate Hudson-Odoi also within close range. 

Werner and his Chelsea teammates celebrated at the whistle. © Reuters

The victory continued Chelsea's remarkable resurgence under Tuchel, who has lost just one game in 16 matches in charge in the Premier League since taking over from sacked club legend Frank Lampard at the end of January. 

"What a performance in the second half," said the delighted German afterwards.

"We were more or less equals in the first half, in the last five minutes we almost gave it away completely. If they scored the penalty it was over before it started and we would have no chance to come back.

Tuchel was full of praise for his team. © Reuters

"But [I'm] absolutely impressed by the reaction and performance in the second half, we deserved to win the second half.

"If you want to steal all three points at the Etihad you need a bit of luck, moments and decisions from the referee.

"But we had many half chances in the second half and so a big congratulations to the team for their performance."

Chelsea fans will hope to ride the wave of confidence instilled by their German coach all the way to the end of the season and beyond, including their blockbuster date with City on May 29.