Chelsea hosted Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon – and they failed to get a grip on the fixture as the visitors prevailed.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated possession from the opening exchanges, and despite improvement after the break, Thomas Tuchel’s men lost for the first time this season.
City, who made a big statement in the title race with their narrow victory, made their dominance count through Gabriel Jesus after the break with a smart turn and shot inside the box.
Central Recorder Sport have now taken a look at three things you might’ve missed during the encounter, with Marcos Alonso making a statement of his own before kick-off.
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Alonso statement
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For the first time since his lengthy statement in midweek, Spain international Alonso chose not to take the knee as his team-mates and opponents did so.
Tuchel said of his decision before the match: “It wasn’t a discussion within the group but of course if a player takes a decision like this, we are not in a bubble, so of course discussions come up.
“The most important thing for me is that I know Marcos personally and I trust 1000 per cent that he is absolutely committed against racism, any form of racism.
“And there is no question about it. We are all against it. We took altogether the decision to take the knee. “Maybe it takes sometimes an action against a routine to wake up again and have another good discussion and the discussion takes a new direction.”
Isolated Lukaku
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Eight touches. That’s all that the Belgium striker managed to have during the opening 45 minutes, with supporters left very frustrated at his lack of opportunity to make an impact.
One City fan said on Twitter: “Ederson has the same amount of touches as Lukaku remember Ederson is a goalkeeper.”
Another joked: “Lukaku had 8 touches in the first half and he cost Chelsea £100m.”
With a Chelsea fan adding: “Outplayed comprehensively. Lukaku hasn’t been at his best, multiple moves breaking down due to heavy touches/poor passes.”
Record-breaker Pep
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Pep Guardiola not only watched his side beat their Premier League title rivals away from home, but he also broke a Manchester City wins record in the process.
The 50-year-old surpassed legendary City boss Les McDowall with 221 victories, which have come in an astonishing 303 fixture for the club.
“I cannot deny it will be an honour,” said Guardiola of the record before the game.
“Hopefully we do it sooner rather than later.”