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They have to go back four years, to the Champions League final and the last time with a 1-0 win in Porto when Chelsea beat Manchester City.
They were given the same lead within two minutes at the Etihad but failed to perform and were ultimately penalized for poor defending and Enzo Maresca’s increasingly inept support of his goalkeeper.
Robert Sanchez, who was to blame for Wolves’ goal on Monday night with an ugly flap. This historically poor campaign takes them above the Blues and into the top four.
Sanchez rushed needlessly with vague designs to hit the Norwegian and was stranded out of his area but still with time to turn tail as Trevor Chalobah desperately tried to keep his man up. Instead, Sanchez froze in a good spot to watch Haaland execute a loft into the empty net.
Maresca was less than optimistic on Friday to back the Spaniard, insisting he remains his man for this season, but perhaps not all. He admitted that Sanchez is “still far, far away, far away from where I want him to be.” At 27 and with all known evidence, he feels unlikely to get there.
Change will certainly come in the summer, but how much damage will be done before then? These were even more expensive points in the race for the Champions League. It may go to five rooms but Chelsea are now sixth, between two teams in Bournemouth and Newcastle who are flying.
Filip Jorgensen is certainly worth a punt at this stage, with all of the young No2’s recent league outings at Ipswich having been in doubt. Or there is the possibility of a transfer window remaining open for another week, which City have already used to revive a desperate campaign. With just one win in seven years, Chelsea could certainly capitalize on the boost.
With an injection of fresh talent in the week on the back of their Paris implosion in the opening exchanges, every benefit was to their opposition.
Abdukodir Khusanov, one of two debutants alongside the exciting Omar Marmoush, was signed from the Lens this week and given he played in Belarus just over 18 months ago, this would have been a first look at Uzbekistan’s first Premier League for most.
For the first five minutes you were wondering if the city had been drawn up with proper Ali Dia style. The 20-year-old wildly missed his header in the build-up to Chelsea’s opener and then shrugged off his back to give Nicolas Jackson the chance to move in for Madueke’s goal. Within moments of the restart he was booked for a rash challenge on Cole Palmer and it would have explained little if the centre-back had been immediately thrilled.
For a spell, some teammates seemed visibly hesitant to give the rookie the ball, and as John Stones warmed up at half-time it was a bit of a surprise to see him turn up for the second half. Eight minutes later, a nightmare debut ended. It was impossible not to feel for the child, but Sanchez stretched his compassion too far to deflect the headlines.
Chelsea, for their part, were just as vulnerable defensively as they were through the city in the city and without the excuse that they had met one of their number in the car park.
Reece James and Marc Cucurella, not helped by a threatening combination of lying high with no pressure on the ball, were both troubled by their opposite numbers’ runs at the full-back. Matheus Nunes and Gvardiol combined for City’s leveler, with Madueke’s lack of defensive nous sharing a hefty share of the blame.
Sanchez had a wear before his boss Clanger and fumbled a routine shot into the path of the lively Marmoush. The Egyptian scored a goal and was ruled offside. If he had let the rebound pass to Bernardo Silva, who came in from deeper, the goal would have been there.
No matter, because in the end they were defeated by some dismal goalkeeping and some throwback football from the city, Haaland’s power finally armed with a refreshingly direct approach. He scored the second before taking off Levi Colwill to lay on the clincher for Phil Foden.
This felt like a statement from Guardiola’s men. Maresca certainly needs to make one of his own by dropping his NO1.
