Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City
by Dom Smith
at Stamford Bridge

IT WAS a split second of quality that won this game. Jack Grealish crossed for Riyad Mahrez to score this game’s only goal on 63 minutes, leaving Chelsea with four defeats from their last six league matches. They travel to Craven Cottage next week to face West London rivals Fulham. For the first time since 1983, they’ll be looking up at them in the table when they meet. Chelsea are tenth after this agonising 1–0 defeat to Manchester City which, in truth, was an even affair in which a draw would have been fair. Credit to the visitors then.

Graham Potter must feel he could do with a spot of good fortune right now. He and Chelsea must take responsibility for the club’s lacklustre form. Their position in the table — tenth before this game, tenth after it — had nothing to do with fortune whatsoever. However, their ever-growing list of mid-season casualties has limited Potter’s squad depth. It’s rotten luck. And here, their club doctors spent a great deal of time under the Stamford Bridge floodlights once more.

Raheem Sterling was replaced after just four minutes and 41 seconds when a duel with Ilkay Gundogan gave him pain in his hamstring. He was too hurt to carry on but stormed straight down the tunnel, seething that his evening was over. There would be no meaningful chance to test himself against his former employers.