adminMANCHESTER. — Sergio Aguero, magnificent. David Silva, stunning. Yaya Toure, immense. And they were Chelsea-like in their resilience. Manchester City are the team to beat this season, make no mistake of that, and a 3-0 thrashing of the champions yesterday showed just that. Yes it is early. Long way to go, all the usual clichés. But this was a performance that made a powerful statement about the way City have grown.
It is more than the addition of Raheem Sterling to the team.
He worked hard and adds a threat, but is still finding his feet after the move from Liverpool.
This is about the rest of them: players who were here last season, but strangely ineffectual.
Toure, engaged again — Eliaquim Mangala and Vincent Kompany, refusing to be bullied by Diego Costa.
Fernandinho, looking the best he has since powering Shakhtar Donetsk Aleksandar Kolarov, arguably the best left-back in the Premier League right now.
We knew City could attack, but could they defend. This was a match that revealed a new depth to this side.
They were not flattered by a three-goal winning margin; if anything Chelsea were the fortunate ones.
Asmir Begovic kept them in touch in the first-half and just when they were beginning to threaten on the counter-attack, Kompany finished them off.
It was a David Silva corner from the left that did the damage, Kompany all over Branislav Ivanovic, flicking a header past Begovic to put the result beyond doubt.
Chelsea may claim their man was fouled, but there is so much wrestling in the penalty area these days — and Ivanovic is such a master of it — that it is hard to feel much sympathy.
After his shocker against Jefferson Montero of Swansea last week, Ivanovic’s confidence looks shot. He was poor for the third too, slow to react to the advancing Silva and dispossessed, the ball flying to Fernandinho, who finished it smartly.
This was as emphatic a defeat as Mourinho has ever suffered against major opponents in the Premier League.
He knows how to keep it tight, he is a man with a plan.
Here, Chelsea had no answer. Diego Costa was belligerent, but little more, expertly marshalled and crowded out by City’s backs. Eden Hazard too.
John Terry was taken off at half-time with a badly bruised ego. He usually finds a way against quicker men like Aguero; yesterday there was none.
Hatchet faced on the sideline, Mourinho seemed to know it, too. Is there a doctor in the house?
When Begovic signed up to be Courtois’ understudy he probably didn’t expect to be involved so soon in the season — or be quite so busy.
With Courtois banned following his sending off against Swansea last week, it was Begovic in goal for the first marquee game of this season, and Begovic versus Manchester City for much of the first-half.
Without a goalkeeper at the top of his game, this match would have been over long before the mid-point such was Manchester City’s precision in cutting through Chelsea’s defence.
Begovic even won an unlikely fan in opposing striker Sergio Aguero, who was so impressed at the way he had been thwarted that he offered a high five salute to his rival.
And no doubt some tensely gritted teeth.
For City versus Begovic, read Aguero versus Begovic, in essence.
This was a quite wonderful individual duel that began within the first 20 seconds when David Silva threaded a pass through to the Argentine striker, who sped clear of the back line, one on one.
Perhaps the chance came a little too soon and he was rusty, his finish ordinary and smartly saved. From the rebound Jesus Navas curled a low shot just wide of the par post.
Just five minutes later Aleksandar Kolarov picked out Aguero again in a good position, but Cesar Azpilicueta took the shot off his toes.
There followed two quite magnificent saves in the space of two minutes, uncannily similar and earning Aguero’s sporting tribute.
The first was another Kolarov pass which Aguero brought under control superbly before executing a great turn and a low shot, which Begovic kept out with a strong outstretched hand.
From City’s next attack a Navas cross from the opposite, right, flank was met by Aguero and repelled by Begovic in identical fashion. Even the striker felt moved to admire that one.
It could not last, though, even a defence as strong as Chelsea’s had to buckle under the sheer weight of City pressure and in the 31st minute the team, and its striker, got what they deserved.
It was Silva’s firm pass into Aguero that started the move, the striker laying the ball back to Yaya Toure and getting it back almost immediately. There were four Chelsea defenders in the vicinity but it did not trouble him.
He turned Gary Cahill, left the rest for dead, and slipped his finish past Begovic into the far corner. An exquisite goal, from an exquisite player and a fair reward for the ambition shown.
Not that the siege was over. Aguero laid the ball back to Raheem Sterling in the 35th minute, but the new man shot wastefully over and in the last attack before half-time a Kolarov cross was met by Eliaquim Mangala, who should have done better with his glancing header.
It provoked Begovic’s one false step of the half, missing the ball with his punch but connecting with Cahill’s nose, the player laid out and requiring several minutes treatment.
This, of course, brought Chelsea’s medics haring onto the field, much to the merriment of the locals, following the fall-out from the row and demotion of the previous pitchside team, Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn.
The Brazilian doctor had her name chanted, Jose Mourinho was cursed and, then, Diego Costa was flattened by a wild forearm from Fernandinho – meaning Manchester City’s medical staff had to come to the aid of Chelsea’s stricken striker. More larks.
Mourinho will have quietly noted that his point about the danger of being reduced to nine men by pitchside treatment was vindicated by what happened next.
As Cahill and Costa waited to return, a Chelsea free-kick broke down and City counter-attacked with numerical advantage, stifled only by a magnificent rearguard action from Willian. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter