Man City 1-0 Chelsea: De Bruyne opens up 13-point gap

Kevin De Bruyne scored a superb winner to give Manchester City a 13 point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The Belgian playmaker, who had an unhappy spell at Chelsea early in his career, curled beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga from distance to settle a tight contest at the Etihad Stadium with 20 minutes remaining.

It was a moment of magic worthy of winning any game but was the least City deserved having dominated against the side that beat them in last season’s Champions League final.

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The win ensured a double for Pep Guardiola’s side over Chelsea this term and possibly ended the Londoners’ title chances. Third-placed Liverpool, 14 points behind but with two games in hand, may now be the only side that could realistically hope to deny City a fourth crown in five years, but it looks a tall order.

City made six changes from the side that beat Swindon in the FA Cup and, despite all their recent problems after a Covid-19 outbreak, produced a thoroughly professional performance.

Yet they were made to work hard as, with Chelsea playing deep, they were unable to create many clear-cut chances despite applying near relentless pressure.

John Stones headed at Kepa having remained up front following a corner early on and Raheem Sterling consistently troubled Marcos Alonso, but the home side were met with stubborn defence.

Judging by Thomas Tuchel’s angry reactions on the touchline to most of Chelsea’s work, sitting back had probably not been the initial gameplan, but something imposed on them by City’s dominance.

FULL TIME | A superb @DeBruyneKev strike seals all 3 points!