January 06, (THEWILL) – Manchester City closed the gap on English Premier League leaders Arsenal with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
The Gunners had drawn 0-0 with Newcastle United on Tuesday, giving City the opportunity to cut the lead to five points. Yet, despite a subdued first half, in which Carney Chukwuemeka and Nathan Ake both struck the frame of the goal, City were far from their best.
After the interval, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola made several substitutions, bringing in Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis for Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker. This energized the defending champions, with Ake hitting the post and De Bruyne forcing a low save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
It was another substitute, Riyad Mahrez, who made the difference in the 63rd minute, scoring from close range to give City a potentially valuable win in the title race. Chelsea, meanwhile, remained 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United in the hunt for UEFA Champions League football.
City and Chelsea will play each other again on Sunday in the FA Cup and Chelsea manager Graham Potter will be hopeful that injuries to both Ryan Sterling and Christian Pulisic will not be too serious as they are both first team players in the squad.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
