On Sunday evening, Manchester City pleasantly kicked off their championship celebration at the Etihad Stadium. Despite starting the match with nine substitute players on paper, the team led by coach Pep Guardiola emerged victorious with a 1-0 score against Chelsea. The triumph over the struggling Londoners speaks volumes about the qualities and depth of the squad possessed by The Citizens.
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Initially, the match against Chelsea appeared to be the title-deciding clash for Manchester City. However, because Arsenal lost to low-ranked Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Pep Guardiola's team became the proud champions of the Premier League without even playing. Due to the upcoming crucial fixtures such as the Champions League final and the FA Cup final, the Spanish coach decided to completely revamp his team.
Compared to the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid (a 4-0 victory), Manchester City started with nine different players. Notably, Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva began on the bench. Nevertheless, Manchester City made an excellent start to the match as Argentine striker Julian Alvarez put the Manchester club in the lead after just ten minutes of play.
In the remaining portion of the game, Manchester City didn't create an overwhelming number of chances, but goalkeeper Stefan Ortega managed to neutralize all the opportunities presented to Frank Lampard's team. Alvarez seemed to seal the match with a 2-0 goal, but it was disallowed by the officials due to handball. Therefore, the score remained 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, where the championship celebration has truly begun.
Updated: 11:09, 22 May 2023
