19 August 2024, Kathmandu. Manchester City began their Premier League season with a commanding 2-0 win against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and despite Chelsea’s efforts, they were unable to break down City’s solid defense. Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovačić added the second goal in the 84th minute to secure the win for Pep Guardiola’s side.
18’ @ErlingHaaland
84’ @mateokovacic8Highlights of our opening day win at Chelsea! 📺 pic.twitter.com/sndo33Yo06
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 18, 2024
Chelsea created numerous opportunities throughout the game and managed three shots on target but couldn’t find the back of the net. Manchester City, despite being without several key players, displayed their depth and quality. Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, and Manuel Akanji all played the full 90 minutes, despite their late return to training following their participation in the knockout stages of Euro 2024.
Guardiola rested several of his Euro 2024 finalists, including Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden, allowing them extra recovery time. “I really didn’t expect it,” Guardiola admitted after the match. “I know what these guys can do, but the first day and lack of training… We had two or three days to prepare, but we solved this lack of many things with our commitment.”
"An honour to be in charge of these guys" 🩵 pic.twitter.com/ZauTP4ffT6
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 18, 2024
Next up, Manchester City will face Ipswich Town, while Chelsea will look to bounce back against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
