A dramatic equaliser means Manchester City end the weekend six points adrift of Arsenal. Re-live a thriller with the best facts and Opta data in our Man City vs Chelsea stats page.
Chelsea produced a spirited display in their first match since Enzo Maresca’s dismissal and were well worth their dramatic Enzo Fernández-inspired 1-1 draw away to Manchester City, whose Premier League title hopes suffered a frustrating blow.
Maresca was shown the exit door on New Year’s Day after his relationship senior club officials seemingly deteriorated, and his caretaker replacement – Chelsea Under-21s coach Calum McFarlance – probably couldn’t have chosen a tougher first game.
After a first half that City controlled from start to finish, there was every indication Pep Guardiola’s men might have gone on to earn a one-sided victory.
But McFarlane tweaked his setup at the break and Chelsea looked considerably better in the second half.
Despite that, it seemed they’d return to London empty-handed, only for Fernández to net a scrappy goal deep into second-half stoppage time, earning a commendable point.
As such, Chelsea went back above Manchester United into fifth, while City’s inability to get the result over the line means Arsenal’s lead at the summit stretches to six points.
Man City vs Chelsea xG map
City didn’t face much opposition to their attempts at controlling the game in the first half, with Chelsea offering little going forward.
But, despite City being so dominant at times, it took them a while to really start troubling the Chelsea backline and goalkeeper – bar one off-target Phil Foden effort in the 20th minute.
Man City control vs Chelsea first half
It wasn’t really until Bernardo Silva went close in the 36th minute that City started to look particularly dangerous, and Erling Haaland went even closer twice in quick succession soon after.
First, he saw a deflected effort brilliantly tipped over by Filip Jörgensen, then he smashed against the post with Chelsea struggling to get out of their own half.
The breakthrough then arrived just before half-time. Tijjani Reijnders emphatically drilled home left-footed from just inside the area after the ball fell kindly into his path, that taking the Dutchman to five Premier League goals for the season, a tally bettered only by Bruno Guimarães (7) among central midfielders.
Chelsea changed to a back-three system at half-time and there was a marked improvement from them with respect to retaining the ball; their possession share in the first half was just 32% but was 58% in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.
During that spell, Pedro Neto squandered a glorious chance after being set up by Fernández, shooting over the bar from about 10 yards.
Otherwise, though, Chelsea’s improved general performance didn’t lead to a flurry of chances – their first shot on target, via Liam Delap from a tight angle, didn’t arrive until the 72nd minute, for instance, and it was only their third attempt in total.
But they did pose a greater threat, and they were persistent. Their persisentence was ultimately rewarded, and City’s lack of ruthlessness punished; Malo Gusto’s low cross caused havoc and Fernández prodded in at the second time of asking in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Man City vs Chelsea stats from their Premier League meeting at the Etihad Stadium.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Man City vs Chelsea Stats: Post-Match Facts
Enzo Fernández netted his sixth goal of the season, equaling his best return in a Premier League campaign (also 6 in 2024-25).
Enzo Fernández’s equaliser for Chelsea (93:14) is the latest equaliser or winner that Manchester City have conceded at home in the Premier League since Michael Olise for Crystal Palace in a 2-2 draw in December 2023 (94:28).
Manchester City have dropped points from a winning position in a home Premier League game for the first time since March 2025 against Brighton and Hove Albion (2-2), having won each of their previous 13 games when leading.
Manchester City have failed to win successive Premier League games for only the second time this season (D2), after losing their second and third game of the campaign against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over onX, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.