Reece James helped Chelsea come from behind to salvage a draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening
07:00, 05 Jan 2026
Reece James of Chelsea acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Etihad Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Manchester, England
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Reece James has been brilliant for Chelsea this season(Image: Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Reece James showed his true colours following Chelsea's dramatic draw against Manchester City. The 26-year-old defender helped the Blues come from behind to salvage a point at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.
Tijjani Reijnders broke the deadlock shortly before half-time, beating Filip Jorgensen at his near post. Calum McFarlane, who was appointed interim head coach following the departure of Enzo Maresca, raised eyebrows when he replaced Estevao Willian for Andrey Santos at the break, but the change later proved decisive.
The 21-year-old sat beside James in the middle of the park, pushing Enzo Fernandez slightly further up the field. Chelsea squandered a couple of gilt-edged opportunities, with Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer missing the target from close range.
Then, in the dying embers of stoppage time, Fernandez poked the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma to salvage a crucial point in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification. Had McFarlane not pushed the 24-year-old forward, the west Londoners may not have found an equaliser.
After the game, James was keen to give Chelsea Under-21s head coach his flowers, ushering him towards the travelling support. The Blues fans applauded McFarlane, and they even chanted his name.
The travelling support, who were in full voice throughout the clash, also acknowledged the Chelsea captain, singing, 'he's one of our own'. Speaking to reporters after the game, McFarlane revealed that James insisted he relished the moment.
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"I didn't want to do that, if I'm honest," said the interim Blues boss. "But Reece asked me to. I think it's a good moment to maybe speak about the players. This is not an easy job. There's a lot of change that's gone on.
"Enzo was incredibly successful with this group. Some of them were shocked by the decision. So the character that they've shown in the last two days, the character that they've shown today, Reece is a big one, like Reece, Tosin [Adarabioyo], Enzo [Fernandez].
"They've really dragged the group together because everyone thought we were coming here to lose. No one thought we stood a chance. But we knew that the character and the talent in this group did and they've really dragged it through.
Calum McFarlane, Interim Manager of Chelsea, and Reece James of Chelsea applaud the fans after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea
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Reece James showed his leadership skills for Chelsea against Manchester City(Image: (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))
"So I can't speak highly enough about the characters in the group. That's just another moment of Reece being selfless and wanting to share the applause, really."
The Chelsea Under-21s are set to lock horns with Benfica in the Premier League International Cup on Wednesday night. On whether he'll be in charge, McFarlane said: "I think that will depend on when the new manager comes in.
"So if the new manager comes in before Wednesday, I'll be looking forward to taking the Under-21s against Benfica. I've got a really good Under-21s group that are doing well this year and a lot to play for in the second part of the season.
Enzo Fernandez
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Enzo Fernandez's injury-time goal denied Manchester City all three points(Image: Getty Images)
"And if he's not in and the club need me to continue and take the Fulham game, I'm more than happy to do that as well. So it's all dependent on what happens with the new manager."
McFarlane added: "Yeah, so when I first took the job, I was told that I will take the Manchester City game. So that was three days with the group.
"There's a chance that the new manager will be in on Monday. That's what I was told originally. Obviously, it's Sunday now. We've been solely focused on the game.
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"So I'm sure I could get more information once I'm out of this press conference. But for all I know, the new manager will be in shortly and I will lead the team until he's in."