Manchester City secured a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, extending the Blues’ winless streak against City to 11 matches. An early defensive error from debutant Abdukodir Khusanov allowed Chelsea to take the lead before Pep Guardiola’s side staged a commanding comeback.
Khusanov, the first Uzbekistani player to feature in the Premier League, made his debut alongside fellow newcomer Omar Marmoush. Despite the fresh additions, City looked to recover from a recent 4-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea opened the scoring just three minutes in when Khusanov misjudged a looping ball, inadvertently setting up Nicolas Jackson, who laid it off for Noni Madueke to score into an empty net. The visitors nearly doubled their lead shortly after, but Cole Palmer’s misdirected pass stalled a promising counterattack.
Manchester City regained momentum as Phil Foden struck the post and Joško Gvardiol missed from a promising position. Gvardiol redeemed himself later, capitalizing on Matheus Nunes’ incisive run to equalize before halftime.
The second half saw City dominate. Erling Haaland missed a warning shot before converting a long ball from goalkeeper Ederson, chipping past Robert Sánchez. Haaland then assisted Foden for the third goal, solidifying the victory and marking Foden’s sixth Premier League goal in four matches.
The win lifted Manchester City to fourth place, while Chelsea dropped to sixth. The loss marks a setback for Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on his return to the Etihad Stadium.