it is invariably a highlight of any season
two clubs who represent an unbridled commitment to success
stay with us for all the action live from the etihad as manchester city face chelsea on ea tv
and a warm welcome our venue today is the yeti hat stadium here in manchester
my name is derek ray and sitting alongside me ready to provide all the analysis
is stuart robson and it's all about action from the premier league in this case
it is manchester city taking on chelsea well derek we can talk about coaches and their
methods but it's now down to the players which ones are going to stand out who will
affect the game and who will have the greater desire it should be a cracking game though
and a look at the starting eleven for manchester city edelson gets the node in goal joao cancelo
starts with kyle walker as full backs but now the silver plates with kevin de bruyne
in the center of the pitch and they line up with just the one striker looking to do a bit of damage
and a look at the chelsea starting 11. edward mendy stands between the posts
thiago silva plays with antonio rudiger in central defense and golo kante starts
alongside matteo kovacich in central midfield and leading the attack today is romelu lukaku
and the contest begins
really showing off his wide range of passing skills
now chelsea in a position of menace he went in so dangerously with that tackle
now the referee is the man everyone's looking at well by the letter of the
law that had to be a dismissal well he can't complain about that it's a reckless challenge
and manchester city will go to their bench
oh
well he had it on target but it was never going to trouble the keeper
rodri here's grealish
well kevin de bruyne one of the complete midfield players in the modern game stuart what do you
expect we'll see from him this time around well derek he's the perfect finisher he's got a great
shot in him his movement is excellent and in 1v1 situations you always expect him to score
he might be able to profit from the wide position of possibilities inside the box lukaku
lukaku can they price them open now determine block
learn to win it back
walker
the ball with rodri
excellent challenge
james
mount
top class defending
and space to attack
and no problems whatsoever for the goalkeeper
i must say this looks promising covertich and flag raised offside well that was always going
to be offside he just needed to hold on to the ball that little bit longer
gabrielle jesus
walker
how could he take them on and beat them
goes towards that far post well pretty straightforward for the keeper you've got to say
mateo kovacic kovacic seducing with his passing and now waiting to pounce
well there is the opening goal the pressure finally telling and they get the jew reward
well here it is again and it's all about the pace in transition
they're so quick to get out from the back and there's certainly no doubt about the finish
he really hits it with power and accuracy nothing the keeper can do about that
the ball is moving once more how important will that opening goal prove to be
gabrielle jesus
walker now
rodrigo
the ball with rodri
it's a promising city move couldn't find a teammate throw in here
can he play us in rodriguez
well he could really get at the opposition and creditors due for that good piece of defending
and it's gone in just what the doctor ordered
things looking very bright for them now with this buffer
well here's the replay and just look how quickly they break forward
once they win the ball back and then through on goal it just goes for power
and smashes it past the keeper there's no stopping that what a great finish
so nailed out
kevin de bruyne well on the cusp of the halftime interval and the visitors are prospering stuart
what have you made of the performance yes it's been a really energetic display from them so
far the passing's been sharp the movement from the front players has been excellent
and the finishing has been clinical they will certainly be happy going in at half time
mount now lukaku well fantastic reflex action from the goalkeeper
gundam
walker
well he likes to run at them
and lukaku is through and there it is another goal and surely there's no way back from this now
well let's look at this again derek because the transition when the ball changes hands
is so quick and once he gets onto it he just smashes it past the keeper with great technique
what an emphatic finish that is
that is that for the first half here
well romelu lukaku is having a terrific match for himself
out there a true handful stewart well he's been a joy to watch so far
he's got so much ability and it was also a very good finish for his goal he's been excellent
the ball rolling again and the first half struggles of city were there for all to see
can they put up a better fist of it in this half
jack relish
it's with joao cancello
grealish could cross it in here
the clearance wasn't decisive
on a time for composure on the ball
making progress
cross could be useful and the danger still on
impressed here good work to win the ball back high up the pitch and there the attack ends for now
and chelsea with the ball again well let's see what they have in store for them on the break
mount not quite the cross he was hoping for corner coming up
and manchester
over for now it seems sterling it's worth joao cancello
sterling has it possession one
it through we wondered who was going to win the race the answer the goalkeeper
bodies forward and the break looks on they need to get bodies back teammates in the middle
and that's the hatred tearing upon this defense time and again they simply can't handle him
well here it is again and the pace in which they break forward is devastating
it's so hard to defend against and then what a finish that's been hit with such power and pace
the keeper has no time to react it's a brilliant strike
contest
substitution for chelsea coming off the beach number eight matteo kovich to be replaced
tremendous challenge
sterling
gundam it's a good-looking ball in behind it could be for raheem sterling oh a tremendous block
and the referee felt he had to blow the whistle
confidently
well here it is again he makes it look so easy the keeper dives
slightly early and he passes it into the other side really confident finish
untidy on the ball
they have the ball once more
loftus-cheek
and i'll tell you what on this sort of form very few would lay a glove on them
well here's the goal again and what a wonderfully weighted pass this is and
then through a goal you never really had any doubt that he wouldn't swap that away it's a cool finish
it is
sterling has it in position here to protect the ball i think the referee
was spot on there a free kick in the end after he had attempted to play advantage
so
for the past that lacks quality and the counter looks on here
options available until they have the guile to open up the defense
but it fizzles out thanks to that piece of defending
we're deciding to test the keeper but no problems really
well the action is going to continue for a while yet we will have four minutes of stoppage time
rodri
sterling what a perfect ball now how about this
making sure nothing untoward happened superb tackle
thiago silva
full-time men the referees whistle and it's a win for chelsea that's the big headline stuart
well direct they were the better team all over the pitch we saw good
individual performances we saw an attack which was always threatening
and they played really well what a performance that was today