City reduce gap at top of Premier League with emphatic win at Chelsea

City reduce gap at top of Premier League with emphatic win at Chelsea City moved to within six points of the Premier League summit with a superb 3-0 victory away at Chelsea. After a goalless first half, Pep Guardiola’s side were ruthless after the break with three goals in the space of 17 minutes. Nico O’Reilly got the crucial opener with a header from Rayan Cherki’s cross before the French midfielder worked an opening for Marc Guéhi to fire home a second.

And Jeremy Doku ensured there was no way back for Chelsea as City’s determind press forced a turnover that the Belgian ruthlessly finished. With leaders Arsenal losing earlier in the weekend, City took full advantage to move six points behind with a game in hand and the Gunners coming to the Etihad next Sunday. The game in 250 words With Chelsea in the race for one of the five spots for next season’s Champions League, the home side had plenty riding on the game themselves and provided some early menace.

They had the ball in the back of the net in the 16th minute through Marc Cucurella’s neat finish, but he was correctly ruled offside, albeit a close decision. And Gianluigi Donnarumma, the only change from the side that thumped Liverpool in the FA Cup last time out, was also into the action early on, making a smart low save from Pedro Neto’s cross-shot. City enjoyed a lot of the ball and created the best opportunity of the half just after the half hour but were denied by an instinctive save from Robert Sanchez.

Doku was proving a big threat down the left flank and he combined with O’Reilly who crossed for Bernardo Silva who tried to squeeze the ball home at the nearpost. Sanchez then saved comfortably from Cherki’s 20-yard strike while Antoine Semenyo had a low shot deflected just wide as City upped the tempo. And we were finally ahead five minutes after the break when O’Reilly shrugged off Chelsea defending to head home Cherki’s cross.