“They made us underperform,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said. But the way City dominated possession and reduced Chelsea to mostly long balls showed that Guardiola’s team, the defending champion, might still be the team to beat.Ĭity regularly picked off Chelsea on the break and only a goal-line clearance by Thiago Silva, who came on for the injured Reece James in the first half, prevented Jesus adding a second. Chelsea had beaten City in their last three meetings - most recently in the Champions League final in May - but was outplayed at Stamford Bridge, not even registering a shot on target.Ĭhelsea had been anointed by increasing numbers as the title favorite after a strong start to the season.