ROBERT SANCHEZ was king of the cock-ups on a night of blue shirts and red faces at an error-strewn Etihad.
And no-one was happier to see the Chelsea keeper wearing the crown than Abdukodir Khusanov, after City’s own blunder boy had suffered the debut from hell.
GettyA howler from Robert Sanchez helped Man City beat Chelsea 3-1[/caption]
ReutersErling Haaland lobbed the goalie as City came back from a goal down[/caption]
AFPJosko Gvardiol led the fightback at the Etihad with Phil Foden grabbing a late third[/caption]
It was an unhappy return to the north west for Cole PalmerGetty
More of that later…first, though, the latest clanger from Sanchez and a staggering FIFTH to cost his side a goal already this term.
Quite why he chose to head for the left angle of his area to pick off Ederson’s huge kick downfield only he knows. He was never going to get close.
Instead Erling Haaland got there first and had the simple task – for a finisher of his quality – of lobbing over the stranded Spaniard to put City in front.
And in doing so that was the ultimate redemption for Khusanov, the young Uzbek centre back who had made the worst of first impressions on his bow for the sky blues.
Pep Guardiola knew he was taking the mother of all risks by pitching the youngster in a week after his arrival from Lens, but injuries left no choice. He soon regretted it.
For two minutes in, with his first touch, it went so wrong for the kid and his manager.
First he missed out when leaping with Nicolas Jackson in an aerial challenge for Trevor Chalobah’s downtown punt. And that’s when it got really messy.
For rather than taking the play-it-safe option of sticking it in the stands – or even the relative no-man’s land of the touchline – he amazingly tried to head back to Ederson.
His stooping header never even went close. Instead Jackson pounced like a hungry dog on a ham, stabbed the ball square Noni Madueke, and he tapped in.
Khusanov was utterly crestfallen. For a second he genuinely looked like he was going to burst into tears.
GettyPep Guardiola was delighted with his side’s win[/caption]
He needed a nerve-steadying chance to play a proper pass. Thankfully he didn’t have long to wait…but when it came, it was only marginally better than the first.
Once more it was an under-hit ball, just inside his own half, which Cole Palmer pounced upon and set off for the City goal.
Khusanov, desperate to make amends, upended the Chelsea striker and will never receive a more blatant yellow card if he plays until he’s 50.
Had he been another ten yards deeper inside his own half and the card would have been a red. Every cloud, eh, Kodir?
GettyNoni Madueke gave Chelsea the lead after three minutes[/caption]
GettyAbdukodir Khusanov made a dreadful error as Madueke tapped home[/caption]
Mind you, Khusanov didn’t have anything like a monopoly on the mishaps. The list grew by the minute.
Everyone was in on the act, even Palmer, the man who has become a Messiah since swapping the Etihad for Stamford Bridge.
His clanger came when he found himself with a clear sight of goal, yet instead of shooting, tried to hand Jackson an even simpler chance…and played a simple pass too far to his left.
All Jackson could do was find the supporting Jadon Sancho – but at least his shot gave Khusanov the chance to be a hero of sorts by producing an impressive block.
GettyGvardiol equalised just minutes before half-time[/caption]
ReutersThe goal galvanised the home crowd for a second half fight[/caption]
It was a great escape which finally seemed to jolt City into action. Yes, they had already seen plenty of the ball to that point…but finally they looked like they may do something with it.
Initially through Phil Foden, who rattled the upright with a thunderbolt, and twice from centre back Josko Gvardiol of all people.
The first of them should really have found the target when he stepped inside to collect Haaland’s flicked header but blazed high, and then stabbed another effort wide.
Even when City did get the ball in the net, through another new boy in Omar Marmoush, that was rightly ruled out for offside.
RexSanchez was left in no man’s land as he was lobbed by Haaland[/caption]
PAThe striker is getting back to his best after signing a decade-long deal[/caption]
Although had the Egyptian left the chance to Bernardo Silva just behind him it would have stood, as his team-mate was onside. It was that kind of evening.
Thank Heavens, for their sake at least, that Chelsea’s blundering backline clearly doesn’t learn a lesson from one, two or even three mistakes.
That’s how many times City had already got in behind them when they did so for a fourth time – and finally made it count with the equaliser.
This time it came when Gundogan lofted one over the top for Matheus Nunez to run onto, with Marc Cucurella in hot pursuit.
PAFoden made sure the points went City’s way with a last-gasp effort[/caption]
GettyCity have now moved above Chelsea in the table[/caption]
Although Sanchez came out to block, the ball cannoned goalwards off a cocktail of the two Chelsea players and Gvardiol tapped in.
Equaliser for City, salvation of sorts for Khusanov. And it got even better, too, with that Haaland strike, although by then the Uzbek blunder boy had been hauled off.
Guardiola called time on his debut just seven minutes after the break – 15 minutes before Sanchez got in on the act.
Watching him set off then stop was unbelievable – and most definitely unforgivably. He instantly knew he was never going to get there.
So it proved, with the Spanish stopper in the middle of nowhere as Haaland collected, and lofted over the stranded keeper, who punched the turf in embarrassed frustration.
At least he couldn’t be blamed when Foden raced onto Haaland’s pass to seal it with a third. Mind you, by then Sanchez had already done more than enough damage.
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
