Chelsea became the new Champions of Europe after they beat Manchester City by 0-1 in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday night.
It was a tactical battle between two great coaches. Chelsea were the better side in the first half and had better chances. Kai Havertz’s goal gave them a crucial lead in the halftime interval and it made the difference between the two sides.
This result means Pep Guardiola remains without the Champions League trophy after spending billions in his squad. And on the other hand, Tuchel won the Champions League trophy after just six months of duty as a Chelsea manager.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea team news:
Pep Guardiola chose to go with his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Ederson was the obvious choice between the sticks. John Stone and Ruben Dias were the centre backs.
However, the surprising decision was the omission of Rodrigo Hernández and Fernandinho from the defensive midfield position. Ilkay Gundogan started in that position. Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Riyad were the front three for the Citizens.
On the other hand, there wasn’t any surprise from Tuchel in his first eleven. He went with 3-4-2-1 formation and Edouard Mendy was fit enough to start the game.
And N’Golo Kante also started the game who was doubtful before the game. Kai Havertz and Mason Mount were given the responsibility to create chances, Timo Werner led the line for the Blues.
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea Post-match analysis:
It was an eye-catching first half for football fans around the globe. Chelsea were head and shoulders the better side in the first forty-five minutes and Manchester City looked tentative.
Chelsea could have been at least two goals ahead if the Blues got the Werner of last year. He had two great opportunities to open the deadlock for Thomas Tuchel’s side but once he made a complete mess of the situation and on the other occasion he put the ball straight into Ederson.
City also got a few good moments, a great long ball from Ederson could have created a danger for Chelsea defence but the first touch lets Sterling down.
And another chance fell on the path of Foden but his shot was brilliantly blocked by Antonio Rudiger.
Eventually, Tuchel’s side found the breakthrough late in the first half. The third man run from Werner completely split the City defence and Oleksander Zinchenko didn’t read the danger quick enough. And a great through ball found the run of Havertz who made no mistake to finish it off.
In the second half, Manchester City applied pressure and pegged back the Blues in search of the equaliser. However, City struggled to find openings or create clear cut chances against a stubborn defensive structure.
Meanwhile, Chelsea got yet another great opportunity in transition. Havertz beat his marker in pace and provided a perfect pass for substitute Christian Pulisic but his shot went wide off the mark.
Manchester City in the end tried to make substitutions and change things around in search of a goal. But, the Chelsea defence was strong enough and did not concede a single on target in the second half.
Notable Performances:
N’Golo Kante: Became the man of the match in the three consecutive Champions League knockout games. And he has now won every single possible trophy at the club level.
Kai Havertz: Scored the only goal of the game and became the hero of Chelsea fans and gave a great pass to Pulisic to double the winning margin.
Raheem Sterling: Didn’t have any joy at all against Reece James on the left-hand side. On the one occasion he got in behind the Chelsea defence but his touch wasn’t good enough.
