Rodri struck late to rescue a point for Manchester City against Chelsea in what could prove to be a pivotal clash in this season’s title race.
When the two sides met at Stamford Bridge back in November Pep Guardiola was haunted by his former stars, with Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer both netting for the Blues in a 4-4 draw.
At the Etihad Sterling was once again pivotal for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, netting a first-half goal that looked set to condemn the Citizens to their first home defeat this season.
City kept the pressure on throughout however, and their persistence would be rewarded in the closing stages as Rodri continued his habit of contributing vital goals to equalise on 83 minutes.
Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan was on hand at the Etihad to rate players’ performances.
Rodri stepped up in the closing stages to secure a draw for Manchester City against Chelsea
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MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1)
Ederson – 7
Big save to prevent Nicolas Jackson before Chelsea’s opener and another after from Raheem Sterling.
Kyle Walker – 6.5
Should have done so much better for Sterling’s goal. Far more certain of himself later in the game.
Kyle Walker was caught out for Chelsea’s opener but returned to his consistent best as the game continued
Manuel Akanji – 5.5
Strong defensively yet didn’t pierce the midfield enough in a hybrid role that substitute John Stones thrives in.
Ruben Dias – 7
Individually played well, winning his duels, but City gave up far too many chances on the break.
Nathan Ake – 6
Chelsea were able to find joy in behind on their right a fair amount. Jeremy Doku was seen asking him for options on occasion too.
Rodri – 7.5
A little sluggish in the opening exchanges before growing into the game and hammered in the late equaliser.
Rodri atoned for a sluggish early performance with a goal that could prove crucial in the title race
Phil Foden – 6
Just didn’t see enough of the ball out on the right-hand side – and that blunted City massively.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7.5
Frustrated figure. Still produced moments of ingenuity. Started attempting to find different positions.
Julian Alvarez – 7
Asked to start a little deeper in a slightly unfamiliar role. Busy and always involved; looked as likely as anyone.
Julian Alvarez looked comfortable despite being deployed a slightly less familiar role
Jeremy Doku – 5.5
Needs to work on his end product inside the box. Promising runs resulted in nothing all too often.
Erling Haaland – 5
A collection of misses. Not his night and City did create enough for their top scorer to win them the game.
Erling Haaland was a long way from his devastating best as several chances passed him by
SUBS
Bernardo Silva (for Alvarez, 64) – 7
Subs not used: Ortega, Stones, Kovacic, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Susoho, Lewis
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1)
Djordje Petrovic – 6.5
A couple of decent stops. Nothing he could do about Rodri’s goal. One clumsy moment aside, did all that was asked.
Malo Gusto – 8
There will always be moments where right backs struggle against Doku but he tamed the winger for large spells.
Malo Gusto was integral to Chelsea’s defensive efforts and kept Jeremy Doku quiet throughout
Axel Disasi – 7
Followed Haaland everywhere and will feel he was in a proper battle. Few eye-catching interventions.
Levi Colwill – 6
Certainly more comfortably centrally than on the left. Had to be mindful of De Bruyne’s ghosting.
Ben Chilwell – 6.5
Foden was quiet for a fair chunk of it and Chilwell deserves a decent amount of credit for that.
Ben Chilwell engaged in a spirited battle with Phil Foden and was largely successful
Moises Caicedo – 6
Appeared nailed on to see red for most of the night. Broke up play in a niggly performance.
Enzo Fernandez – 7.5
Progressed possession in a clever fashion and diligently performed his defensive duties in the middle.
Cole Palmer – 7
Classy first return to the Etihad Stadium. Easily the one with the most vision in Chelsea’s team.
Cole Palmer’s maturation to become crucial player for the Blues was exemplified in his return to the Etihad
Connor Gallagher – 7
Arguably Pochettino’s most important man on the night. Pressed superbly in doing a job on Rodri.
Raheem Sterling – 7.5
Took his goal perfectly, making up for an earlier miss when flagged offside. Gave Chelsea a real outlet.
Nicolas Jackson – 5
Not many miss as many big chances as Jackson and there was another for his collection in the first half.
Nicolas Jackson was wasteful and squandered a slew of big chances for the visitors
SUBS
Christopher Nkunku (for Sterling, 64) – 6
Trevoh Chalobah (for Palmer, 71) – 5.5
Cesare Casadei (for Jackson, 82)
Subs not used: Bettinelli, Mudryk, Madueke, Gilchrist, Samuels-Smith, Harrison
Referee: Andy Madley – 6