Premier League: Haaland stuns as City Begin Title Defense Over Chelsea

Erling Haaland marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City in style, scoring as the Premier League champions kicked off their title defense with a victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Haaland opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a cool dinked finish over Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez, notching his 91st goal since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic sealed the win for City late in the game, curling a shot from just outside the box to make it 2-0.

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The match, while mostly subdued, had its moments of excitement. Kevin de Bruyne came close to doubling City’s lead with a curling effort just after Haaland’s opener, while Sanchez made a sharp save to deny Jeremy Doku’s deflected strike.

Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson thought he had equalized when Ederson fumbled a shot into his path, but the forward was ruled offside. Jackson later forced a save from Ederson with a first-time volley as Chelsea pushed for a comeback.

City continued to press, with Haaland nearly adding another goal and Rico Lewis having a goal disallowed before Kovacic put the game to bed.

Despite a disrupted pre-season, with key players like Phil Foden, John Stones, and Kyle Walker only fit enough for the bench, and Rodri left out entirely after a late return to training, City displayed control throughout the match.

New signing Savinho made his debut but was substituted at halftime due to a knock, with Foden coming on in his place. Manager Pep Guardiola will be pleased with Kovacic's performance, especially in Rodri's absence—a position that proved costly last season when City struggled without him.

Chelsea, under new manager Enzo Maresca, struggled to find rhythm despite a summer spending spree that saw them bring in 11 new players for about £185 million. None of the new signings started the match, but four, including Pedro Neto and Renato Veiga, came on in the second half—the second time a Premier League team has fielded four debutants in one game.

Neto, a £54 million capture from Wolves, was the standout among the newcomers, giving Chelsea a much-needed boost as they chased an equalizer. Despite the loss, Chelsea showed spirit in the second half, giving Maresca a foundation to build on.

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