By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Manchester City produced an impressive display to end Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season with a deserved victory at Stamford Bridge.
In the meeting between two sides fully expected to fight it out for this season’s Premier League title, the reigning champions dominated against a strangely passive and conservative Chelsea.
Gabriel Jesus settled a tight affair when his 53rd-minute effort took a touch off Jorginho to beat Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy – but few could question City’s right to the win against the team who beat them in last May’s Champions League final, and the victory margin should have been far more emphatic.
“We prefer to play good, so we come to play against one of the best teams in the world, European champions, they are so good, they have a lot of amazing players. We played very good and won the game,” Jesus said after the match.
“I turned good, shot and got a little lucky but I am very happy to score that goal. The most important thing is that everyone played so good.
“It is not about the message, we always try to play as good as possible. We have a lot of top players to create the chances and score the goals.”
Jesus almost added a second when Thiago Silva cleared his effort off the line while Aymeric Laporte should have scored but somehow slid a shot wide from inside the six-yard box.
Mendy also produced two crucial saves from the excellent Jack Grealish.
It was the perfect start to a crucial week for City and manager Pep Guardiola as they prepare to visit Paris St-Germain in the Champions League this week then take on Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
Meanwhile Manchester United were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford by Aston Villa on Saturday as Bruno Fernandes missed a stoppage-time penalty in their Premier League clash.
With the game petering out to a goalless draw, Kortney Hause headed home in the 88th minute to seal the victory for the visitors.
United had more possession in the first half, but it was Villa who created the better chances with Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa going close.
The hosts failed to improve in the second half and lost key defenders Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire to injury.
Paul Pogba had a good chance in the second half when he was set up by Scott McTominay but he fired over.
United were given the chance to equalise in stoppage time when referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot after Edinson Cavani’s header was adjudged to have struck Hause’s arm, but Fernandes hit his effort way over.
Christiano Ronaldo was back in the starting lineup, having been among the first-team players left out of the Carabao Cup third round defeat to West Ham United but failed to find the net for the first match since his return.