WELL there was certainly nothing boring about that, eh Gary? It might be worth turning that telly back on after all.
Grandstand finish, blockbusting goal to save the day just when all seemed lost… why it was almost like stepping back in time to the days when football was interesting.
Raheem Sterling put Chelsea in front with his first half strike
Before Rodri smashed home a late equaliser
Erling Haaland had a game to forget
City had more than three times as many shots as Chelsea
Man City dominated nearly all of the second half
Former Manchester United defender turned font-of-all-football-wisdom Neville had told the world how treble-winning City’s dominance of the game was making it a turn-off.
How a yawning gap between them and the rest had made football simply, well, yawning as far as he is concerned. And if Gary thinks it, of course it must be true.
Although sometimes, whisper it quietly, perhaps he’s wrong after all. Like last night, for example…. when he sure as hell was.
The only thing predictable, in fact, was the unpredictability, as Chelsea fought like dogs to protect a lead given to them by Raheem Sterling, and City fought like dogs to peg it back.
Heavens, even when they managed it, the unlikely face of their rescuer was actually a pretty likely one after all.
For while Rodri, whose 82nd minute thunderbolt made it honours even, might not score many, the ones he does certainly come on the biggest of occasions.
The winning strike in the Champions League last season, for example.
Or the equaliser in the come-from- behind title clincher against Aston Villa the year before.
So just chalk this one – a piledriver into the corner via Trevor Chalobah’s knee when Kyle Walker’s shot was blocked – up as merely one more.
And, to be fair, at least it ensured an outcome that City’s possession merited, even if they hardly spent the evening taking potshots at keeper Dorde Petrovic.
Indeed, for all they only saw half as much of the ball, Chelsea had an equal share of chances, from the early cross Conor Gallagher put behind Nicolas Jackson as he waited for a tap-in.
On the touchline Mauricio Pochettino whipped round in fury – with good cause. A decent cross and it was a tap-in for the Senegalese striker, barely six yards out.
Then again, when you saw the gimme of a chance he missed midway through the first half, perhaps not.
It started with a great ball down the line from City old boy Cole Palmer to the rampaging Malo Gusto, who picked out the unmarked Jackson in the middle.
With City stretched, he had all the time to steady himself for a first time shot. Instead he got his legs in a tangle and by the time he did pull the trigger, Ederson smothered.
It was the end of a striker who appeared to lack self-assurance and faith in his own abilities. To put it succinctly, it was a shocker and one that would undoubtedly cost them.
After all, the champions typically just blow teams away at the Etihad. Outplay, overwhelm, and overpower them.
Chelsea deserves praise for persevering and for putting the ball in the goal when they did manage to create another opportunity and take the lead on minute 42.
It was the classic sucker punch, too, catching City with a lightning counter raid via Gusto and Jackson, who certainly proved a better provider than he was finisher.
For when he crossed magnificently and pin pointedly to Sterling, he cut back inside Walker and clipped a finish into the far corner. Perfection for Chelsea, purgatory for City.
Sterling made the most of his limited time on the ball
Caicedo was lucky to escape a yellow for jabbing a foot into Jeremy Doku, collected one for scything down Kevin De Bruyne and walked an ever-stretched tightrope towards a red.
City were walking one with their wasted opportunities too. And, believe it or not, the man guilty for the biggest clangers was Erling Haaland.
The man who had rattled in 75 goals in his previous 72 games in a sky blue shirt. The finest finisher in Europe, maybe even the world.
Haaland struggled to hit a barn door today
But last night one who came up with two howlers to haunt him for years.
The first came after little more than ten minutes, when he got up well enough to meet Julian Alvarez’ cross, but couldn’t keep his header down.
But the worst came 78 minutes later when Kevin de Bruyne cross a ball from the left. Haaland came flying in… and bulleted a header wide from ten yards.
That was when you sensed perhaps it wasn’t going to be their night after all. They weren’t going to peg back Liverpool’s five point lead after all…only no-one told Rodri.
Looks like we’re in for a proper title scrap all the way to the line. You never know, it might even tempt Mr Neville to get back in front of the box.
