Manchester City Beat Chelsea To Start Premier League Title Defence

18.08.2024 - 19:15 sports.ndtv.com

Manchester City got their Premier League title defence off to a winning start as goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Enzo Maresca in his first match in charge of Chelsea.

Haaland marked his 100th appearance for the club with his 91st goal before Kovacic struck on his return to Stamford Bridge to give Pep Guardiola's men the perfect start to their attempt to win a record fifth consecutive English top-flight title.

City were shorn of all four of their Euro 2024 finalists -- Rodri, Kyle Waker, John Stones and Phil Foden -- from the start as Guardiola opted to give them extra time off to recover from their summer exertions.

Yet, the champions were still able to lay down a marker against one of the few sides they failed to beat in the league last season.

Football Manchester City English Premier League Chelsea Mateo Kovacic Conor Gallagher Phil Foden John Stones Enzo Maresca Enzo Fernandez Britain Argentina

Pep Guardiola does not expect Phil Foden to be called up for England duty after missing two Manchester City matches with illness.

Chelsea Held By Crystal Palace As Newcastle United Sink Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea suffered fresh frustration after blowing the lead in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, while Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday. Enzo Maresca's Chelsea have won only once in the first three league games of the Italian's reign after a chaotic close-season. Beaten by Manchester City on the opening weekend, Chelsea powered to a 6-2 win at Wolves last weekend before scraping into the UEFA Conference League group stage after a 2-1 loss at Servette on Thursday. Former Leicester boss Maresca insists his expensive Chelsea rebuild, featuring a host of new signings, is ahead of schedule despite their inconsistent start.

'Energised' Erling Haaland Hits Another Hat-Trick To Send Manchester City Top

Erling Haaland fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League with a second consecutive hat-trick in a 3-1 win at West Ham on Saturday. The Norwegian put Ipswich to the sword last weekend and followed up with another treble to take his tally to 70 goals in 69 Premier League games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund. City have started the defence of their title in ominous fashion for those looking to depose Pep Guardiola's men after winning the league for four consecutive seasons.

Chelsea Confirm Deal To Sign Jadon Sancho From Manchester United

Chelsea confirmed Jadon Sancho has joined their wealth of attacking options on Saturday with an initial loan deal from Manchester United to be made permanent next season. The Blues made their move for the England international in the final hours before Friday's transfer deadline. United have cut their losses on the 24-year-old, who has failed to live up to his price tag ever since a 73 million pounds ($96 million) move from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

Chelsea to sign Belgian goalkeeper Penders next year

Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders will join Chelsea from Genk next year in a deal worth a reported 20 million euros ($22 million, £17 million), the Blues announced on Tuesday.

Noni Madueke Nets Premier League Treble As Rampant Chelsea Hit Wolverhampton Wanderers For 6

Noni Madueke hit a hat-trick as Chelsea crushed Wolves 6-2 to give Enzo Maresca his first Premier League win as Blues boss, while Newcastle rescued a controversial 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday. Maresca suffered a 2-0 loss against Manchester City last weekend in his first game since arriving from Leicester to replace Mauricio Pochettino in the close-season. Chelsea got off the mark under Maresca with a UEFA Conference League play-off victory against Servette on Thursday, but that low-key success was only the prelude to their goal spree at Molineux.