Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf insists he “wasn’t expecting” the Blues to put in a good performance against Manchester City on Saturday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side put in a great away display to take a point away from the Etihad Stadium and extend the Blues’ unbeaten run to three matches in all competitions after successive 3-1 victories over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Raheem Sterling stunned his former club by firing Chelsea into a first-half lead against Man City as Pep Guardiola’s side left it until seven minutes from time to grab the equaliser through Rodri.
Chelsea have had another dismal season so far, with Pochettino’s men sitting tenth in the Premier League, after finishing 12th in the 2022/23 campaign.
The Blues have already lost ten Premier League matches this term but their performance against Man City will have boosted their supporters hopes that they can make a late rally towards Europe during the remainder of the season.
Chelsea and Man City both squandered good chances to make the scoreline greater with Leboeuf frustrated that the Blues weren’t two goals to the good at half-time.
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Chelsea had a big chance when Cole Palmer released Gusto down the right in the first half but the France international’s pass to Nicolas Jackson was far from perfect and Ederson managed to come off his line to make a save.
Expressing his shock at how Chelsea performed against Man City, Leboeuf told ESPN: “I wasn’t expecting that performance.
“Axel Disasi was absolutely fantastic as was Malo Gusto on the right side. Ben Chilwell in the second half was also very good.
“What about Nicolas Jackson in the first half. He had two chances. It’s sad Malo Gusto doesn’t give him the ball in the first half because Chelsea could have been leading 2-0 at half-time.
“It’s the thing I’m most surprised about in that game because I wasn’t expecting Chelsea at that level.
“Yes, Man City were not that good, compared to what they can offer. But a big part is because of the tactics Chelsea made, how they played and the quality they used on the ball.
“Chelsea did very well and looked like a team who could make the top four. It is too late now of course but they are building something good. It’s going the right way.”
