Manchester City got their quest for a fifth consecutive Premier League title off to a perfect start as they beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Erling Haaland gave the visitors the lead inside 20 minutes as he skipped away from Levi Colwill while holding off Marc Cucurella to lift a finish over Robert Sanchez.
Mateo Kovacic wrapped up the points when Robert Sanchez could not get a strong enough hand to keep out his strike from 25 yards out.
Chelsea may not panic as the result came against the reigning champions, but they will not want this result to fester for too long.
Mail Sport’s KIERAN GILL takes a look at some of the things you may have missed at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are still trying to get rid of their deadwood and Conor Gallagher’s future is one of a number of players whose future is up in the air
Kyle Walker is among a couple of Manchester City players attractive interest from Saudi Arabia
Can Chelsea ship the deadwood?
Chelsea’s execs are confident they can ship the club’s dead wood before the summer’s transfer window closes on the night of August 30.
Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Armando Broja, Trevoh Chalobah and Djordje Petrovic are among those up for grabs between now and that deadline.
It is also hoped Conor Gallagher’s future will be resolved this week with Atletico Madrid still his likeliest destination, while talks over Joao Felix heading in the opposite direction have been progressing slowly but surely.
Trevoh Chalobah has been told he is surplus to requirements at Chelsea as he seeks a move away from the club
Chelsea aiming to capture American market
When Chelsea and Manchester City faced each other in pre-season in the United States – a 4-2 win for Pep Guardiola over Enzo Maresca – there were more sky blue shirts among the 71,000 supporters in the stands in Columbus. City feel like they have made great progress in cracking the US.
Chelsea want that for themselves, and their women’s team has now travelled State-side to play two pre-season friendlies there against NJ/NY Gotham in New Jersey and Arsenal in Washington.
Saudi interest not going away for City
Joao Cancelo is among the Manchester City players attracting interest from the Saudi pro league
Manchester City might have thought they were finished with the Saudi Pro League this summer but it has emerged two of their full backs are interesting Al-Hilal.
Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker are on a three-man shortlist to replace Saud Abdulhamid, who is off to Roma. Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen, who came through City’s academy, is seen as the ideal candidate and valued at around €60million by the Bundesliga champions.
Al-Hilal’s chief executive, Esteve Calzada, was previously a commercial head at the City Football Group. It’s unlikely that City would entertain offers for Walker this late in the window but Cancelo, who was again left out of Pep Guardiola’s squad yesterday’s, is free to leave.
That hinges on if the Saudi side, who boast Neymar and Ruben Neves, can successfully press ahead with plans to land Frimpong.
Despite the racism scandal hanging over his head, Enzo Fernandez was handed the captain’s armband for Chelsea
Enzo Fernandez was named Chelsea captain in the absence of Reece James, with the club confident that the racism scandal he sparked in the summer is behind them. Both teams took the knee before kick-off, though there were some boos from supporters inside of Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez went over for a Chelsea corner where the Manchester City fans are housed and was serenaded with: ‘You racist b******, you know what you are.’
Manchester City’s footballing family
Rico Lewis is not the only player impressing in the family at the moment. Sacha, his younger sister, is already making an impact as she progresses through the academy.
The 16-year-old, who can play anywhere down the right-hand side, is expected to be named in Gareth Taylor’s squad for their pre-season tour of Australia.
City are joined Down Under by PSG, West Ham and Leicester and due to fly out early this week.
Lewis joined the City academy three years ago and has been called up to the England Under-17 pre-World Cup camp, with the tournament kicking off in the Dominican Republic on October 16.
Sacha, like her big brother, is represented by CAA Base.
Chelsea’s academy still going strong
Chelsea’s academy was rocked by the sudden departures of their chief architects Neil Bath and Jim Fraser, but the production line is continuing.
Ollie Harrison, previously named on the substitutes’ bench for a Premier League game against Manchester City, has signed professional terms for the first time after turning 17.
