The Scottish Mail on Sunday

GUARDIOLA IS LEFT SHAKEN AND STIRRED

- By Stephen Davies

MANCHESTER CITY, the team who had seemed unbeatable, were left stunned by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last night.

Goals from N’Golo Kante and David Luiz meant Liverpool go a point clear at the top — and left Pep Guardiola’s shellshock­ed side nursing the scars from a first league defeat of the season.

A disappoint­ed Guardiola said: ‘We played better than other days when we have won. Everyone wants to beat us.’

Maurizio Sarri’s men now trail Liverpool by eight points.

‘We keep fighting with our feet on the ground,’ said man of the match Luiz, who created the first and scored the second.

‘It was a great game. We were playing against the best team in the world. We had a lot of humility and tried to take our chances. And the plan came off.

‘We are always trying to improve and have had some poor results.’

It was Kante who had shot Chelsea in front in the 45th minute, answering criticism from his manager that he needs to score more goals.

Kante, on target for the first time since their opening-day win at Huddersfie­ld, said: ‘I am happy to get on the scoresheet. The most important thing is to give my best on the pitch.’

A below-par City, who looked short of ideas without Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, can have few complaints.

But Guardiola said: ‘The way we played in the first half was incredible. They had minimum chances and scored, and in the second half we were there until the end. We were outstandin­g except for 58 minutes.’

CHELSEA and the Metropolit­an Police are investigat­ing after an incident of alleged racism was flagged up on Twitter, highlighti­ng a first-half incident when a fan appeared to abuse City’s Raheem Sterling.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom