Rodri scored a late equaliser for Manchester City, denying Chelsea victory and maintaining his team’s historic unbeaten home record.
City still lost ground in the title race as Liverpool and Arsenal both scored convincing victories earlier on Saturday, but this must be counted as a point won given how close they came to losing. Chelsea took the lead just before halftime when Raheem Sterling met Nicolas Jackson’s cross, cut inside Kyle Walker, and curled his ball home.
The visitors looked dangerous on the break throughout the game, with Jackson missing an even better chance from Malo Gusto’s cross when a bad touch allowed Ederson to smother his effort, while City’s keeper also denied Sterling a second from close range. Despite piling on the pressure in the second half, City appeared unable to convert any of their chances or even properly test Chelsea goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic.
Erling Haaland was the biggest culprit, with his greatest error coming when he somehow headed wide from a fantastic Kevin de Bruyne cross. The defending champions were facing their first home league defeat since November 2022, when Rodri scored with seven minutes remaining.
After Walker’s attempt was diverted into his path on the edge of the box, Rodri unleashed a vicious first-time strike that was bound for the net but was touched in by Chelsea replacement Trevoh Chalobah. The draw moves City down to third position in the rankings, four points behind leaders Liverpool, but with a game in hand, they can cut the distance and leapfrog second-placed Arsenal if they beat Brentford on Tuesday.
Chelsea, who were minutes away from a third consecutive away win, remain in 10th place, but they will go to Wembley Stadium for the Carabao Cup final next weekend on the heels of one of their greatest performances of an unpredictable season.
