Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: player ratings & man of the match as the champions move 13 points clear

Raheem Sterling impressed for Manchester City in the win over Chelsea. Credit: Getty.

Manchester City moved 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

Kevin De Bruyne’s sensational strike midway through the second half wrapped up all three points for Pep Guardiola’s men during a game in which they largely dominated.

It means the champions extend their winning run in the league to 12 games, and dealt a damaging blow to Chelsea’s hopes of winning the title.

De Bruyne shrugged of Kante to score his goal against Chelsea. Credit: Getty.

Manchester City player ratings

Ederson- 7

Pulled off a great save to deny Romelu Lukaku from a one-on-one shot early in the second half but had a quiet afternoon. The goalkeeper kept his concentration and was always quick to react when called into action.

Kyle Walker- 7

Pushed forward with regularity, but his speed meant he was never caught of possession. Walker often moved inside as well and contributed to City’s attacks.

Pep Guardiola dealt Thomas Tuchel a huge blow in the title race. Credit: Getty.

John Stones- 6

His mistake led to a spurned Lukaku chance after 10 minutes, but in general the England international had a good afternoon. He coped impressively with the physicality of Lukaku and rarely misplaced a pass.

Aymeric Laporte- 7

Blocked a shot from Timo Werner on 70 minutes which almost certainly would have been a goal otherwise. The defender was solid on the ball and dealt well with the few Chelsea attacks.

Joao Cancelo- 7

No-one touched the ball more, and Cancelo provided the assist for De Bruyne’s goal. The Portuguse international was calm in possession and had more of an impact in the second half, while also being defensively resolute.

Rodri- 7

Demonstrated a great range of passing, with several long balls into the wide areas. The 25-year-old put in repeated good tackles to stop Chelsea’s interchanging midfielders.

Bernardo Silva- 6

The roving midfielder popped up all over the pitch and recycled possession well. Silva wasn’t at his very best but still performed well and contributed to City’s dominance.

Kevin De Bruyne- 8 (off 85)

His goal was the best moment in the game, after another superb performance from the No.17. De Bruyne’s pressing and range of passing were impressive as always, while he saw a good free-kick saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga in the second period.

Raheem Sterling- 8

His runs at Marcos Alonso resulted in the Spaniard picking up a booking in the first half and Sterling enjoyed a superb afternoon with his direct dribbling - Chelsea just couldn’t deal with it. The winger also fired a shot wide on 68 minutes and was our Man of the Match, just edging out De Bruyne.

Phil Foden- 6 (off 89)

Dropped deep throughout the game and looked to play in Sterling and Jack Grealish. Foden also fired a shot over in the latter stages of the game and was taken off with a minute remaining.

Grealish got better as the game progressed. Credit: Getty.

Jack Grealish- 6

Missed the biggest chance of the opening 45 minutes when his chipped effort was saved by Arrizabalaga. After a quiet first half, Grealish came more to life in the second period with a few dangerous cross and dribbles.

Ilkay Gundogan (on 85), Gabriel Jesus (on 89)

Chelsea player ratings

Arrizabalaga 6; Rudiger 7, Silva 7, Sarr 6; Azpilicueta 6, Kovacic 7, Kante 6, Alonso 5 (Mount 80) ; Pulisic 5 (Werner 69; 4), Ziyech 5 (Hudson-Odoi 69; 5); Lukaku 4.