Chelsea vs Man City LIVE!

Erling Haaland scored his 91st goal in his 100th appearance for Manchester City on Sunday as the champions kicked off their Premier League title defence with a lively 2-0 away win over Chelsea. The big Norwegian, fed by Bernardo Silva, forced his way between Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana and finished neatly past Robert Sanchez in the 18th minute.

Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic made sure of victory for the visitors six minutes from time, racing through a disorganised Chelsea midfield and thumping the ball into Sanchez's net. Chelsea, in their first Premier League outing under new manager Enzo Maresca, fashioned some hopeful attacking moves through Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and recent signing Pedro Neto but were largely outclassed by their more composed visitors.

Read back Chelsea vs Man City via Standard Sport’s match blog, featuring updates from reporters Dan Kilpatrick and Nick Purewal at the ground.

Chelsea vs Man City updates

• GOAL! Kovacic drills home to settle game

• GOAL! Haaland fires home the opener

• Score prediction

Player ratings

18:37 , Alex Young

Here’s how Nick Purewal rated those on show.

Full-time!

18:27 , Alex Young

96min: There’s the whistle! City begin with another win, but it’s defeat for Maresca and Chelsea.

18:26 , Alex Young

95min: Fernandez has a pop from distance, which is straight at Ederson.

18:22 , Alex Young

91min: Five minutes added on.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

18:19 , Alex Young

City's pursuit of a fifth consecutive title is surely off to a winning start, then.

Maresca will be furious at how easy it was for Kovacic to march to the edge of the box, while the camera briefly panned to the directors' box and showed Todd Bohely heading inside.

GOAL!

18:16 , Alex Young

84min: That’s that! Kovacic drills home from the edge of the area after a run from deep - but should Sanchez have saved that?

18:14 , Alex Young

81min: Cucurella sits on the bench rather than down the tunnel, which is a good sign you’d think.

18:11 , Alex Young

79min: Cucurella is down and Fernandez immediately signals for a substitution.

He’s up, but hobbling. Veiga is warming up to come on.

18:08 , Alex Young

75min: Doku almost slips in Haaland into the area, but Caicedo does well to cut out the pass.

18:06 , Alex Young

73min: City pushing for a second as Lewis’ cross into Haaland inside the area is cut out.

17:58 , Alex Young

67min: Lavia and Jackson make way.

17:57 , Alex Young

66min: Colwill looks in a lot of pain. Haaland gets booked.

Guiu and Dewsbury-Hall are coming on.

NO GOAL!

17:57 , Alex Young

65min: Lewis thinks he has doubled the lead after firing home inside the area, but the referee pulls back the play for a foul from Haaland on Colwill.

Nick Purewal at Stamford Bridge

17:55 , Alex Young

It’s the classic case of anywhere else on target and Chelsea score, as Nicolas Jackson flicks straight at Ederson from point-blank range. Hit the target in any other point, and Chelsea would be level. But City still lead 1-0 past the hour.

17:53 , Alex Young

61min: How have Chelsea not scored?!

Neto has had a great impact, putting the ball on a plate for Fofana to flash a header just wide. The ball comes back in through Gusto and Jackson looks certain to score, at full stretch, but volleys straight at Ederson.

17:51

59min: Oh my, Neto almost with an equaliser less than a minute after coming on! He’s coming in at the back post but Lewis gets a toe in front first.

17:50 , Alex Young

58min: Nkunku makes way.

17:48 , Alex Young

57min: Neto is set to be introduced by his debut.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

17:47 , Alex Young

Robert Sanchez is under pressure for his place at Chelsea from summer signing Filip Jorgensen but the Spaniard is doing his chances of remaining as No1 no hardm so far.

Having saved brilliantly from Jeremy Doku in the first half, he has just made a smart stop to deny Haaland. City, though, have emerged from the interval with fresh purpose - and last season's player of the year Phil Foden.

17:46 , Alex Young

55min: Neto, Madueke, Mudryk and Dewsbury-Hall all sent out to warm up.

17:45 , Alex Young

54min: Lovely defensive work from Foden to stop Cucurella cutting the ball back into the City area.

17:43 , Alex Young

52min: Haaland forces Sanchez into a full-stretch save after Bernardo nicked the ball off Chelsea.

You would have bet on Haaland scoring that.

17:41 , Alex Young

49min: Decent move from Chelsea ends with Jackson tackling his own captain in the City area as Fernandez went to shoot.

They’ve not been great today.

17:39 , Alex Young

47min: Sanchez fluffs a clearance straight at De Bruyne, but the City man cannot capitalise.

Second half

17:37 , Alex Young

46min: ...and we’re back underway!

17:37 , Alex Young

Foden is coming on for Savinho at the break.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

17:31 , Alex Young

Boos at the whistle, although they are for referee Simon Hooper rather than the Blues, who had three penalty appeals waved away during a decent first-half display. Erling Haaland's goal is the difference but plenty of encouragement for new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca so far.

Nick Purewal at Stamford Bridge

17:22 , Alex Young

Chelsea end the half in the ascendancy, but unable to find a leveller. Enzo Fernandez was upended again in the box, but as before, there was no penalty.

Then Nkunku could not fire away a clean shot after being played through by Jackson’s smart turn and pass.

Half-time!

17:22 , Alex Young

51min: Nkunku takes on Lewis by trying to cut inside, but the City defence stands tall... and there’s the whistle!

17:19 , Alex Young

49min: Fernandez takes another tumble in the area and again the referee says no penalty. He made a right meal of that one.

17:16 , Alex Young

46min: Five minutes added on.

NO GOAL!

17:15 , Alex Young

44min: A big, big sigh of relief from Ederson as he fumbles a Palmer shot and Jackson bundles home the rebound... but the Chelsea man is offside.

Nick Purewal at Stamford Bridge

17:13 , Alex Young

The City fans hurl abuse at Fernandez as he lines up a corner, stood straight in front of the travelling support.

The visiting fans chant: “You racist b******, you know what you are,” in the first evidence that the summer’s controversies will not be forgotten any time soon by Chelsea’s rivals.

17:11 , Alex Young

41min: De Bruyne is up, but now Savinho is down.

17:11 , Alex Young

40min: De Bruyne is down and needing treatment after a lunging challenge from Caicedo.

17:10 , Alex Young

39min: Neat move from Chelsea sees Nkunku head Palmer’s cross to the back post down to Jackson, who lays it off for Fernandez to have a pop... but Akanji is there with the block.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

17:08 , Alex Young

Some reports of chants for Conor Gallagher from the Chelsea fans. I didn't hear them myself but not exactly what Enzo Maresca needs, particularly given the scoreline and Sterling's pre-match statement. I'll keep an ear out...

17:08 , Alex Young

38min: Corner comes to nothing.

SAVE!

17:08 , Alex Young

37min: Doku continues to look much more comfortable cutting in from the left, this time sending a dipping effort at the Chelsea goal which Sanchez has to tip over.

17:07 , Alex Young

36min: Chelsea break through Jackson, who is a yard offside, but the move has to continue until it breaks down... which is a good 40 seconds or so. Such a waste of time.

17:06 , Alex Young

35min: Haaland is getting in such brilliant spaces but not being found nearly enough. Chelsea keep losing him in the area, but his City team-mates aren’t finding him.

17:04 , Alex Young

33min: Fernandez gets pushed over inside the City area by Savinho in a really clumsy challenge, but the referee is just yards away and not interested in a penalty.

Borderline, that one.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

17:02 , Alex Young

Getting Cole Palmer into the game feels like Chelsea's best route to an equaliser.

The England forward has so far been marginal, occasionally drifting in from the right flank but yet to find space to get a shot away.

17:00 , Alex Young

30min: Doku and Savinho swapping flanks has helped. Both looked far more comfortable.

16:59 , Alex Young

29min: Chelsea have reacted well to going behind, Nkunku is particularly busy and Palmer trying to get more involved.

16:57 , Alex Young

26min: Load groans from the Chelsea fans as Nkunku looks to have got the better of Akanji inside the City area but is penalised by the ref.

Looked soft, but the right decision.

16:53 , Alex Young

22min: Almost a second for City as De Bruyne ducks into space and curls an effort from 25 yards, which flies narrowly wide.

Nick Purewal at Stamford Bridge

16:52 , Alex Young

A promising Chelsea start is undone in moments by a classic Haaland finish. Doku’s ball in from the wing might have been harmless enough, but Bernardo Silva’s flick across the area wrongfooted the Chelsea defence.

After that Haaland did the rest, with a calm finish to clip the visitors into the lead.

GOAL!

16:50 , Alex Young

18min: Out of almost nothing, and brilliant from Haaland.

Doku switches to the left, cuts inside and finds Haaland to take a touch, hold off Cucurella and fire past Sanchez.

Goal is checked for offside, but it’s clear.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

16:48 , Alex Young

Marc Cucurella's turnaround has been quite something. Not long ago, he was a punchline at Stamford Bridge but now he's a European champion with Spain and the Blues' nailed-on first choice left-back.

He's made a solid start here, prompting Jeremy Doku and Savinho to swap wings, leaving the Brazilian up against him down City's right.

16:47 , Alex Young

17min: It’s been a fairly even opening today, Chelsea going toe to toe with the champions so far.

16:45 , Alex Young

14min: A smart pass from Fernandez to feed Jackson into the final third, who looks up and probably should try to find Nkunku in pass but instead takes on Dias, and there’s only one winner there.

16:42 , Alex Young

12min: Another miserable effort from Doku, this time cutting in onto his left foot and trying to find the far corner... but almost finds the corner flag instead.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

16:41 , Alex Young

It's been a decent enough start for Enzo Maresca's Chelsea, who are knocking the ball about confidently and have threatened to get behind Man City's high line on a couple of occasions.

Given how City tend to grow into the season, I think there's no better time to play the champions than the opening day.

16:40 , Alex Young

10min: Palmer sends in the cross, aimed at Fofana who blazes it over.

16:40 , Alex Young

9min: Haaland held at the corner, but no foul given. Up and other end, Chelsea break through Gusto, whose cross is cut out for a Blues corner.

16:39 , Alex Young

8min: Smart from Savinho to slip in Bernardo to shoot, and win a corner.

16:36 , Alex Young

6min: Gusto thinks he’s won a corner off Gvardiol, but the referee has other ideas. Loud moans from the Chelsea fans, but replays show it was the correct decision.

16:35 , Alex Young

4min: Miserable cross from Doku with Haaland in space at the back post.

That was a real chance, completely wasted.

16:33 , Alex Young

3min: Looks like Nkunku on the left, Palmer on the right and Jackson through the middle for Chelsea. Fernandez the most advanced of the midfield three.

16:32 , Alex Young

2min: Early possession from City sees Lewis scamper down the right and send a cross into the side netting.

Chelsea vs Man City | Kick-off!

16:30 , Alex Young

1min: Here we go!

Chelsea vs Man City

16:27 , Alex Young

Man City fans still booing the Premier League anthem.

Chelsea vs Man City

16:26 , Alex Young

Here they come.

Chelsea vs Man City | Not long now

16:23 , Alex Young

The teams are back in the dressing rooms.

Chelsea vs Man City | 100 club for Erling Haaland

16:15 , Alex Young

How many will this man get today? Erling Haaland makes his 100th appearance for City today.

Chelsea vs Man City | What happened last time?

16:07 , Alex Young

The last time these two teams met at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, it was a 4-4 thriller settled by a Cole Palmer penalty in the 95th minute.

Palmer is back in the starting lineup, a year after leaving City. What impact will he have today?

It’s been 10 games since Chelsea beat Man City in any competition.

Dan Kilpatrick at Stamford Bridge

15:57 , Alex Young

It’s never dull at Chelsea. Within minutes of the club announcing Enzo Maresca’s first XI, Raheem Sterling’s camp have released a statement seeking “clarity” on the winger’s situation after he was left out of the squad against his former club.

Whatever happens on the pitch this afternoon, the new Blues boss now has another off-field drama to contend with.

Talking of which, Enzo Fernandez captains this side, despite having to apologise to his teammates over the summer for racist and homophobic chanting while on Argentina duty.

Chelsea vs Man City | Enzo Maresca on Enzo Fernandez as captain

15:52 , Alex Young

"He's one of the captains. He's not the only captain. But he is the captain today. I can see the team-mates, they like him as a player and as a man.

“All of us sometimes do some mistakes. The important thing is to recognise and it's finished."

Chelsea vs Man City | Enzo Maresca on Raheem Sterling

15:47 , Alex Young

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has moved to play down Raheem Sterling’s absence.

“The manager has to make some decisions,” he told Sky Sports. “Sometimes players don't like it, that's normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that."

Chelsea vs Man City | Raheem Sterling latest

15:41 , Alex Young

You can read more on Sterling’s omission, and the fallout from it, here.

Chelsea vs Man City | Raheem Sterling drama

15:38 , Alex Young

Another day, another disgruntled player at Chelsea.

Sterling has signed as a marquee player just two years ago, and is now playing under his sixth different head coach.

Maresca described him as “an important player” during pre-season, but there is no room for him in the squad today.

Chelsea vs Man City | Raheem Sterling left out

15:29 , Alex Young

Raheem Sterling’s camp have released a statement following the player’s omission from Enzo Maresca’s first squad.

It reads: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.

“He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.

“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.

“‘Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”

More when we get it.

Chelsea vs Man City | Team news in full

15:22 , Alex Young

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, W Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Jackson, Nkunku

Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Tosin, Veiga, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, Mudryk, Neto, Guiu

Man City XI: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, De Bruyne; Savinho, Silva, Doku; Haaland

Subs: Ortega, Walker, Stones, Ake, Grealish, Nunes, Foden, O'Reilly, McAtee

Man City XI

15:16 , Alex Young

...and the champions!

Chelsea XI

15:16 , Alex Young

Enzo Maresca’s first line-up.

Chelsea vs Man City | Team news

15:13 , Alex Young

Kevin De Bruyne is expected to start. Confirmed XIs in one minute.

Chelsea vs Man City | Team news

15:03 , Alex Young

Early unconfirmed reports suggest Savinho starts for Man City this afternoon.

Head-to-head record

14:59 , Marc Mayo

This match was an absolute classic last season, with Cole Palmer’s dramatic stoppage-time penalty securing a thrilling 4-4 draw against his former club in the November rain at Stamford Bridge.

The return fixture at the Etihad Stadium ended 1-1 after Rodri’s late equaliser, before City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley in April thanks to Bernardo Silva’s late goal.

City had previously won six on the bounce against Chelsea, who have not won a game against the champions since May 2021.

Chelsea wins: 71

Man City wins: 66

Draws: 41

Chelsea vs Man City | Team news imminent

14:59 , Alex Young

With the new Premier League rule about team news, we should be getting both line-ups in 15 minutes.

A debut for Neto? Will Foden start?

Chelsea vs Man City | Countdown to kick-off

14:47

We’re now within two hours of kick-off in west London.

Not far away, Brentford lead Crystal Palace by a goal to nil courtesy of Bryan Mbeumo’s strike.

And we have some esteemed company at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League trophy!

Chelsea vs Man City | Score prediction

14:35 , Marc Mayo

You should of course never read too much into pre-season form and results, while Chelsea matched City well in every match they played against them last term.

However, despite that, it’s not hard to see this being a very tough start indeed to the Maresca era.

Chelsea’s frustrating summer campaign was littered with alarming defensive woes that will be fully punished again by Haaland and Co if repeated this weekend.

The Blues showed enough in pre-season to suggest that they will create plenty of chances, but they will also likely concede plenty of goals and despite another big-spending transfer window so far still don’t have a quality out-and-out striker to capitalise on the opportunities that will be presented.

Man City to win, 3-1.

Our prediction for the Man City XI

14:20 , Marc Mayo

Predicted Man City XI: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, De Bruyne; Silva, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Injuries: Bobb, Rodri

Doubts: Foden, Walker, Stones

Early Man City team news

14:10 , Marc Mayo

Jack Grealish could feature after sustaining a knock in training and missing the Community Shield at Wembley, though Brazilian winger Savinho could make his Premier League debut after joining from sister club Troyes.

Oscar Bobb will not feature after fracturing a bone in his leg and being ruled out for three to four months following surgery.

Rodri, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and John Stones have all now returned to training after taking extended breaks following their runs to the final of Euro 2024, but Rodri has been ruled out in a major blow for City.

Early Chelsea team news

13:40 , Marc Mayo

Chelsea are without captain Reece James, who is currently nursing another hamstring injury and is also suspended for this game after his sending off against Brighton at the end of last season.

Nicolas Jackson came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Inter at Stamford Bridge last weekend following an ankle issue that prevented him from playing at all in the USA, while Axel Disasi was also on the bench after recovering from hernia surgery.

Omari Kellyman and Djordje Petrovic have also been battling knocks.

The likes of new signings Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Filip Jorgensen and Marc Guiu will also hope to be in contention for their competitive Chelsea debuts, though Conor Gallagher is waiting to complete a move to Atletico Madrid having returned to London.

How we expect Chelsea to line up

13:34 , Marc Mayo

Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, W Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Guiu

Injuries: James

Suspensions: James

Not considered for selection: Chalobah, Gallagher, Broja, Lukaku

How to watch

13:32 , Marc Mayo

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage beginning at 4pm - after the conclusion of the London derby between Brentford and Crystal Palace.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.

Chelsea vs Man City LIVE!

13:16 , Marc Mayo

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Chelsea vs Man City.

The Premier League opening weekend takes us to west London with Brentford about to face Crystal Palace before Chelsea welcome the defending champions to Stamford Bridge.

Kick-off comes at 4.30pm BST and we’ll have Nick Purewal and Dan Kilpatrick reporting from the ground with the latest updates.

It promises to be an intriguing affair as Manchester City look to make an early mark on the title race, up against Enzo Maresca in his competitive debut as Chelsea boss.

Join us for all the build-up, team news, match action and reaction!