There were times when it felt like the great winter collapse of Manchester City might have a remarkable new chapter, shaped by the misfortune of their youngest new recruit, but out there on the brink Pep Guardiola’s players did at last show that they still know what it takes to win difficult matches.

It could have been disastrous, principally around the City debut of the 20-year-old Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who looked at times as if he had been asked to play a different sport. For this £33.8 million signing from Lens, two errors in the first 10 minutes, one of which led to a Chelsea goal, was more than a little traumatising. The close-up shots captured the discomfiture of a young man far from home and, in a football sense at least, all at sea. But somehow his team-mates guided him through 57 minutes that could have been much bleaker.

It would be hard to say that City are back – because Guardiola and his sporting director Txiki Begiristain are trying to recast the team mid-season – but certainly something was back of the old City. It was Erling Haaland and Phil Foden who scored the two second-half goals that won the game. It was Bernardo Silva who took responsibility for most of the deeper possession while Khusanov treated the ball with all the relish of a man-handling live ordnance. It was Josko Gvardiol, the left-back who moonlights as a centre-forward, who scored the crucial first goal.

Khusanov would eventually depart with the score at 1-1 to a warm round of applause that was part reassurance from the home support and part relief that the tension of his every touch was lifted. In the aftermath of his second error, conceding possession and then a foul on Cole Palmer that led to a booking, Khusanov had refused to move forward when passed the ball. Given that Guardiola’s system relies on, among many things, his centre-halves stepping into space with the ball, it had become a problem.

Asked how Khusanov had responded, Guardiola was sufficiently relieved to be a little playful. “I’ll have to learn Russian to speak to him,” he said. “He doesn’t speak English fluently.” Guardiola dismissed concerns around the player’s long-term future and shrugged off the mistakes. Nevertheless, one assumes it may yet be some time before Khusanov is in a City XI again.

Not so his fellow debutant Omar Marmoush, who is Cup-tied for Wednesday’s big Champions League group stage finale. He looked very promising once he had decided where the offside line might be. Guardiola would chide his midfielders for not spotting the runs of the Egyptian in behind Chelsea’s high line.

For once City could take comfort in all the questions on long-term form being about the opposition. Starting with that defeat by Fulham on Boxing Day, Chelsea have now won only one in six league games including this, their third defeat of the run. Enzo Maresca ruminated on his team’s failure to punish City a second time on nine minutes, when Palmer overhit a ball square to Nicolas Jackson. The phase would end with a block from Khusanov, one of his better moments. Ultimately it was another player who would let down Maresca.

His goalkeeper Robert Sánchez made the fatal mistake of chasing a ball he was never likely to reach in the prelude to the second City goal on 68 minutes. Guardiola had noted that Chelsea had gone to a man-to-man system and encouraged his team to gamble on the long ball to Haaland. The striker got the run on Trevoh Chalobah and glanced up to see Sánchez well out of position, striking a left-foot shot over the goalkeeper to give City the lead.

It was the fifth error that Sánchez has made this season that has led directly to a goal. Maresca put a brave face on it but hinted that a change might now be unavoidable. “Scoring a second goal would have completely changed the game,” Maresca lamented. “Unfortunately we didn’t”.

He may wonder why Palmer was not more careful with that big second chance. Guardiola was deep in conversation with his former player after the game. “He [Palmer] was so generous,” Guardiola said of the error. “Normally in that situation, Cole is a machine.”

In the stands the Fifa president Gianni Infantino sat between the City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano. These two clubs will be the Premier League’s representatives at the Fifa Club World Cup in June and, as such, must be considered potential Fifa allies.

The City system was another unorthodox Guardiola creation that saw Matheus Nunes start in the right-back position but stay high and occasionally turn up in the central striker position. On the other side, at left-back, Gvardiol did much the same and the two of them would force the equaliser. Gvardiol ended the game with seven touches in the opposition box, the second-highest of any player on the pitch. It was from a Nunes run in the central position that City scored the equaliser, Gvardiol finishing the rebound

Haaland would hold off Chalobah to beat Sánchez for the second City goal. The striker’s confidence was such that on 87 minutes he pinned Levi Colwill and set Foden in on goal for the third.

08:14 PM GMT

Pep Guardiola’s verdict

We had a bad start and we were lucky that they couldn’t punish us by going 2-0 up but after that we recovered emotionally and were really, really strong. It was really important.

[How is Abdukodir Khusanov?] He doesn’t speak English so I haven’t asked him! He’ll be fine. He’s only had one or two training sessions. I didn’t want to risk John [Stones] from the start as he’s coming back from injury and we need him Wednesday. He will learn. Any player can make a mistake. You feel alone and it’s tough. But the players supported him.

[On Omar Marmoush] He had a tough, tough opponent in Reece James. He made some incredible runs but the players in the middle couldn’t see him.

08:03 PM GMT

Missed opportunity

07:45 PM GMT

Erling Haaland’s reaction

07:39 PM GMT

Friends reunited

07:25 PM GMT

FT: Man City 3 Chelsea 1

Manchester City’s rollercoaster season continues with a defiant victory over Chelsea. After an awful first 10 minutes, in which the debutant Abdukodir Khusanov gave away a goal and Cole Palmer wasted a big chance to make it 2-0, City grew into the game and by the end they were deserved winners.

Josko Gvardiol equalised just before half-time, Erling Haaland punished a bad mistake from Robert Sanchez and then made the third goal for Phil Foden. Chelsea were increasingly poor but City showed admirable character to fight back after such a desperate start.

07:24 PM GMT

90+5 min: Man City 3 Chelsea 1

Colwill, up for a corner, lashes a bouncing ball miles over the bar. An awkward chance.

07:22 PM GMT

90+3 min: Man City 3 Chelsea 1

With two minutes remaining, and City two goals ahead, Kevin De Bruyne takes the ball to the corner flag. Pragmatism is the new idealism.

07:20 PM GMT

90 min: Man City 3 Chelsea 1

Five minutes of added time. Madueke beats Gvardiol superbly on the right edge of the area only to whack a wasteful cross that goes out for a throw-in.

07:17 PM GMT

Goal!

87 min: Man City 3 Chelsea 1 (Foden) Game over. Ederson’s long ball forward is headed on by De Bruyne to Haaland, just past the halfway line. Haaland, who has had an outstanding second half, backs into the defender and frees Foden with a deft touch. He gallops from the centre circle to the penalty area and calmly slides the ball past Sanchez. An excellently worked goal to complete a deserved, defiant victory.

07:13 PM GMT

84 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

Palmer curls the free-kick to the far post and Gvardiol gets in front of Nkunku to clear. Chelsea are going down with a whimper.

07:12 PM GMT

83 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

Kovacic shoves Palmer over 30 yards from goal and is booked. It’s probably too far out for a shot...

07:11 PM GMT

82 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

Neto’s outswinging corner from the left almost breaks for Caicedo, whose poor touch allows City to clear.

07:09 PM GMT

81 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

Chelsea haven’t really threatened since going behind. That early chance aside, Cole Palmer has had one of his quieter games.

07:07 PM GMT

79 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

Bernardo Silva is booked for a tactical foul on Enzo Fernandez.

07:07 PM GMT

77 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

If it stays like this, Manchester City will move to fourth, above Newcastle on goal difference. Chelsea would be back in sixth, a point behind City and Newcastle.

07:03 PM GMT

74 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

City substitution Kevin De Bruyne replaces Omar Marmoush, who faded slightly in the second half but overall enjoyed a really promising debut.

07:03 PM GMT

73 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

Double substitution for Chelsea Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto replace Reece James and Jadon Sancho.

07:00 PM GMT

70 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1

If Chelsea lose this game they will regret their first-half passivity. They looked like a team who were given the keys to the kingdom but feared they were trespassing.

06:57 PM GMT

Goal!

68 min: Man City 2 Chelsea 1 (Haaland) City lead after a howler from Robert Sanchez! His opposite number Ederson made the goal by pinging a long pass out towards Haaland in the inside-right channel. Sanchez came, realised he couldn’t get there and was in no man’s land when Haaland cut inside Chalobah and chipped the ball nonchalantly into the net.

A terrific finish, but that was wretched goalkeeping.

06:56 PM GMT

67 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Haaland runs onto a long crossfield pass, turns inside and plays a good square pass to Marmoush in the D. He has a ball on to Foden but decides to go for goal himself. It’s a good effort that sweves just wide of the far post.

06:54 PM GMT

66 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Chelsea were such a threat in the first 20 minutes but they haven’t been able to maintain it. At the moment City feel marginally more likely to win the game.

06:51 PM GMT

63 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Nunes, who has been good going forward from right-back, wins a corner off Cucurella. Foden takes it short, gets it back and clips a deflected cross that is cleared by Madueke.

06:49 PM GMT

61 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Chelsea substitution This is anyone’s game. Both teams look dangerous at times, fragile at others. Chelsea bring on Christopher Nkunku for Nicolas Jackson.

06:47 PM GMT

58 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Caicedo is booked for repeat offending. Just before that, Jackson shot straight at Ederson from the left side of the area; he slipped as he was taking the shot.

06:44 PM GMT

55 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Trevor Chalobah was down for a few minutes after a challenge with Haaland, who I think might have landed on Chalobah’s shoulder. He’s on his feet now and is going to continue.

06:43 PM GMT

53 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

City substitution John Stones replaces the debutant Abdukodir Khusanov, who looked susceptible to a second yellow card. Pep Guardiola embraces him when he comes to the touchline.

06:41 PM GMT

52 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Colwill misses a long pass from Gundogan, allowing Haaland to get away in the inside-right channel. Colwill gets back but Haaland cuts inside and rams a low shot that is pushed away by the diving Sanchez. Decent save.

Chelsea break and Cucurella first over from the angle after good play by Madueke and Sancho.

06:38 PM GMT

49 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Kovacic slides a straight pass behind the Chelsea defence for Haaland, forcing Sanchez to run outside his area and boot clear.

06:36 PM GMT

48 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Madueke beats Gvardiol on the Chelsea right before being dispossessed by Marmoush. He’s had a really promising debut.

06:34 PM GMT

46 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

City begin the second half, kicking from right to left as we watch. No substitutions on either side.

06:28 PM GMT

Abdukodir Khusanov’s first half statistics

• Passes 42

• Pass completion 83.3%

• Tackles 0

• Interceptions 0

• Clearances 1

• Possession won 1

• Duels 4

• Duels won 1

• Aerial duels 1

• Aerial duels won 0

• Errors leading to shots (inc goals) 1

06:22 PM GMT

Half-time verdict

06:21 PM GMT

HT: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Madueke cuts inside from the right and whacks a shot that deflects just over the bar. That’s the end of a fascinating first half. It started desperately for City’s new defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who gave away a goal and was booked inside the first four minutes. But Chelsea couldn’t take advantage of City’s fragility and Josko Gvardiol, who along with Omar Marmoush was City’s main attacking threat, equalised shortly before half-time.

06:19 PM GMT

45 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1

Gary Neville, commentating on Sky, says Chelsea have left City off the hook and that they didn’t smell the vulnerability and really push for a second goal. He probably has a point.

06:15 PM GMT

Goal!

42 min: Man City 1 Chelsea 1 (Gvardiol) Josko Gvardiol equalises for City! Nunes made an excellent run behind the defence and moved through on goal. Cucurella make an excellent challenge but the ball ricocheted off the outrushing Sanchez to give Gvardiol an open goal. City deserve that.

06:13 PM GMT

41 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Chance for City! Gvardiol makes a superb angled run behind the Chelsea defence, controls a long pass forward and flicks the bouncing ball just wide with his left foot. He and Marmoush have been a real threat on that side.

06:13 PM GMT

39 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

I can’t remember the last time I noticed Khusanov, which is a good thing after such an awful start. Chelsea may feel they have missed a trick by not putting him and Nunes under more pressure.

06:10 PM GMT

37 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Marmoush has been City’s sharpest attacker by a fair distance. His main failing is that he’s been a bit overzealous at times, hence the offsides against him.

06:07 PM GMT

34 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Marmoush has a goal disallowed! Gundogan’s long-range shot is spilled by Sanchez, a poor piece of goalkeeping, but Marmoush was slightly offside before he put the loose ball away. He could actually have left it to the onside Bernardo Silva, though it’s easy to say that with hindsight.

06:03 PM GMT

32 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Marmoush’s deep cross is headed over by the stretching Foden. I think he was offside anyway.

06:00 PM GMT

29 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Palmer’s shot from the edge of the area takes a slight deflection and is saved comfortably by Ederson.

Ederson then makes a better stop from Jackson, who was put through on goal by Cucurella. He looked offside and the flag went up as soon as Ederson made the save.

05:59 PM GMT

28 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

This is a decent spell for City, though they still look vulnerable whenever Chelsea counter-attack. It’s a fascinating contest.

05:57 PM GMT

25 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Levi Colwill is booked for timewasting.

05:56 PM GMT

24 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Great chance for Gvardiol! City should be level. A cross from the right was flicked on by Haaland, missed by the stretching Madueke and collected by Gvardiol beyond the far post. He calmly moves away from James but then blazed a right-foot shot high and wide.

05:55 PM GMT

23 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

The lively Marmoush is fouled just outside the area by James. The free-kick is to the left of centre, so perfect for the right-footed Marmoush – but he slaps it into the wall.

05:53 PM GMT

21 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Gvardiol fizzes a low cross that just evades the sliding Marmoush in front of goal. He was offside so it wouldn’t have counted but that was better from City. Marmoush has made some really good off-the-ball runs infield from the left.

05:50 PM GMT

19 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea have been much the better team so far and are playing through City with precision and purpose. Khusanov is at least starting to settle down after that hideous start.

05:47 PM GMT

16 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

05:47 PM GMT

15 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Sancho beats his man with ease and fires a dangerous cross that is booted clear by Akanji. As Gary Neville points out on Sky, City look really vulnerable on the right side of the defence, where they have Matheus Nunes playing out of position at right-back and a 20-year-old making his debut at centre-back.

05:46 PM GMT

14 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

There has been so much going on that we haven’t had chance to dwell on that unusually sloppy pass from Cole Palmer to Nicolas Jackson. He’s normally so good in those situations but it was a fairly basic error.

05:42 PM GMT

10 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Foden hits the post! At the other end, Phil Foden thunders a left-foot shot from 20 yards that beats Sanchez and clatters off the outside of the right post.

05:42 PM GMT

9 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Great chance for Chelsea! It should be 2-0. Palmer was put clean through by Chalobah and tried to give the goal to Jackson, only to overhit a pretty routine pass. Jackson had to go wide to retrieve the ball and play it back to Sancho, whose shot was blocked.

Palmer was being played onside by poor Khusanov, although he recovered well to block Sancho’s goal and probably save a goal.

05:40 PM GMT

8 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

No response yet from City - or the home crowd, who seem stunned by the manner of Chelsea’s goal.

05:38 PM GMT

Watch: Madueke scores after Khusanov howler

05:37 PM GMT

6 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

There are plenty of precedents for Khusanov’s poor start. Gary Pallister, a British record signing, had a horrible debut for Manchester United at home to Norwich in 1989 but went on to win the PFA Player of the Year award in his second full season. For a few years he was the best centre-half in English football.

05:35 PM GMT

4 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1

Now Khusanov is booked for a desperate foul on Palmer. The poor kid has had an awful start to his Manchester City career.

05:34 PM GMT

Goal!

3 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 1 (Madueke) A nightmare start for Abdukodir Khusanov! His back header towards Ederson is horribly short and seized upon by Nicolas Jackson, who squares the ball to give Noni Madueke an open goal.

05:33 PM GMT

2 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 0

Marmoush, who has started on the left wing, has a shot beaten away by Sanchez after 65 seconds. He was fractionally offside but that was an encouraging start.

05:31 PM GMT

1 min: Man City 0 Chelsea 0

After a tribute to Denis Law, Tony Book and Billy Kennedy, who all died recently, Chelsea get the match under way.

05:18 PM GMT

A reminder of the teams

We don’t know yet whether Omar Marmoush will play wide or just behind Erling Haaland.

Man City (possible 4-3-3) Ederson; Nunes, Khusanov, Akanji, Gvardiol; Bernardo, Kovacic, Gundogan; Foden, Haaland, Marmoush.

Substitutes: Ortega, Stones, Grealish, De Bruyne, Vitor Reis, Savio, O’Reilly, Lewis, McAtee.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Pedro Neto, Nkunku, Dewsbury-Hall, Gusto, Acheampong, Guiu.

Referee John Brooks.

05:06 PM GMT

Back in town

05:04 PM GMT

Today’s Premier League results

• Bournemouth 5-0 Nottm Forest

• Brighton 0-1 Everton

• Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich

• Southampton 1-3 Newcastle

• Wolves 0-1 Arsenal

04:55 PM GMT

Signing Alejandro Garnacho will not solve Chelsea’s biggest issues

Will the Man Utd improve things at Stamford Bridge? Well, he might, but it is no guarantee and there are plenty of other issues.

So argues Matt Law.

04:44 PM GMT

The charts that show what is wrong with Manchester City

Mike McGrath analysed exactly where City’s problems have been in recent months. They did get over the worst of their run but a 4-2 defeat by PSG in the week underlines that they are a long way from fixed, despite some big wins. Read that here. 

04:16 PM GMT

Chelsea team news: Palmer and Sancho start against old club

04:15 PM GMT

Man City team news: Marmoush and Khusanov start

01:40 PM GMT

Jamie Carragher on City’s spending spree

Clubs used to be accused of making the occasional panic buy in January to save their season. The Premier League champions are taking the concept to another level. They need a panic transfer spree. It is unusual to see a club of such stature reacting like this mid-season, but they had no choice. This is a state of emergency at the Etihad and an admission that most of their recent recruitment has been poor.

Despite winning their fourth consecutive Premier League title last summer, they have failed to find suitable replacements for their legends. Now they need a quick fix. I have never seen such a monumental drop-off from an elite team.

Read more...

01:38 PM GMT

Walker has slipped away and nobody urged him to stay

By Sam Wallace

Kyle Walker heads to a club from the old elite of European football, the likes of whom modern City have done much to dislodge. AC Milan are well set in the Champions League, less so in Serie A, and going there will certainly not make Walker an afterthought in the way that a move to the Saudi Pro League would. Yet even so, it is a departure at a time when City might have expected their senior players to galvanise a squad plunged into unexpected trouble. Walker has gone – his departure a long time in the making.

Read more...

01:36 PM GMT

Preview

Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, minute-by-minute coverage of Manchester City v Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. If all goes to plan, this will be the symbolic birth of Pep Guardiola’s third great City team. Their new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are all in the squad for tonight’s game and, while nobody expects instant greatness, City will hope they can start to clean up the extraordinary mess of the past few months.

We thought they were doing that when they routed Ipswich 6-0 last Sunday and took a 2-0 lead at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Then they collapsed horribly to lose 4-2, leaving them in danger of elimination from the Champions League. Whether you’re partisan or neutral, it’s quite the headscratcher.

“When Rodri is here, when the defenders are here, when many players are here, we will not be 25th in the Champions League,” said Guardiola. “Sometimes when you live these situations and then you achieve it is a bigger success. I remember José (Mourinho), I don’t know the reality of United, but he said many times finishing second in that season (2017-18) was the biggest success. I understand completely.

“The team is exceptional but sometimes you have these situations and when you live these situations, of course, it is the bigger success. I think the hierarchy, the sports director, the CEOs, the players know that.

“I saw many times – three months ago, two months ago – that this season we are going to suffer, and it’s happened. Still, next season we’ll be back, really. Now, take time. It’s a question of survive, qualify, fight for the title if it’s possible, otherwise accept the reality that it’s completely different than we had in the last eight or nine years.

“We accept it, but we must never forget who we are, how good we are. We will move forward.”

Kick off 5.30pm.