French centre-back Axel Disasi gave a defensive masterclass for Chelsea during their 1-1 first division draw against city of manchester yesterday at the Etihad Stadium.
The London giants came into the match as underdogs and Pep Guardiola's team wanted to secure a comfortable victory. However, they put up a splendid display in the first half with Raheem Sterling opening the scoring. They could have easily been 2 goals ahead if Nicolas Jackson had taken advantage of his clear scoring opportunity.
In the second half, the Blues were more defensive to maintain the lead. Rodri finally equalized for the hosts after a great deflection from Trevoh Chalobah. Erling Braut Haaland missed two great scoring opportunities in the match, but Chelsea deserved a point based on their overall performance.
Disasi was undoubtedly the best player of the day. The Frenchman has been almost always present in the Blues' lineup since he arrived from Monaco last summer and yesterday he was exceptional at the back. The 25-year-old made a staggering 16 authorizations and won 100% of his aerial challenges. He also blocked 3 shots on goal.
He £36 million star was a big reason behind the result and fans hope that the defender can maintain his good form in the upcoming matches. Despite the close draw, Chelsea remain tenth in the Premier League standings, but are only 2 points away from seventh place, which could be enough for European football.
The Blues could book their place in the Europa Conference League play-offs next weekend if they win Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool start as favorites, but Chelsea have many things in their favor. Jurgen KloppThe team has a midweek game against Luton Town, while the Blues have a full week off.
The Merseyside giants are also missing key players such as Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold with injuries. Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota could also be left out of the long-awaited final after their first-half substitutions against Brentford yesterday. Chelsea may not have a better chance of beating Liverpool.
