Manchester City capitalized on two key defensive mistakes committed by Mourinho’s men and achieved revenge from the result they suffered two weeks ago, and more importantly an FA Cup quarterfinal berth.
Gk: Cech
Cech spilled a shot from Toure that he should have held onto, this resulted in Jovetic smacking the rebound off the post. Hardly at fault for the two goals, but was very lucky his spill that Lescott turned in was called off for offside.
RB: Ivanovic
Ivanovic was sound defensively, allowed Silva little room to create and closed down runs down the right hand side very well. The Serbian was limited in advancing forward to assist in the attack as City were all over the ball today and allowed Chelsea little time on the ball.
CB: Cahill
The Englishman is quickly becoming a fan favorite at the club, his performances have spoken volumes of his ability and willingness to sacrifice his body for the team. He played well in the center of defense, even though he was often left to mop up many of Luiz’s mistakes.
CB: Luiz
David slotted in quite nicely into the back four. However he managed to over-think every ball he won out on the pitch, when he could easily possess and distribute he often times tried a bit of skill and left his teammates to clean up his mess.
LB: Azpilicueta
The Spaniard was simply all over the place today, at fault for the first City goal as he over committed to the center of the pitch and allowed Jovetic to roam freely into the box. Late in game he wasted a good chance from just outside the area, as he blasted it high and wide, it was simply not his day.
CDM: Matic
Contrary to the premier league encounter two weeks ago between these two, it was Matic who fell victim to Yaya Toure this time around. The Serbian simply could not match the physical menace that is the Ivorian. This cost Chelsea, Matic won the midfield battle two weeks ago for the Blues, this time around he could not cement his presence in midfield.
CDM: Obi Mikel
A surprise inclusion into today’s starting eleven, he was penciled in alongside the Serbian. He was largely quiet, as a defensive midfielder, that isn’t a good sign. Along with his teammates, he simply could not get into a position to disrupt City’s attack.
RW: Ramires
The Brazilian was employed in a wide role to allow for the Nigerian to set up shop along side Matic. Ramires simply wasn’t able to set himself into that role, we saw him lose possession on various occasions and overall he just seemed lost.
CAM: Willian
Willian was in dire need of rest, and this was portrayed out on the pitch. The very pace and skill which tore apart City’s defense two weeks ago was not present at all out there today. He was lethargic in his passing, and was uncommitted in tracking back and defending.
LW: Hazard
The little Belgian was far from the form expected of him by Chelsea supporters. He had a few good runs, but none that truly penetrated the City back four. Perhaps rest would have been best for Hazard, as he appeared to be running on empty towards the 2nd half.
ST: Eto’o
Samuel, this time around, offered very little going forward, as Chelsea found it more difficult to possess the ball, he was justly pulled off at the half for Mohammed Salah, who would offer more pace and movement up front.
Substitutes:
RW: Salah
Salah was brought into the match in place of Eto’o and played as a false 9, it was only after Torres was introduced that he moved over to the right flank. Even then his passing was off, as he seems to still be adjusting to the style of play.
ST: Torres
If there was ever a case of a player on the pitch who seemed not to care about the result, the Spaniard had it painted all over his face today. Torres seemed out of place, and uninterested in the proceedings tonight. This can particularly be blamed on his return from injury, however a player of his caliber should have put forth a bit more effort.
