Five Things Learned: Manchester City 4-2 Chelsea (Pre-Season Friendly) | OneFootball

Manchester City conclude their pre-season tour of the United States with a resounding 4-2 victory over Chelsea in Columbus, Ohio.

Following three consecutive defeats Stateside, the blues finally managed to claim their first victory in pre-season on Saturday night, sweeping aside Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea in an alarmingly comfortable manner.

A couple of unforced errors gave City a cheap lead inside five minutes, the first of which coming from an error at the back which led to Reece James bringing Erling Haaland down in the penalty area, who put his spot-kick away in composed fashion via a retake.

Moments later, another mistake in defence was pounced upon by the Norwegian striker, who punished Chelsea for their naive approach to the game early on.

Chelsea found their feet eventually, but early into the second-half, Oscar Bobb would make it three, igniting a typical mazy run, driving into the penalty area before unleashing a shot on his left foot into the bottom right corner, leaving Robert Sanchez hopeless.

Haaland then decided to add insult injury, when he almost comically found himself in possession after yet another defensive mistake, to make it 4-0 to Manchester City and turn a harmless pre-season fixture into a seriously concerning turn out for Chelsea.

Fortunately for the London side, the attackers were not quite as bad as their defence, and so when the ball came to ex-City player Raheem Sterling inside the penalty area, he made no mistake in closing the deficit down to three with a venemous left-footed volley.

In the latter stages of the game, Chelsea did manage to half the deficit through Noni Madueke, who received a ball through the middle before driving into the box and slotting it cooly past Scott Carson.

With plenty of talking points in the match, here are Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s 4-2 victory over Chelsea in Ohio!

Kalvin Phillips: A renaissance on the cards?

Kalvin Phillips has visibly struggled in his Manchester City career to date. Whether it’s trying to be the man that can give Rodri a break, or playing alongside the Spaniard to enable others to venture forward, it simply hasn’t worked for the Yorkshireman.

However, the last couple of games have seen Phillips drop into defence, playing as a centre-back, where he has miraculously thrived and looked the most comfortable, which begs the question; is there still time to turn it around at Manchester City for Phillips?

Well, probably not. But if we didn’t ask these sorts of questions, what would be the point of watching pre-season?

Oscar Bobb feels like a new signing!

Electric feet, hypnotising skills and contributing on all fronts. No, it’s not a description of Ronaldinho, it’s even better – it’s Oscar Bobb.

The Norwegian made a name for himself in a Manchester City shirt away at Newcastle last season, scoring a last minute winner in some style, but the following months saw limited action for the forward.

His pre-season performances have been impossible to ignore, and his goal against Chelsea was another reminder that despite the lack of signings this summer for the blues, the answer may be on the inside with the academy delivering Oscar Bobb to the first team this season.

A single victory in pre-season – a cause for concern?

Whether you watch for individual talents or to get your weekly fix of the club, pre-season is notorious for “upsets” in football, but is there any substance behind the three defeats sustained this year for City?

While Pep Guardiola alluded to the fact that he expects his side to start slowly this upcoming season, results in pre-season are no reflection of that. With so many key players still on holiday, the US tour was simply about getting minutes in the legs for those that need it.

The perfect season opener for City!

When the 2024/25 fixtures were released, the instant dread of having Chelsea away on the opening day of the season came, but following the game on Saturday night, it may actually be the perfect time to play the London side.

With some abhorrent defensive errors and miscommunications all over the park, it became evident that Chelsea are a side in transition, with a complete lack of rhythm coursing throughout the side in the early days under Enzo Maresca.

On paper, the opening fixture presents a tough test for the defending champions, but you would imagine that Pep Guardiola and his players will be licking their lips at the prospect following on from Saturday’s ordeal.

Payback at Wembley Stadium awaits!

With the conclusion of pre-season brings the commencing of the domestic season, which starts with a chance at revenge, as Manchester City take on rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield next Saturday.

After the disappointing result in the FA Cup final in May, City will be looking to reclaim bragging rights and start the season strongly, with Erik Ten Hag standing in the way of the blues and yet another piece of silverware for Pep Guardiola and his players.