May 2021 · Football · Champions League Final
Manchester City vs Chelsea: The missing midfielder
Manchester City took on Chelsea in an all-English Champions League final game on 29th May, 2021 in Porto, Portugal.
This was a first CL final for Manchester City, who were keen to add a first European trophy to their cabinet alongside all the domestic ones, the just-concluded Premier League included. Chelsea have been a thorn in their side of late however and with an impressive showing in the second half of the PL season under Tuchel, they would fancy their chances at becoming European champions a second time.
Let's walk through the action in graphic detail.
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Reading the Graphic
The graphic captures a passage of play, here minutes 3 to 13 of the match.
The area chart above the pitch shows the distribution of touches along the length of the field.
The pitch shows shots. Hover/tap on a shot for more info including Expected Goals (xG) value.
Play with the window right here, or scroll on for the walkthrough.
In the first half hour, City see more of the ball but both teams have shots at the goal.
Big chances for Werner (14', 0.39 xG) and Sterling (7', 0.22 xG), but they aren't able to convert.
The tables turn in terms of possession, with Chelsea edging out City on the ball.
At 41', Havertz gets on the end of a through ball from Mount and keeps a cool head to put Chelsea in the lead.
Half Time: MCI 0-1 CHE.
City keep most of the possession in search of an equaliser but Chelsea stay tight in defence, not giving too much by way of space or chances.
City also lose Kevin de Bruyne to a swollen eye injury, and with it potential creativity and venom in midfield.
A similar story plays out in the last 20 minutes, City continue to push with most of the possession but Chelsea are solid and of course, get some chances on the counter themselves.
Turns out the one goal is good enough for Chelsea who see out the game and are crowned champions of Europe.
Full Time: MCI 0-1 CHE.