Manchester City’s class pulled them away from Chelsea after the break on a night when Jack Grealish shone and Gareth Southgate was heartened by Kalvin Phillips’ 41-minute cameo that more than doubled his previous total season game-time ahead of Thursday’s announcement of the England manager’s World Cup squad.
City, who have a fond relationship with this trophy, deserved to win, and Grealish’s sparkling display is a nice augury for the Three Lions’ hopes in Qatar. Pep Guardiola, though, will focus solely on how his side’s obsessive will to win carried them through in a cup the club has claimed six times in nine years.
After a blue-themed pre-kick-off laser show, those in the lighter shade took their customary possession of the ball and invited those garbing a darker hue to chase it, as a slaloming Grealish run ended in the winger going down hurt before recovering.
The encounter’s noise reflected a clash of heavyweights who last met in this cup in February 2019 when a 4-3 penalty shootout win took City to the second of the four-in-a-row triumphs claimed under Guardiola, who gave another start to the 17-year-old Rico Lewis and named Phillips on the bench ahead of Southgate’s announcement.
Further City pressure came via Grealish and Sergio Gómez, whose cross skimmed way past Édouard Mendy to the right wing. When Stefan Ortega had an opening clearance Chelsea stood as high as his 18-yard line but City passed through them.
In a flash Gómez located Julián Álvarez whose flick released the effervescent Grealish. Another burst and he teed up Álvarez and when play broke it was the England man, again, who fired wide from range.
Lewis Hall, an 18-year-old making his senior Chelsea bow, took the game to the hosts by leaving Lewis behind in a phase that ended with Hakim Ziyech crossing for Christian Pulisic: he should have scored but a powder-puff effort hit Lewis and Ortega repelled.
There was a pleasing zip to the contest that had Pulisic foraging forward, then City racing to the other end and Cole Palmer shooting into Mendy’s hands.
Pace and power next featured when Armando Broja knocked over Rúben Dias – illegally – and the imperious Grealish was upended by Kalidou Koulibaly.
Ilkay Gündogan’s free-kick for the latter infringement went for a corner and Grealish pinged it in and Chelsea cleared. Soon, the German saw an attempt gathered by Mendy before Graham Potter’s men scampered downfield and claimed a corner.
Breathless stuff, and the gaps Chelsea punched in City a rarity, as Pulisic skated infield and unloaded with no defender near.
The roll-call of chances were added to by an Álvarez attempt winning the tie’s eighth corner, Lewis’s quickfire ball demanding a finisher, and Hall spurning a gilded opening he engineered.
At the break Chelsea could be happier as they had disrupted City’s rhythm and control.
A Broja squeeze on Ortega – he just about managed to clear – signalled the second stanza might be as vibrant as the opener, and after Álvarez pickpocketed Mateo Kovacic and Marc Cucurella had to challenge Riyad Mahrez to recover, the impression was confirmed.
In the 49th minute Bernardo Silva replaced Gündogan and Phillips entered for Rodri as Grealish – twice – forced Mendy into saves. Trevor Chalobah’s foul on Mahrez gave the Algerian a chance to float a free-kick in and he did – the ball may have flicked Broja in the wall, as Mendy was beaten to his left.
Chelsea’s response: a Ziyech cross-shot hybrid that Ortega palmed for a corner from which the same attacker blazed wide. Now, though, City struck again – a second created and finished by Álvarez.
Grealish, who was everywhere, tapped the ball to the striker and he dropped a 40-yard cross-field parabola onto Mahrez’s toe. The No 26, lurking on the right, ducked into his left foot and had Mendy diving low to save only to see the predatory Álvarez following up to register.
From this juncture, a long way back for Chelsea. They nearly made it halfway when Ziyech out-foxed Gómez and laid the ball to Hall but the youngster scuffed the shot and Ortega tipped away.
City’s support applauded the introduction of Raheem Sterling but yet another of Southgate’s men did nothing to affect the scoreline. At the close, though, he, Grealish and Phillips appeared unscathed.
