London, Sep. 25 (AP): Manchester City broke its run of losses to Chelsea by handing its Premier League title rival a first defeat of the season thanks to Gabriel Jesus’ deflected goal in a 1-0 win on Saturday.
In the latest match to highlight City’s need for a striker, Pep Guardiola’s team required a dose of fortune for the winner as Jesus took aim from just inside the area and the ball squirmed into the bottom corner off Chelsea midfielder Jorginho’s heel in the 53rd minute.
Chelsea had beaten City in their last three meetings — most recently in the Champions League final in May — but was largely outplayed at Stamford Bridge. Indeed, it wasn’t a bigger margin of victory only because of City’s lack of an out-and-out center forward.
The result lifted City above Chelsea in the standings, on goal difference after six games, but there was a greater significance to the victory.
After its strong start to the season — four wins, a draw at Liverpool and only one goal conceded — Chelsea had been anointed by increasing numbers as the title favorite this season.
But the way City dominated possession and reduced Chelsea to mostly long balls showed that Guardiola’s team, the defending champion, might still be the team to beat.
Although City has had some big wins this season, like the 5-0s against Norwich and Arsenal and a 6-3 over Leipzig in the Champions League, a 0-0 draw with Southampton last weekend was a glaring reminder of the fact Guardiola failed to sign a striker in the offseason to replace Sergio Aguero.
And against Chelsea, Guardiola’s team saw much more of the ball in midfield — the Spanish coach essentially played five attacking midfielders ahead of Rodri at the base — but there was no striker to make the kind of runs to finish off the flowing moves.
And, in the end, it required a lucky break to make the breakthrough after Joao Cancelo’s shot from the edge of the area landed at the feet of the Brazil forward, who was again used as a right winger at Stamford Bridge.
City regularly picked up Chelsea on the break after that, and only a goal-line clearance by Thiago Silva, who came on for the injured Reece James in the first half, prevented Jesus adding a second.
As for Chelsea, it had the kind of striker Guardiola craves — in RomeluLukaku — but he barely saw the ball. And when he did, his link-up play was off.
Bruno Fernandes missed an injury-time penalty as teammate Cristiano Ronaldo looked on in Manchester United’s 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
Villa defender KortneyHause was the hero for the visitors after he flicked a header into the net off a corner in the 88th minute for his team’s first victory over United since 2009.
But Hause was then whistled for a handball to set up the dramatic spot kick as United tried to rescue a point at Old Trafford.
Fernandes, who had converted a penalty in three consecutive Premier League games against Villa, adjusted the ball as Ronaldo stood nearby and then blasted it high over the crossbar.
United amassed 28 shots but just four were on target as it failed to score in a home Premier League game for the first time in 16 games.
It was United’s first loss of the Premier League season and second overall after a League Cup defeat in midweek.
United defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw came off injured during the game as the team looks ahead to a Champions League match at home on Wednesday against Spanish team Villarreal.