It was a frustrating afternoon for Jose Mourinho, who
saw his side outplayed by an exciting home side who could have been out
of sight during the first half
Manchester City sent out a statement of intent with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Premier League champions Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Perhaps surprisingly, Chelsea enjoyed more possession, attempted more passes and boasted a better passing accuracy than the hosts, but it was in the final third where Manuel Pellegrini's side dominated. City had more shots on goal by a distance than Jose Mourinho's men, who called Joe Hart into action just three times.
This game boasted two of the Premier League's star strikers and both will expect to be in the reckoning for the Premier League golden boot at the end of the season, but it was Aguero who came out on top at the Etihad. The Argentina international had four shots on target and, were it not for some exceptional Asmir Begovic saves, could have had a hat-trick in the first half.
Costa, by contrast, cut a frustrated figure. He hit the post in the closing stages but was otherwise unable to link up with the likes of Eden Hazard.
The average positions of the players on both sides tell part of the story of City's success and Chelsea's frustrations. Pellegrini's side were able to use Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas to create width and run in behind Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic, who struggled to deal with the twin threat of the £49 million man and Aleksandar Kolarov.
Chelsea comparatively adopted far more narrow positions and were unable to work their way through the City midfield, with Yaya Toure and Fernandinho both having fine afternoons at the heart of their team.
The attacking thirds for both sides also illustrate how City attacked down the flanks more than Chelsea, who had Ramires on the right hand side and Willian and Hazard working in tandem to fill the left hand side, though both played in far more central positions.
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