Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 to go 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to Kevin De Bruyne goaaaaaal.
City now has a 12-game winning streak in the Premier League and a seemingly insurmountable advantage at the top of the table.
Chelsea were on the back foot for lengthy stretches of the game at the Etihad Stadium, but they defended resolutely throughout. As City pounded on the door in the first half-hour, Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta were called upon to clear threatening crosses within their own box.
Before Phil Foden weaved his way past the Chelsea defense, De Bruyne saw an effort saved but no teammates near his pullback across the six-yard box.
Chelsea were caught in control in their own half and Jack Grealish was passed through, but Kepa Arrizabalaga sprinted off his line to make a fantastic stop to deny the £100 million man.
Chelsea came close to taking the lead right after the break with their first shot of the game. Mateo Kovacic snatched a loose ball and passed Romelu Lukaku down the middle, but Ederson saved his shot. Hakim Ziyech snatched the rebound and fired from 18 yards out.
As the game progressed, the eventual City winner was always a foregone conclusion. De Bruyne’s free kick was saved, and Sterling’s shot from the edge of the box went wide.
Then there was a flash of brilliance. De Bruyne collected a pass from Joao Cancelo with 20 minutes remaining and turned away from N’Golo Kante, avoiding the Frenchman’s effort to pull him down. He drove in from the left side of the field, hoping to unload a pass into the end zone. He wonderfully curled the ball into the far corner with no alternatives on, leaving Kepa with no chance.
Chelsea were unable to respond as City held on to triumph, leaving Liverpool with an almost insurmountable task of catching them in their pursuit of the Premier League crown.
