Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings: Sterling, Palmer dominate

LONDON — Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola went at it once again in a classic 4-4 draw as the Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings reflect a bonkers game at Stamford Bridge.

It ebbed and flowed, there were penalty kicks, Erling Haaland got a double and Chelsea equalized in the 93rd minute.

Below are the Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings, with marks out of 10 and analysis.

Chelsea player ratings

Robert Sanchez: 7 – Made a fine stop to deny Haaland in the first half and was solid throughout.

Reece James: 7 – Great assist for Sterling’s goal and was excellent in the first half. Tired in the second and subbed off.

Axel Disasi: 6 – A little shaky on the ball and had a tough time tracking Haaland.

Thiago Silva: 7 – Scored a lovely header to equalize and did his best to calm things down.

Marc Cucurella: 6 – Recovered well after giving away a penalty for hauling Haaland down. Hung in there but wasn’t easy against Foden, Walker and Alvarez who kept drifting out to his side.

Moises Caicedo: 7 – Won the ball back on plenty of occasions and helped Chelsea wrestle back spells of control. He’s really settling in well.

Enzo Fernandez: 6 – Didn’t really impact the game and lost Akanji for City’s second as he charged out. Subbed off early in the second half and wasn’t happy about it.

Cole Palmer: 8 – Another fine display. Great pass ahead of the second goal and almost scored after a wonderful mazy run. Coolest person in Stamford Bridge to slot home the late equalizer.

Conor Gallagher: 8 – All-action display as always and his thunderous strike led to Chelsea’s third goal. Always wants the ball and always keen to play forward.

Raheem Sterling: 8 – Got his goal against City and was a constant threat as he cut inside and created chances galore.

Nicolas Jackson: 7 – Scored his goal and although he struggled on the ball a little, he never stopped working the channels.

SubstitutesMalo Gusto (on for James, 64′): 6 – Missed a glorious chance but gave Chelsea fresh attacking impetus on the right. Mykhailo Mudryk (on for Fernandez, 64′): 5 – Didn’t really impact the game and a few bad giveaways.Armando Broja (on for Caicedo, 90′): 6 – Won the penalty kick for Chelsea’s fourth. A presence.Lesley Ugochukwu (on for Jackson, 90′): N/A

Manchester City player ratings

Ederson: 6 – Made a great stop to deny James’ free kick in the first half but an uncharacteristic error to spill a shot which led to Chelsea’s third. He had received some treatment just before that.

Kyle Walker: 7 – His pace bailed out City on multiple occasions in the first half as Chelsea looked to get in-behind. What a great defender he is.

Ruben Dias: 6 – A really tough outing for him with Sterling and Palmer cutting inside and making direct runs. Gave away the 92nd minute penalty kick which proved pivotal.

Manuel Akanji: 7 – Got his goal just before half time and was kept busy by Chelsea’s rotating forward line.

Josko Gvardiol: 5 – Really struggled against James and Palmer in the first half and still getting up to the speed of the Premier League. Tough for him out of position slightly at left back.

Rodri: 7 – His deflected effort looked to have won it for City and he loved the battle in midfield against Gallagher. His type of game.

Bernardo Silva: 7 – So silky on the ball and always had City moving on the front foot.

Phil Foden: 7 – Great first half as he went close with a curler and then heavily involved in Haaland’s second goal.

Julian Alvarez: 7 – Set up Haaland’s second and buzzed around in little pockets of space.

Jeremy Doku: 6 – A few good runs in the first half. Booked for diving in the second and then subbed off.

Erling Haaland: 7 – Got two goals and caused a nuisance of himself but switched off on Thiago Silva’s goal.

SubstitutesJack Grealish (on for Doku, 59′): 6 – Had a few good runs but couldn’t find the correct final ball. Mateo Kovacic (on for Alvarez, 79′): 7 – Some great challenges and got City going again.