The same must now also be said regarding us winning it. If we were to win this and nothing else this season would we remember fondly this day? I doubt it. For the moment though it is something which we should enjoy and embrace with a pretty decent performance from the blues.
I was kind of hoping, with Joe Hart his way out of the club, that maybe Pep might give him one more game. That wasn't the case and instead it was Claudio Bravo in between the sticks for the Blues. An Anglo-French back line of Walker and Stones back from World Cup duty with England alongside Frenchmen Mendy and Laporte.
Aymeric, of course, didn't partake in the World Cup but Mendy returns a World Cup winner. In front of those was the ever reliable Fernandinho. With Kevin DeBruyne, Raheem Sterling and David Silva absent from the midfield it gave the chance for others to impress. New signing Riyad Mahrez joined Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva in midfield, with local lad Phil Foden also getting a run out. Up front, Aguero.
Once the National Anthem had been sung, flame throwers set off and teams introduced, it was down to the action. Certainly, in the opening exchanges, City had the better of their opponents. Down the left wing Mendy was finding space or finding Bernardo in space. The opening five minutes saw a Mahrez shot blocked and a tight pull back just out of Aguero's reach.
Despite the pace, and the ferocity of City, you could still tell it was pre-season. Loose passes were more frequent than you'd expect with communication from the Chelsea side in particular left a lot to be desired. They, who only installed their manager during pre-season, had Caballero in goal. The ex City second choice seemingly with the potential to be number one if rumors of Courtois' move to Madrid is to be believed.
Also missing was Eden Hazard, as expected, with a competitive debut for Jorginho. Chelsea's only signing to date joined after his old boss went to Stamford Bridge. City were initially in for the midfielder but decided to end their pursuit when it became clear what was going on behind the scenes.
To be fair he didn't have the greatest of games, seemingly lacking the pace needed. He was guilty of more than his fair share of giveaways, but I am not going to jump on his back and say I'm glad we didn't get him. I think he might take a bit to get used to the League, but he is a talent. Although I don't want anyone at the club who doesn't want to come.
Manchester City made their domination count in the 13th minute with Aguero slotting past Caballero. Aguero, fed by Phil Foden, scoring his 200th competitive goal for Manchester City. Sane had the chance to double the lead soon after but a heavy first touch put if in the Chelsea keepers hands.
Our own keeper had some nervy moments too as Chelsea enjoyed their best spell of the game. Once the game resumed after a water break, Bravo spilled a shot directly at him. John Stones rescued the Chilean by hooking the ball away. Then, just before the half, he allowed a ball to bounce over his head. I don't think it would have ended up in the net, but it certainly put hearts in mouths for a second.
At half time the stats were surprising to me with City having less possession than their opponents. However the total shots and shots on target were double that of Chelsea's, 6-3 and 2-1. Of course the most important stat was Manchester City 1, Chelsea 0.
With this game being a competitive-friendly each side was allowed six substitutions. For Chelsea it was the same eleven while City brought off Leroy Sane for the Phantom of the Opera. Ilkay Gundogan, complete with face mask, took the field for the restart.
Again it was all City with Aguero hitting the side netting after having an absolute eternity with the ball in the area. Eight minutes after that he did make it two with a beautifully taken shot to the nearest corner of the goal.
From then on it was a chance to see different players and try certain players in different roles. Gabby Jesus came on for Riyad Mahrez ten minutes after Aguero's second. Brahim Diaz replaced Phil Foden with fifteen minutes left, with both youngsters impressing.
Vincent Kompany came on for the last ten minutes for Aguero, with Otamendi replacing Laporte shortly after. Finally it was time for Claudio Gomez to come on for John Stones with the whistle being blown a few seconds later.
In the end City had put on a dominant display and ending the game with more possession than their opponents with over three times the amount of shots, and four times as many shots on target, than Chelsea. Next up for the blues is another trip to London to face another new manager in Unai Emery. There are hopes that we may have one more signing coming in before Thursdays deadline, most likely competition or cover for Fernandinho.
We haven't seen enough of Claudio Gomes to know if he is ready for that role, but we did see that John Stones could be. Of course we still have Fabian Delph if needed but Luiz, on pre-season at least, looked a little way off. Either way, it looks like we could be in for another exciting season following the Cityzens.
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