It was a hard-fought contest between Chelsea and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final played at Wembley. The teams faced each other in the time period of two weeks after the massacre that saw the Citizens put six goals past Chelsea in their own backyard. However, it was surprisingly a much better performance from the Blues which saw the game go into the shootout.
While Manchester City started off with their usual pressing from the very first whistle, Chelsea made their presence felt in the second half as they created a number of chances for themselves. However, the match went into extra time, but neither of the sides could get the ball in the other net as the open play ended in a stalemate.
After a controversial substitution being denied by the Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga; he saved Leroy Sane’s shot in the shootout to justify his arrogance to some extent. However, Jorginho and David Luiz missed their penalties as Raheem Sterling scored to win back to back Carabao Cup trophies for Manchester City.
Here is how the Manchester City players were rated from their against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final.
Ederson: 7
Brilliant show from the Brazilian as he kept a cool head under pressure from the Chelsea attackers in the second half. During the penalty shootout as well, he stopped the very first shot from Jorginho to give his side an early advantage and eventually won it for the reigning champions.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6
Did well in his role of the left back once again and kept probing into the opposition half quite a few times in the first half. Looked a bit under pressure in the second half and made a couple of defensive errors.
Aymeric Laporte: 6
Looked composed in the backline and kept the opposition attackers at bay until his unfortunate injury in the dying moments of the first half. Had to be substituted in the 46th minute.
Nicolas Otamendi: 7
Dealt with waves of attack from the Chelsea players valiantly and helped Ederson keep a clean sheet. Picked up a yellow card in the process.
Kyle Walker: 6
Looked to get the ball into the attacking third whenever there was an opportunity. Could not make much of an impact defensively though.
Fernandinho: 7
Another calm and composed display from the defensive midfielder. His tackles and interceptions broke down the Chelsea attacks on a number of occasions. Injured himself in the process and was substituted.
David Silva: 7
A solid outing for the captain as he went into the danger area with the ball quite a few times. Looked to keep the pressure on the opposition defenders with his classy footwork as well.
Kevin De Bruyne: 6
Did not look at his best in the first half as he did not pass well on a number of occasions. Came into his own in the second though and helped his side with a steady performance in midfield.
Bernardo Silva: 6
The Portuguese midfielder went into the box quite a few times but lacked the finishing touch. Looked a bit fatigued in the second half.
Raheem Sterling: 8
A brilliant goal in the penalty shootout to win the match for his side was one of his biggest contributions on the day. The Englishman kept deceiving the opposition with his classy footwork on a number of occasions. A perfect performance from the Man of the Match.
Sergio Aguero: 7
Pulled out a few good saves from the goalkeeper with his excellent shot making. Showed that he still has the energy left in himself to play with the same vigour throughout the ninety minutes and beyond.
Substitutes
Vincent Kompany: 6
Came on as a substitute to replace Laporte and did enough to get the match into the shootout.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6
Did well in his limited time on the pitch. Looked a bit on the backfoot when backtracking.
Leroy Sane: 7
Another brilliant display as he probed into the final third whenever the opportunity was there. His shot which was saved by Arrizabalaga should have burnt his hands!
Danilo: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
