Looking at the big picture last night’s win by Chelsea over Manchester City at the Etihad was massive not only for the Blues, but for every other team that has to play City in Manchester this season.
The supposedly fortress Etihad was breached by a Chelsea team that did not as was predicted by all the pundits turn up and park the bus in front of goal, but instead they gave City as much to worry about and if not more if you consider that they hit the woodwork three times.
Three Chelsea player summed up the night for me the first being Eden Hazard who showed to the world what a true talent he is with some mesmerizing runs that tormented the City defenders all night long.
The second was Liverpool summer target Willian who was like a human dynamo who never stopped running turning up all over the place and if it was not for the fact he had joined Chelsea I would have suggested that there would have been plenty of interest in signing him next summer.
Now we come to the third and that of course is new signing from Benfica Nemanja Matic who looked as though he had been playing in that position for years doing a wonderful job containing Yaya Toure as well as helping with the Chelsea attack.
Of course it did not take long before Jose Mourinho tried to play down Chelsea’s chances of winning the title by claiming that Arsenal are now the favourites saying:
“Maybe Arsenal deserve it more than us. They are top of the league and they are the favourites. We go behind them and play and watch.”
When asked if it is a three horse race, he then said “Two horses and a little horse that still needs milk and to learn how to jump. A horse that next season can race,” he said.
“I don’t agree (with their growing title credentials). We lost points at home against West Brom, against West Ham, we lost at Stoke, we lost at Newcastle.
“We are a team in evolution but this is the kind of performance that helps the team to grow up a lot, tactically, mentally, I think it was fantastic.”
With the Gunners now traveling to Anfield on Saturday to visit another team that fancy their chances at home the game is just as big as the Chelsea, City one was with Arsenal knowing that a win keeps them top of the table in what Mourinho is now calling a three horse race.
