Match Report: Milner is Unlikely Star as Lampard Breaks Chelsea Hearts
After a number of surprising results throughout the Premier League this weekend, the much anticipated clash between Manchester City and Chelsea played out as the most predictable result - with each team seeing just a point for their efforts.
City and Chelsea each faced difficult German opponents in their midweek Champions League fixtures, with neither managing a win. Unsurprisingly, there were some tired legs taking to the pitch on Sunday, resulting in a cagey start to the game, though City dominated in the early stages. Yaya Touré (14) and James Milner (10) combined for nearly as many passes as Chelsea managed as whole (28) in the opening 10 minutes.
Manchester City settled into the first half continuing their dominance in the middle of the pitch, denying Chelsea even a single shot for the first 40 minutes. Going into the match, the visitors had averaged more shots per game (20) than any other Premier League side this season but were stifled effectively in the opening exchanges at the Etihad.
The highlight of the first half was the fascinating duel between City’s captain and Chelsea’s pitbull. The two tangled on a number of occasions with Vincent Kompany managing to keep Diego Costa quiet in the first 45 minutes.
With Chelsea hoping to open up an 8-point gap between themselves and City, they looked for a lot more of the ball than they had in the first half, but City’s midfield remained resolute. They dominated the middle of the pitch, with Yaya Touré finally looking more like himself than he has done since not receiving his birthday cake.
The narrative for most of the broadsheets, of course, will be Frank Lampard facing his former club. With most Chelsea supporters still just coming to terms with the fact that they’ve started a season without their talismanic midfielder, seeing him come off the bench to face them was a moment that most would never have anticipated in the last 13 years. There was an inevitability to the goal from the moment Lampard stepped onto the pitch at the Etihad. Not only did he score the goal that snatched victory from Chelsea, but in his 12 minute cameo Lampard managed more shots than any of his former teammates did over the full 90.
But the real difference between the title favourites yesterday was a not so boring performance from England’s James Milner. He was part of just about everything that Manchester City did well. He found a teammate with 93% of his passes, with the most crucial being the one for Lampard’s killer blow. In an effort that will force some to reconsider his role, he created at least twice as many chances (4) as any other player on the pitch, whilst only mazy Eden Hazard (6) completed more dribbles than him (3). Milner was relentless in testing Chelsea’s defence as he attempted more crosses (15) than they entire Chelsea team combined (12).
Milner may be renowned for his workman like displays, but yesterday showed he could offer some flair and creativity to the stability he’s always offered. England could do worse than ensuring that Manchester City’s ‘boring’ midfielder is one of the first names on the teamsheet as they march triumphantly towards a quarter-final exit at Euro 2016.
How did you rate James Milner's performance? Let us know in the comments below
