Three weeks before their Champions League final, Chelsea temporarily deprived Manchester City of a seventh title in the English league on Saturday by winning at the Etihad Stadium 2-1 thanks to goals signed by Hakim Ziyech (66th ) and Marcos Alonso at the buzzer (92nd).

Yet it was the Citiezens who opened the scoring with a goal from Raheem Sterling just before the break (44th).

They could have made the break in the wake if Sergio Agüero had not tried (and completely missed) his panenka against the former Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy (45th + 3).

Chelsea like City this season

As in the semi-final of the Cup in mid-April (1-0), Thomas Tuchel and his family again brought down City and gained a small psychological boost before the C1 final on May 29 in Istanbul.

A success which also allows Chelsea to seize third place in the championship at the expense of Leicester.

Pep Guardiola's team, which has a 13-point lead at the top of the standings, will now watch for a misstep from its runner-up and great rival Manchester United, which begins a series of three games this week with a trip to Aston Villa Sunday.

The Citizens, they do not play again until Friday against Newcastle.

Two very reshuffled teams

Four days after dismissing PSG in the semi-final of C1, it is a very reshaped City team, with nothing less than nine changes, which presented itself at the Etihad Stadium against its future opponent in the final of the Champions League.

Only goalkeeper Ederson and defender Ruben Dias escaped the rotation set up by Guardiola.

Thomas Tuchel had made five changes from the victorious semi-final against Real Madrid.

"We know that this result will not change the final (of the Champions League), but we are aware that we are able to beat them", welcomed the German technician after the meeting.

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