David Hytner’s match report has landed, so I’m going to wrap this blog up. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight! Rodri speaks to Sky Sports We feel a bit exhausted to be honest, after a game with that rhythm. It wasn’t our best performance and individually we can look at ourselves, because conceding four goals is not normal for us. We played the game they wanted. They want to play with quick transitions and are a better team in those situations. We struggled to play our game. We gave the ball away too often and could have been more patient. But we’re a team – we support each other and we’ll move forward. Big credit to Chelsea, they have good players and they put us under pressure. The City old boys talk to Sky Sports Raheem Sterling Yeah it was a good game. We fought back a few times and that showed our mentality. [On his partial celebration] Yeah, scoring’s such a good feeling, but then you remember it’s your old club so you don’t overdo it. We’ve been trying build slowly but surely since the manager came in. There have been some setbacks but we continue to work, even after some disappointing results. We’re making steps, little by little, and long may it continue. [Did you want to show City what they once had?] I had a great time at City. People know what I can do, and with the foundation the manager has laid out here you just try to go out and perform. Cole Palmer It felt very strange playing against City for the first time. I’ve got the utmost respect for a club I spent 15 years at, and it was nice to see some friends. I thought we were unlucky not to get the win but it was another great game. [ It was a long time waiting for the penalty, but I’ve scored a few and I felt confident. I’m not gonna say I work on penalties because I don’t – I trust in my natural ability, and thankfully it went in. Chelsea have now drawn at home to last season’s top two in very different circumstances. Against Arsenal they threw away a 2-0 lead; against City they came from behind on three occasions. Mauricio Pochettino is too sensible to get carried away but he must be thrilled with that performance, particularly from the attacking trio of Raheem Sterling, Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer. They gave City problems all afternoon, both with their pressing and, in the case of Sterling and Palmer, the ability to find pockets of space in the channels. This is how the Premier League table looks going into the international break. How a wildly entertaining match unfolded 25 min: Chelsea 0-1 City Erling Haaland wins and converts a controversial penalty. 29 min: Chelsea 1-1 City Thiago Silva equalises with a neat near-post header. 37 min: Chelsea 2-1 City Raheem Sterling scores against his old club. 45+1 min: Chelsea 2-2 City Manuel Akanji heads City level from a short corner. 47 min: Chelsea 2-3 City Erling Haaland bundles City in front after a thrilling counter-attack. 67 min: Chelsea 3-3 City Nicolas Jackson reacts quickest to equalise after Conor Gallagher’s shot is pushed away by Ederson. 86 min: Chelsea 3-4 City Rodri’s shot takes a huge deflection off Thiago Silva and wrongfoots Robert Sanchez. 90+5 min: Chelsea 4-4 City The substitute Armando Broja is taken out by Ruben Dias, and Cole Palmer – outstanding throughout – calmly equalises against his old club. Mauricio Pochettino marches straight onto the field to have words with Anthony Taylor. He’s really been so angry, though it soon dissipates and he embraces his former Spurs right-back Kyle Walker. There’s plenty of goodwill, actually, with Kalvin Phillips, Rico Lewis and other City players embracing Cole Palmer. His nerveless injury-time penalty, the eighth goal of a classic match in the rain, gave Chelsea a point they richly deserved. Full time: Chelsea 4-4 Man City And you thought the 1986 Full Members Cup final was good. 90+9 min And he curls it over the bar. 90+8 min Kyle Walker is going to take the free-kick… 90+7 min Foden is flattened 25 yards from goal by Sterling, who is booked. That leads to more pushing and shoving. This might kick off at the final whistle. 90+6 min: Chelsea substitution Nicolas Jackson is replaced by Lesley Ugochukwu. It was a terrific penalty from Palmer, curled high into the net. Ederson went the right way, to his right, but couldn’t reach it. Palmer puts his arms out as if to say, ‘Did anyone expect me to miss?’ The courage of the kid! GOAL! Chelsea 4-4 Man City (Palmer 90+5 pen) Cole Palmer has scored an injury-time equaliser against his old club! 90+4 min Kyle Walker and Disasi are still having words. The wait goes on, and that drum-and-bass track you can hear is Cole Palmer’s heartbeat. VAR check! Sterling found space between the lines yet again and clipped a good ball into Broja near the penalty spot. He dummied to shoot and was wiped out by the sliding Dias – but Dias may have got a touch on the ball first. Nope, the penalty has been given. There’s a bit of a shoving match in the area and Grealish has been booked. PENALTY TO CHELSEA! 90+2 min And it’ll be Cole Palmer against his old club. 92 min Pep Guardiola has beaten Mauricio Pochettino 4-3 before – but it was probably the most shattering victory of his career. 90 min Eight minutes of added time. 90 min: Chelsea substitution Armando Broja for Moises Caicedo. Kovacic’s shot from the edge of the area was blocked by Disasi and rebounded to Rodri, 25 yards out. He swept a low left-footed shot that took a huge deflection off Thiago Silva and wrongfooted Sanchez. I’m pretty sure it would otherwise have been a comfortable save, but Thiago instinctively stuck his leg out and diverted the ball into the net. GOAL! Chelsea 3-4 Man City (Rodri 86) Not for the first time in 2023, Rodri scores a huge goal! 85 min “Re: the injured players XI,” begins David Penney. “As an Arsenal fan, I will humbly offer Abou Diaby in central midfield.” That poor guy. He scored some imperious goals when he was fit – I can remember a couple at Villa Park and St James’ Park in games I MBMed. Were his later injury problems related to that horror tackle at Sunderland in 2005-06? I wonder how much psychological damage an incident like that does to the perpetrator, never mind the victim. Unless you are a sociopath, it must eventually run amok in your subconscious. 84 min Raheem Sterling is caught offside. Peter Drury tells us it’s the first offside of the game, which is a cracking stat and one of the many reasons it has been so exhilarating to watch. 81 min Gallagher tries an up-and-under from 30 yards but gets too much on it. He’s had a fine game though, and is a symbol of the intensity and quality of Chelsea’s pressing. 79 min: Man City substitution A rare pragmatic substitution from Pep Guardiola: Mateo Kovacic replaces Julian Alvarez in midfield. That’s another compliment to Chelsea. 77 min Gusto needs treatment after landing awkwardly near the halfway line. He’s okay. 76 min “I was going to suggest suggesting a perpetually injured all-time XI,” says Ian Copestake, “but none would be available at the same time.” It’s the imaginary treatment room I’d worry about. Imagine the air quality. 75 min: What a chance for Gusto! City are ragged at the back. Sterling wins the ball just outside the area and smuggles a reverse pass through to Gusto. He opens his body, 12 yards out, but curls over the bar with his left foot. That was a glorious chance, and his first reaction was to belt the ground in frustration. 75 min: Great defending from Akanji! The last man Akanji makes a vital sliding tackle on Jackson, who would otherwise have been able to put Sterling through on goal. 73 min Ederson’s panicky clearance hits the hand of his teammate Walker. It was outside the area, so wouldn’t have been a penalty, but Anthony Taylor didn’t see it anyway. 72 min Rodri is booked for pulling back Cole Palmer, who has had a fine game agianst his old club. He’s now playing as the No10, with Sterling on the right and Mudryk left. 71 min If only you could press a red button to hear Pep Guardiola’s internal monologue at a time like this. This game is far too wild and open for his taste. 69 min City have a huge penalty appeal turned down when Bernardo Silva’s cross hits the sliding Disasi. Replays show the ball hit his head rather than the outstretched right hand. Conor Gallagher whistled a drive from 25 yards that Ederson, diving to his left, could only push out in front of goal. Jackson – who has been very quiet all afternoon - reacted fastest to collect the rebound and slide it under Ederson. That’s a clinical finish, and a nice way to end a week he won’t forget in a hurry. GOAL! Chelsea 3-3 Man City (Jackson 67) Another twist in this extraordinary match! 64 min “I can’t be the only one who wishes that the ball had grazed Haaland’s elbow just before it crossed the line, meaning the goal was ruled out by VAR,” says Luke Jones. “Not out of any loyalty to Chelsea, but just because the controversy would have been truly world class. Just imagine Pep’s reaction!” 65 min There’s a break in play while Ederson receives treatment. 64 min: Double substitution for Chelsea Malo Gusto and Mykhailo Mudryk replace Reece James, who is still feeling his way back from injury, and Enzo Fernandez. 62 min I can’t keep up with this. Caicedo is booked for a foul on someone in a light blue shirt, then Foden’s long-range shot is comfortably saved by Sanchez. 60 min: Palmer denied by Ederson! That would have been a glorious goal against his own club. He moved infield to receive the ball 30 yards out, back to goal. In a flash he turned away from Rodri, then swerved past Dias and into the area. By the time he was in a position to shoot he was slightly off balance, and his low shot was very well blocked by the outrushing Ederson. 60 min: City substitution Talking of which, Jack Grealish has just come on to replace Doku. 59 min “In my opinion,” says Jeff Sax, “Doku adds more to City’s game than Grealish.” I love their contrasting styles, which allows City to pick and choose depending on the opposition. For a game like today, against James, I might have preferred a craftier player like Grealish. 58 min: Chance for Doku! Another dangerous break from City. With James caught upfield, Doku is able to run at the backpedalling Disasi. He moves into the area and drags a low shot that rebounds off the partially unsighted Sanchez and just evades Haaland. 56 min Doku is booked for diving in the area. A couple of early runs aside, he’s been played really well by Reece James. 54 min Caicedo fouls Gvardiol 25 yards from goal. Alvarez’s cross is unusually overhit and goes behind for a goalkick.