Manchester City were on course for their first win of the new year as they protected a narrow lead deep into stoppage time. But with just minutes remaining, the momentum swung sharply. Chelsea’s Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez produced a moment of magic, scoring a dramatic late goal that silenced the Etihad and denied City all three points.
The former Premier League champions have now suffered back-to-back matches ruined by last-gasp goals, raising fresh concerns over their game management.
“𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍. 𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈,” 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒑 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.
Chelsea Dig Deep After Maresca Exit
Chelsea entered the match amid turbulence after Enzo Maresca was dismissed on the first day of the year. Despite the upheaval, the Blues showed resilience and composure to earn a crucial point.
City had gone ahead late in the first half through Tijani Reynders, and Pep Guardiola’s men looked set for victory. However, in the fourth minute of injury time, Malo Gusto’s cross found Fernandez on the left. After two blocked attempts, the World Cup winner finally powered the ball past the keeper to complete a stunning comeback.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑭𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒛 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
The result leaves Arsenal top of the table with 48 points from 20 games, six clear of City. Aston Villa sit third with 42 points, while Chelsea remain fifth on 31.
Interim charge Callum McFarlane, stepping in during a difficult transition period, earned praise for guiding Chelsea through a demanding test against Guardiola’s side. Liam Rosenborg is expected to be named Maresca’s successor soon.
Fulham Deny Liverpool in Last-Second Thriller
Elsewhere, Fulham and Liverpool played out a dramatic 2-2 draw. Harry Wilson opened the scoring before Florian Wirtz equalized after the break. Cody Gakpo appeared to have sealed the win for Liverpool in injury time, but Harrison Reid struck a sensational long-range effort at the death to snatch a point.
Liverpool are now fourth with 34 points, while Fulham sit 11th on 28.
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