Chelsea suffered a 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City on Sunday, marking their third consecutive Premier League loss without scoring. The match remained goalless at half-time, but City dominated the second half, scoring three times in six minutes through Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Jeremy Doku.
The absence of Enzo Fernandez, serving the second match of a two-game club-imposed ban for comments about Real Madrid, was felt keenly. Manager Liam Rosenior admitted the midfielder still has hurdles to overcome to regain full trust, but his influence was sorely missed as Chelsea's midfield faltered.
Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo struggled in midfield, with Caicedo losing possession to Doku for City's third goal. Chelsea's last win over City remains the 2021 Champions League final, and the gap in quality was evident.
Despite the defeat, Chelsea showed some promise down the left flank, with Marc Cucurella creating several chances. Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro also tested City's defence in the first half. However, the Blues could not find the net, and their recent form has raised concerns ahead of the run-in.
