London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Mar 02, 2026

Man City celebrate title with win over Chelsea

Man City celebrate title with win over Chelsea

Manchester City celebrated a third successive Premier League title triumph with victory over Chelsea in a relaxed party atmosphere at Etihad Stadium.

City were confirmed as champions without even playing after Nottingham Forest's win against Arsenal on Saturday, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to make nine changes from the side that thrashed Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final.

Erling Haaland was rested but Julian Alvarez provided the cutting edge in his absence with a clinical finish to put City ahead after 12 minutes, as their jubilant fans basked in warm sunshine waiting for the trophy presentations and celebrations.

Chelsea had some of the better chances as the game went on, with City's deputy keeper Stefan Ortega saving from Raheem Sterling when clean through and Conor Gallagher heading against the post.

Kalvin Phillips headed against the woodwork for City as they closed out another win in the relentless run that has brought them the title and the chance of a Treble, with the FA Cup final at Wembley and Champions League final in Istanbul to come.

Julian Alvarez's goal was City's 100th in all competitions at Etihad Stadium this season


Man City demonstrate power


The hosts played with the pressure off after the title was secured and manager Guardiola was able to give members of his shadow squad game time on an occasion where most fans were simply waiting for the final whistle to hail their heroes.

Guardiola's selection gave an illustration of the vast resources of talent he has at his disposal with simply a glance at City's substitutes bench.

Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and goalkeeper Ederson were able to sit this one out.

Has there ever been a more talented bench than that one?

They are all likely to be restored when those two big finals come around but it was a demonstration, if indeed it were needed, of what other teams must overcome if they are to loosen the stranglehold City have domestically and which now gives them the chance of their first Champions League.

Goalscorer Alvarez may have worked in Haaland's shadow for much of the season but what an acquisition he has been and what a season he has had, with the chance to add the Treble to his World Cup win with Argentina.

The Premier League is Manchester City's once more - now it is on to Wembley and Istanbul.


Chelsea must be ready for reset


Chelsea may have had some decent chances here and only lost by a single goal to the newly crowned champions, but they carry all the appearance of a team and club that cannot wait for an abject and miserable season to end.

Frank Lampard is seeing out time on the touchline before making his second departure as manager, while Chelsea's players await the arrival of incoming Mauricio Pochettino to discover what the future has in store.

There is talent within this squad but they, and Chelsea as a club, have lacked direction under the new co-ownership of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and now it is time to start getting the big decisions right.

Pochettino will enter Stamford Bridge with the bar set low but there are materials to work with, providing he is allowed to do it his way, while his intense attacking style could fashion this into a quality team given time.

For now, however, Chelsea must complete the formalities of a desperate campaign that sees them currently in 12th place, and deservedly so.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Violent Pro-Iranian Protesters Storm U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Missile Debris Sparks Fires at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Near Palm Jumeirah
Iran Strikes U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Amid Wider Gulf Retaliation
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
Barclays and Jefferies Shares Fall After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse Rekindles Credit Market Concerns
Play Exploring Donald Trump’s Rise to Power by ‘Lehman Trilogy’ Author to Premiere in the UK
Man Arrested After Churchill Statue Defaced in Central London
Keir Starmer Faces Political Setback as Labour Finishes Third in High-Profile By-Election
UK Assisted Dying Bill Set to Fall Short in Parliament as Regional Initiatives Gain Ground
UK Defence Ministry Clarifies Position After Reports of Imminent Helicopter Contract
Independent Left-Wing Plumber Secures Shock Victory as Greens Surge in UK By-Election
Reform UK Refers Alleged ‘Family Voting’ Incidents in By-Election to Police
United Kingdom Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
UK Government Reaches Framework Agreement on Release of Mandelson Vetting Files
UK Police Contracts With Israeli Surveillance Firms Spark Debate Over Ethics and Oversight
United Airlines Passenger Hears Cockpit Conversations After Accessing In-Flight Audio Channel
Spain to Conduct Border Checks on Gibraltar Arrivals Under New Post-Brexit Framework
Engie Shares Jump After $14 Billion Agreement to Acquire UK Power Grid Assets
BNP Paribas Overtakes Goldman Sachs in UK Investment Banking League Tables
Geothermal Project to Power Ten Thousand Homes Marks UK Renewable Energy Milestone
UK Visa Grants Drop Nineteen Percent in 2025 as Migration Controls Tighten
Barclays and Jefferies Among Banks Exposed to Collapse of UK Mortgage Lender MFS
UK Asylum Applications Edge Down in 2025 Despite Rise in Small Boat Crossings
Jefferies Reports Significant Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender MFS
FTSE 100 Reaches Fresh Record Highs as Major Share Buybacks and Earnings Lift London Stocks
So, what's happened is, I think, government policy, not just under Labour, but under the Conservatives as well, has driven a lot of small landlords out of business.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
From fears of AI-fuelled unemployment to Big Tech's record investment, this is AI Weekly.
Apple just dropped iOS 26.4.
US Lawmakers Seek Briefing from UK Over Reported Encryption Order Directed at Apple
UK Business Secretary Calls on EU to Remove Trade Barriers Hindering Growth
Legal Pathways for Removing Prince Andrew from Britain’s Line of Succession Examined
PM Netanyahu welcome India PM Narendra Modi to Israel
Shadow Diplomacy: How Harry and Meghan’s Jordan Trip Undermines the Monarchy
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, comments on immigration in the UK.
Bill Gates, the UN and the WEF are attempting to construct "a giant digital gulag for all of humanity" via digital ID, CBDCs and vaccine passport infrastructure.
Britain’s Channel Crisis: Paying Billions While the Boats Keep Coming
Downing Street’s Veteran Deception Scandal
UK HealthCare Expands ‘Food as Health’ Initiative Statewide to Tackle Chronic Illness in Kentucky
Leonardo Chief Says UK Set to Decide on New Medium Helicopter Programme
UK Slows Chagos Islands Agreement After Concerns Raised in Washington
European and UK Stock Markets Reach Fresh Highs as Banks and Miners Lead Rally
UK Government Insists Chagos Islands Negotiations Continue After Minister’s ‘Pause’ Remark
No Confirmed Deal for Engie to Acquire UK Power Networks Amid Market Speculation
UK Reaffirms Updated Entry Requirements for Travellers as of February 25, 2026
General Atlantic to sell equity stake in ByteDance, valuing the company at $550 billion
×