Man City player ratings vs Chelsea: Nico O'Reilly comes up clutch again & Rayan Cherki dazzles as Pep Guardiola's ruthless side reignite title race

Manchester City are breathing down Arsenal's necks after a dominant second-half display propelled them to a 3-0 win at Chelsea to close the gap on the Gunners and leave the title race in their own hands. Nico O'Reilly broke the deadlock with another crucial header in London just three weeks after his match-winning double in the Carabao Cup final before Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku struck to clinch the win.

Chelsea played with more swagger in the first half and caused City plenty of problems on the break, just lacking some finesse in the final third. City were let off the hook when Marc Cucurella put the ball in the net only to be fractionally offside. Pep Guardiola's side's only chance of the first 45 minutes was a tame effort from Rayan Cherki straight at Robert Sanchez, which came about from O'Reilly's aggressive pressing of Estevao Willian.

O'Reilly then used his physical prowess to head City in front early in the second half, brushing off Andrey Santos to head home Cherki's devilish cross. City went for the jugular thereafter, and six minutes later, they had doubled their lead. Cherki created space for himself by dribbling across the area and then knocked a pass to the feet of Guehi, who could hardly miss.

A good day for City got even better when Doku added a third, robbing Moises Caicedo of the ball before powering into the area and drilling his shot past Sanchez.

GOAL rates Man City's players from Stamford Bridge...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Gianluigi Donnarumma (7/10):
Raced out of his area to beat Joao Pedro to the ball in one of the few moments he actually had to make a save. Late in the game made himself big to thwart Cucurella at point-blank range.
Matheus Nunes (6/10):
Got outfoxed by Pedro Neto's quick feet and needed help from Rodri. Did alright from an attacking point of view, creating a chance for Guehi.
Abdukodir Khusanov (6/10):
Played on the edge with his high positioning but used his pace to get back in time, in one instance just managing to put Joao Pedro off.
Marc Guehi (7/10):
Defended with his usual assurance but what stood out was his presence in attack. Had two first-half chances and then demonstrated his sharp shooting with his feet to double the lead.
Nico O'Reilly (8/10):
Physically dominant throughout, creating City's only real chance of the first half then getting the breakthrough goal with a thumping header. Forced off injured.

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Midfield
Bernardo Silva (6/10):
Guided City through a difficult first half with his experience and had a half chance to score. Crucially he avoided a yellow card, which would have seen him suspended for the Arsenal game.
Rodri (5/10):
Had a tough first half as he was beaten for pace in key areas. Shrugged off a concerning-looking ankle problem to finish the game.
Rayan Cherki (9/10):
Worked his magic just when City needed him to, bringing up 10 assists for the season in the Premier League.
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Attack
Antoine Semenyo (5/10):
Couldn't make his usual impact and didn't bring his shooting boots.
Erling Haaland (6/10):
Another quiet league game against a top opponent, but even though he struggled to find chances, his mere presence drew defenders towards him, and O'Reilly cashed in on the extra space. Also worked as hard as ever, running back into his own half to dispossess Cole Palmer.
Jeremy Doku (7/10):
Bounced back from a shoddy first-half display to make his mark, consistently providing a threat down the left wing before eventually crowning the victory.

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Subs & Manager
Rayan Ait-Nouri (6/10):
Replaced O'Reilly.
Phil Foden (5/10):
Came on for Cherki and couldn't provide anything like the flair that the Frenchman displayed in spades.
Savinho (6/10):
Replaced Doku and had little urgency as the game was already won.
Mateo Kovacic (6/10):
Made his first appearance in six months after a long spell out injured.
Pep Guardiola (8/10):
Must have had strong words at half-time because City cranked up the pressure after his team talk and he was then able to rest the legs of his key men.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

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Subs & Manager