Three major talking points as Manchester City overcome big Chelsea test

Bengaluru, November 24: Despite struggling over a large part of the game, Manchester City somehow managed to pull off a 2-1 victory against Frank Lampard's exciting young Chelsea. The win aslo helped City overtake Chelsea to the third spot and go nine points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.

Chelsea started the game encouragingly and put the hosts to test. In the 21st minute, the first goal came from an unlikely source after N'Golo Kante netted from a brilliant long ball by Mateo Kovacic.

However, City equalised just a couple of minutes later through Kevin De Bruyne deflected shot. And with just eight minutes remaining, Riyad Mahrez, who only got into the side due to Bernardo Silva's suspension, scored the winner with a left-foot neat finish into the corner.

Here are the major talking points of the game:

City's unusual gameplay

Pep Guardiola's sides are known for playing a possession-based game, but against Chelsea, it was a whole different story as they were not at their usual best. The team struggled to keep the ball at feet and was seemed to be relying on counter-attacks mostly to worry the Blues.

From his stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, last night's game showcased the lowest possession any Guardiola side has registered in 381 top-flight games. But despite that, the main silver lining is the three points which would help them keep in touch with Liverpool.

Mahrez should play more often

City have lost more points whenever Mahrez has not started a game this season and it can't be a coincidence. The Algerian is maybe someone who can't hold the ball for long and with his trickery often gives the ball away carelessly. But surely his individual quality this season can't be questioned.

So, Pep has to figure out a system to implement him from the start, maybe sacrificing one of the Silvas for the betterment of the team. In 11 starts this season he has scored four goals and has six assists, which shows Pep Guardiola should trust him more often even if he has a full squad at his disposal.

Lampard's team is exciting but lacks consistency

Not many would have thought that in an away game, Lampard's young side would cause havoc at the City backyard but that's what the home side had to face in the first 25 minutes.

Chelsea began the game brightly, playing like the better team with some excellent attacking movement. Their opening goal was wonderfully finished and was well-deserved. But from the moment the hosts equalised with an unlucky deflection, the young side collapsed.

This has been the factor for Lampard's team lately as they failed to keep up the pace for full 90 minutes. That could be more down to the lack of maturity and experience but it was one of the big factors for them to lose at Etihad.