Manchester City held by Chelsea 1-1 in Premier League: Stats
What's the story
In a thrilling encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Chelsea held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in Matchweek 20 of the Premier League 2025-26 season on Sunday. The match was marked by Tijjani Reijnders's stunning first-half goal for City and Enzo Fernandez's late equalizer for Chelsea. The result came as a major setback for Man City in their pursuit of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Match highlights
Reijnders's goal and Chelsea's late equalizer
Reijnders gave Man City the lead in the 42nd minute with a left-footed strike from inside the box. Despite Man City's dominance in possession and attempts on goal, they couldn't extend their lead. Chelsea, under interim manager Calum McFarlane after parting ways with Enzo Maresca, showed resilience throughout the match. The match saw Man City dominate the first half but Chelsea made a strong comeback in the second. They created several chances. However, it was Fernandez who finally broke through and scored.
Title implications
Points table: Man City's title hopes take a hit
The draw means Man City remain six points behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race. They are now second after moving above Aston Villa, but their hopes of catching Arsenal have taken a major hit with back-to-back draws. After 20 matches, Pep Guardiola's men own 42 points (W13 D3 L4). Chelsea, meanwhile, stay in touch with the top four despite only one win in their last eight matches. Chelsea are 5th with 31 points (W8 D7 L5). Chelsea are above Manchester United on basis of goal difference.
Match stats
Here are the match stats
Hosts Man City dominated ball possession, clocking 57.8%. Guardiola's men had an xG of 0.99 with Chelsea managing 1.72. The Citizens had three shots on target from 14 attempts. Chelsea clocked three shots on target from 8 attempts. Man City hit the woodwork once whereas Chelsea created one big chance. The Blues had 16 touches in the opposition box with Man City managing 35.
Information
Key Premier League numbers of Reijnders and Fernandez
In 19 Premier League appearances, Reijnders now owns 5 goals (A2) in his debut campaign for Man City. On the other hand, from 101 Premier League appearances, Fernandez has raced to 15 goals (A12). He has six goals and an assist this season.
Numbers
Fernandez shines; Man City attain these feats with a draw
As per Squawka, only Cole Palmer (35) has more goal involvements across all competitions for Chelsea since the start of last season than Fernandez (34). Meanwhile, the Argentinian is the only player with 15+ goals and 15+ assists for the Blues in that time. Before this 1-1 affair, Man City won each of their last 11 Premier League games when scoring the opening goal. Man City have drawn back-to-back Premier League games for the first time this season.