Haaland out of the blocks as Man City kick off title defence with Stamford Bridge win
POACHER EXTRAORDINAIRE: Manchester City's Erling Haaland scores his side's opening goal past Chelsea 'keeper Robert Sanchez. Pic: Dave Shopland, AP
Erling Haaland marked his 100th Manchester City appearance with his 91st goal as Pep Guardiola's side showed once again why they have lifted all of the last four Premier League titles.
Mateo Kovacic, a Champions League winner with Chelsea, provided the second to ruin a first game in charge for Enzo Maresca, who left Leicester in the summer to succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca had two spells at City as Guardiola's close confidante. The Italian is also Pep's dome-headed doppelganger but, though the contest remained in the balance until Kovacic struck, the gulf in class between the two sets of players was always apparent.
Maresca picked zero of Chelsea's vast herd of new signings in his debut starting line-up but Raheem Sterling, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi didn't make the bench and Conor Gallagher not even the matchday magazine.
The representatives of Sterling, who won 10 trophies in seven seasons at City, immediately issued a statement saying they were looking forward to "gaining clarity" on a situation they found surprising.
Sterling, jettisoned by Gareth Southgate for England well before the Euro finals and used sparing by previous Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, really should start looking elsewhere.
City's only summer recruit so far Savinho was given the nod by Pep, who named Phil Foden, last season's Premier League Player of the Season, on the bench alongside England colleagues Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and John Stones.
City began with Jeremy Doku on the right instead of his more familiar position on the left. Had it been the same with his boots? A cross and a shot early on went nowhere near the intended target. Sensibly, he soon swapped with Savinho - and helped City score.
Bernardo Silva got a slight touch to Doku's ball into the box but that was fine for Haaland to bundle between Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella and dink past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
VAR got involved, checking that Wesley Fofana had played Silva onside in the defender's first game back from the injury that saw miss the whole of last season. He had, just.
Chelsea deflated and were relieved when Kevin De Bruyne failed to hit the target. The hosts were too ploddy in attack, with Cole Palmer isolated on the left. Enzo Fernandez's futile dive for a penalty summed up their discomfort.
Sanchez tipped over a deflected Doku effort before De Bruyne and Savinho both required treatment - and a minute before the break the ball was in the back of the City net.
Again VAR had a decision to make and Nicolas Jackson, who slotted home when Ederson carelessly spilled a Palmer shot, had indeed strayed too far forward.
Foden replaced Savinho for the second period but Chelsea continued to make problems for themselves when the hapless Jackson got in Fernandez's way in the box from a delivery from Palmer, now on the right.
Maresca unleashed Pedro Neto, the new signing from Wolves, just before the hour mark and Chelsea came to life, with Ederson denying Jackson from close range.
VAR came to Chelsea's rescue straight after however when Rico Lewis scored by upholding referee Anthony Taylor's view that Haaland had fouled Colwill in the act of shooting.
Chelsea debuts for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga followed but Kovacic made sure of victory with an 84th-minute clincher.
The Croat chested down a clearance and motored past Moises Caicedo and then Fernandez before lashing home a drive that Sanchez should have stopped.
Sanchez 5; Gusto 6, W Fofana 7, Colwill 7, Cucurella 6 (Veiga 81, 3); Lavia 8 (Dewsbury-Hall 67, 4), Caicedo 6, Fernandez 6; Palmer 7, Jackson 5 (Guiu 67, 4), Nkunku 5 (Neto 58, 5).
Jorgensen; Badiashile, Tosin, Madueke, Mudryk.
Ederson 5; Lewis 8, Akanji 7, Dias 7, Gvardiol 6; Kovacic 7, Silva 7; Doku 6, De Bruyne 6, Savinho 7 (Foden 46, 5); Haaland 6.
Ortega, Walker, Stones, Ake, Grealish, Nunes, O'Reilly, McAtee.
Anthony Taylor 7
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