Fernandez breaks Man City hearts with 94th minute Chelsea equaliser
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez scored a late equaliser for his side against Manchester City. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.
Enzo Fernandez struck in the fourth minute of injury-time to inflict devastating damage on Manchester City's hopes of reeling in Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
The Argentinian World Cup winner gave interim Blues boss Callum McFarlane a night to remember at the Etihad when he scrambled home Malo Gusto's right-wing cross.
The cheers were probably as loud in North London as they were in the west of the capital.
Arsenal are now six points clear of the team that Mikel Arteta has learned to fear the most after a festive season which saw City draw both of their games while the Gunners took six points.
Tijjani Reijnders' thumping first-half strike looked like giving City the lift-off they were looking for in the second half of the season.
But in the end, McFarlane and his backroom staff were dancing with glee on the touchline.
As inevitable as it started to appear over recent weeks, the decision to dispense with Enzo Maresca on the first day of 2026 also made this a pivotal game for Chelsea.
Chelsea's travelling fans felt the need to make their feelings clear at the start of each half by briefly chanting for Roman Abramovich, the former owner who hardly had a habit of sticking steadfastly even with his most successful managers.
McFarlane, the club's Under-21 coach, had never managed at senior level. But the 40-year-old was asked to go up against the game's most inventive football brain while talks were being finalised to bring in Liam Rosenior from RC Strasbourg.
McFarlane, a former academy coach at the Etihad, employed a gameplan that appeared to revolve around exploiting City on the counter-attack. It made for a tepid opening.
Chelsea almost prospered when Josko Gvardiol gave the ball away deep in the visitors' half and when Pedro Neto progressed to cross from the left it needed a redeeming block by the Croatian defender to deny Estevao.
Moments later, Phil Foden was disappointed to drag his shot wide after taking Reijnders' pass expertly in his stride.
City were starting to exert some sustained pressure. Bernardo Silva floated a curling shot too high and Erling Haaland's shot was saved by Jorgensen after looping off Trevoh Chalobah's leg.
Haaland then took Rodri's pass and cut inside Benoit Badiashile before lashing a shot high past Jorgensen that bounced back out off the inside of the post.
City were knocking. The door was blown open in the 42nd minute when the ball broke to Reijnders after Cherki's attempt to find Haaland had been blocked.
The Dutchman cleverly rolled his studs over the ball to work some extra space to the side of Badiashile before thrashing a shot high past Jorgensen from just inside the box. It was his fifth goal of the season.
McFarlane sent on Andrey Santos for Estevao at the break and almost immediately Pedro Neto lifted a fine chance over after Cole Palmer finally found some space to provide a positive pass.
City's appeals for a penalty were dismissed when Cherki tumbled under Reece James' challenge before McFarlane sent on Rory Delap and Jorrel Hato just after the hour.
Delap fired an angled shot into Gianluigi Donnarumma's chest before then sparking a flare-up by pushing substitute Abdukodir Khusanov into the pitch-side advertising boards.
Then, in the dying seconds, Melo's low cross was missed by both Palmer and Delap. But not Fernandez.
Donnarumma 6; Matheus Nunes 6, Dias 6 (Ake 81, 5), Gvardiol 6 (Khusanov 51, 5), O'Reilly 8; Bernardo Silva 6, Rodri 7, Reijnders 7 (Doku 70, 6); Cherki 7, Haaland 6, Foden 6.
Jorgensen 7; Acheampong 6 (Hato 62, 5), Chalobah 6, Badiashile 6, Gusto 7; James 7, Fernandez 6; Estevao 5 (Santos 45, 6), Palmer 5, Pedro Neto 5; Joao Pedro 5 (Delap 62, 5).
Michael Oliver.
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