Chelsea and Manchester City played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge as Cole Palmer’s stoppage-time penalty against his former team denied the champions victory in a breathless contest.
The game took a while to catch fire, with Erling Haaland putting City ahead in the 25th minute from the spot after being hauled down by Marc Cucurella, but Chelsea responded, levelling through Thiago Silva’s header before Raheem Sterling scored against his former team to make it 2-1 to the hosts.
Back came City, though, as an unmarked Manuel Akanji restored parity with a header in first-half added time before Haaland bundled home his second of the game to put the champions 3-2 up.
Chelsea would again answer through Callum Hudson-Odoi to make it three goals apiece, but Rodri appeared to net the winner with four minutes left, firing home via a huge deflection off Thiago Silva to put City on the verge of victory.
There would be one final twist, however, as Armando Broja came off the bench to win a penalty after being brought down by Ruben Dias before Palmer, against the club whose academy he grew up in, stepped up to fire home from the spot and earn Chelsea a point.
Tuchel praises Chelsea’s character
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel praised his team’s character after they fought back from behind three times to salvage a draw against the runaway leaders.
“It was a crazy game, a rollercoaster of emotions. We showed great spirit and mentality to come back every time. We never gave up and we deserved a point in the end,” he said.
Tuchel also hailed the impact of Palmer, who scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea since joining from City in the summer.
“He was very brave to take the penalty in such a situation. He showed his quality and his personality. He is a very talented player and we are happy to have him,” he said.
Guardiola rues missed chances
City boss Pep Guardiola was less than impressed with his team’s defensive display and their wastefulness in front of goal.
“We conceded too many goals, too many mistakes. We had enough chances to win the game, but we didn’t take them. We have to be more clinical and more solid,” he said.
Guardiola also refused to comment on the controversial penalty decision that went against his team in the dying moments.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee. You saw what happened. It is what it is. We have to accept it and move on,” he said.
What does it mean for the title race?
The result means that City remain top of the table with 34 points from 14 games, two points clear of second-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Chelsea move up to ninth place with 20 points, but they are still 14 points behind the leaders and have played a game more.
City will look to bounce back from their first dropped points of the season when they host Liverpool in a blockbuster clash next weekend.
Chelsea will hope to continue their unbeaten run under Tuchel when they travel to Newcastle United on Saturday.