Goals from Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m), Marc Guehi (£5.1m) and Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) helped Manchester City close the gap on Arsenal to just six points on Sunday.
Here are our Scout Notes from City’s 3-0 win over Chelsea.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 32: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus + DefCon
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Williams told to “shoot more” + Martinez injury latest
O’REILLY INJURY LATEST
Nico O’Reilly netted the opener for City on Sunday with a superb header, his fifth goal in the Premier League this season, but was later forced off due to injury.
The youngster pulled up and required treatment from the City medical staff before he had to exit the pitch.
O’Reilly seemed to feel his hamstring, yet he appeared relatively unfazed upon his departure, pausing to chat with Pep Guardiola, who responded with a smile.
Unfortunately, not the post-match presser, nor the interviews with the BBC or Sky, provided an update.
If Nico O’Reilly is sidelined for Double Gameweek 33, the stock of Guehi, who was excellent on Sunday, and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m) rises.
CHERKI PRAISE
City were poor in the first half, but after the break, they stepped it up, with Rayan Cherki (£6.3m) superb.
He created the goals for O’Reilly and Guehi, taking his assist tally to 11, the most of any player except Bruno Fernandes (£10.3m) in 2025/26.
Cherki’s off-the-ball attributes have sometimes been questioned, but Guardiola seems to have found a winning formula over the last few matches, with the Frenchman part of an exciting front four with Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m), Doku and Erling Haaland (£14.4m).
“The numbers are incredible and the quality in the first season in the Premier League, he is something unique. In the first half, he played close to me. Play close to Haaland and the wingers and the attacking midfielders and use the talent that Mum and Dad gave to you. When he starts to do that, he will become an extraordinary player with his mindset and mentality.
“He has to learn to play for 95 minutes doing what we have to do. But his work ethic is unbelievable knowing he doesn’t have the speed and pressing that Antoine Semenyo has that is amazing. I’ve been with Sergio Aguero and Sergio Aguero was not the incredible high press player but he tried his best and all I ask is that… do your best and you can do it because he has another quality.
“Every player has his own ability. Rayan has something special, the second goal I said choose the pass right and he passed to Marc Guehi that I could not even see from outside. He is a top talent and again what I said, if Manchester City decide to bring that player in, it is because Manchester City is working really well.” – Pep Guardiola on Rayan Cherki
A real maverick on the pitch, Cherki appears to have earned Guardiola’s trust, marking him out as a tempting differential in Double Gameweek 33, when City face Arsenal and Burnley.
As for Haaland, he contributed with four shots but didn’t get as much service as he’d have liked.
It didn’t happen for Semenyo either, who went into the book for a foul on Pedro Neto (£7.0m) and really should have done better from the chances he had.
CHELSEA SLUMP
Chelsea had a decent first half on Sunday, but they capitulated after the break and had no response to City’s attack.
With tough encounters ahead against Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion in Double Gameweek 33, Liam Rosenior’s side have now lost three Premier League games in a row.
They’ve failed to score in that time, too, with one of the worst minutes per expected goal (xG) rates in the division (84.7).
Having endured a difficult spell of performances, they’ve also failed to keep a clean sheet since Rosenior’s first match in charge in January:
Image from WhoScored
ROSENIOR ON ENZO
In better news, Chelsea do have Enzo Fernandez (£6.5m) available for selection again.
The box-to-box midfielder has now completed his two-match internal ban, having missed the FA Cup win over Port Vale and Sunday’s defeat to City.
“Enzo’s a top player, and honestly, he’s a top character, and I’m looking forward to having him back next week. Sometimes you make decisions not based on the short-term, you make decisions based on what you want to see long-term.
“And it was a long-term decision that myself and the directors and the club aligned and the leadership group of players that we made to make sure that our values and our culture in the long-term is in the right place.
“But Enzo has had the conversations he’s needed to have. He’s been fantastic in the last few days in supporting myself and the team, and I can’t wait to have him back in the squad.” – Liam Rosenior on Enzo Fernandez
In Enzo’s absence against City, Rosenior played Cole Palmer (£10.5m) in the ‘10’, with Estevao (£6.4m) and Neto out wide.
However, Chelsea lacked creativity, generating just 1.14 xG and only one ‘big chance’.
Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) had the ball in the back of the net from a Joao Pedro (£7.7m) pass, but it was ruled out for offside, while the Brazilian later glanced a header wide.
Palmer did at least bank defensive contribution (DefCon) points for just the second time this season, but overall, it was a quiet afternoon for the premium midfielder.
