Erling Haaland marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City by scoring as the Premier League champions began their title defense with a victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Haaland netted the opening goal in the 18th minute with a delicate chip over Robert Sanchez, bringing his tally to 91 goals for City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic secured the win late in the game with a curling shot from just outside the penalty area.
The match remained mostly uneventful, with brief moments of excitement. Kevin de Bruyne narrowly missed from the edge of the box shortly after Haaland’s goal, and Sanchez made a fine save from Jeremy Doku’s deflected shot.
Nicolas Jackson thought he had equalized after City goalkeeper Ederson fumbled Cole Palmer’s shot into his path, but the forward was ruled offside.
Senegal striker Jackson then fired a first-time volley straight at Ederson as Chelsea sought an equalizer in the second half.
City also had chances, with Haaland going close and Rico Lewis having a goal disallowed, before Kovacic sealed the win.
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