Manchester City may not have won by five or six goals, but in its own way Sunday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea was the league leaders’ most dominant performance of the season.
Pep Guardiola‘s side set a new high mark for successful passes in a single Premier League game, with 902 – the first time any team has crossed the 900 mark since Opta began collecting such data in 2003.
They beat their own record of 843, which came earlier this season against West Brom, while another performance this season, in December against Bournemouth, is in the all-time top five, as they completed 825 passes in that game.
At this rate, the 1000 mark is in danger, and that would be a truly historic performance. 1000 attempted passes is certainly within reach – Sunday’s game saw City attempt 975.
Ilkay Gundogan was at the heart of City’s dominance on Sunday, controlling play in midfield and showing off his passing range. His total of 167 successful passes and 181 touches were both the most ever by a player in the Premier League, justifying Guardiola’s faith in handing him the deep-lying midfielder’s role in the absence of the injured Fernandinho.
What was truly stunning about Gundogan’s display was how eager he was to move the ball on, never wasting possession. Only seven of his touches were not at least an attempt at a pass.
Remarkably, Gundogan was nearly matched by young colleague Oleksander Zinchenko. The left-back had 147 successful passes and 163 touches, with the 21-year-old already looking like a classic Guardiola full-back.
While City were no doubt dominant on Sunday, some of the “credit” for their historic stats should also go to Chelsea. The reigning champions allowed Guardiola’s side to play with comfort in midfield, sitting back and letting City’s midfielders stroke the ball around.
The lack of any press – or any urgency and intent at all – from Chelsea was alarming, and has come under criticism from all quarters, as the champions’ passivity pretty much guaranteed a dominant City performance.
Take nothing away from the Citizens, however. City played Chelsea off the park, and they’ve got the numbers to prove it.
