At the start, Chelsea's pressing game caught Manchester City somewhat off guard; after all, it was the latter's home ground, and the players were slower to get into their rhythm, which was perfectly normal.
The game was tightly contested from the onset.
Pirlo struggled to organize under pressure from Wise and Di Matteo. Occasionally, he managed to find a breakthrough ball through the middle, but the sweeper Leboeuf was there to heroically clear it. Though his movements looked a bit clumsy, the fans in the stands loved such displays, cheering them on in waves.
After twenty minutes, Manchester City had hardly created any good opportunities. However, Chelsea could not capitalize either.
