Erling Haaland starred as Manchester City defeated Chelsea 4-2 in a pre-season encounter in Columbus. The Norwegian attacker scored a hat-trick, capitalising on a string of Chelsea errors to secure the victory. Haaland scored twice in the opening five minutes, taking advantage of Enzo Maresca’s team’s defensive mistakes. Tosin Adarabioyo’s errant pass led to Levi Colwill fouling Haaland, resulting in a fourth-minute penalty, which Haaland converted after a retake.

Moments later, Moises Caicedo’s botched pass allowed Haaland to intercept and score his second goal. City’s aggressive pushing continued, and they increased their lead in the second half. In the 55th minute, Oscar Bobb scored with a beautiful near-post finish after substitute Raheem Sterling made a mistake. Haaland completed his hat-trick just a minute later, capitalizing from another error by Malo Gusto.

Chelsea’s Response and Tactical Challenges
Despite the setback, Chelsea managed to score two goals back. Raheem Sterling volleyed a cross in the 59th minute, and Noni Madueke scored a late counter-attacking goal in the 88th minute. The game, which was attended by 68,000 people at Ohio Stadium, emphasized both teams’ differing pre-season preparations. While City returns to the UK to face Manchester United in the Community Shield, Chelsea resumes their US trip with a match against Real Madrid.

Maresca’s Tactical Evolution
Chelsea’s new manager, Enzo Maresca, stated that his tactical approach needed to be refined after only five weeks in command, compared to Pep Guardiola’s eight-year stint. Chelsea’s blunders in playing out from the back were clear, with all four City goals coming as a result of their mistakes. Despite these losses, Maresca is confident in his system’s long-term benefits, citing the team’s ability to create scoring opportunities, including missed opportunities by Christopher Nkunku and Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea faced added hurdles as 15 senior players were out owing to international obligations, whereas City’s predicament was less severe. Maresca’s experiments with player positions, such as starting Malo Gusto at left-back instead of Ben Chilwell, is still in progress. He said, “It’s an unusual game because

You arrange the game one way, then you concede two goals, which alters the dynamic.”
City’s Rising Stars and Key Players

Jack Grealish, who was left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad, demonstrated his determination by assisting in City’s opening goal and formed a dangerous attacking combination alongside Harland and Oscar Bobb. Guardiola hailed Grealish’s performance, saying, “Jack has had an incredible three games…” Not how he performs, but how he trains and behaves, which are from about two seasons ago.” Harland’s sharpness was clear with a 56-minute hat-trick, indicating his fitness for the new season.

City’s young potential shone through, with Bobb scoring and excelling all throughout. Other young players that stood out included Rico Lewis, James McAtee, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, and Nico O’Reilly. the game. Other young players like Rico Lewis, James McAtee, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, and Nico O’Reilly also featured prominently. With key