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Pep Guardiola's men were on the right track when Raheem Sterling gave them the lead but Hakim Ziyech levelled in the second half and Marcos Alonso grabbed the winner in the dying seconds.
Chelsea's Spanish defender Marcos Alonso celebrates after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England. Pic/AFP
Chelsea threat
Tuchel's in-form team ended City's dreams of a historic quadruple by beating them in the FA Cup semi-final last month and they once again proved tricky opponents. Guardiola made nine changes from the side that saw off Paris Saint-Germain in midweek while Chelsea made five changes following their triumph over Real Madrid. Sterling broke the deadlock shortly before half-time, tucking home after a poor touch from Aguero following a pass from Gabriel Jesus. City should have gone into the break two goals in front after Jesus won a spot-kick when he was bundled over by Billy Gilmour but Argentine striker Aguero squandered the chance. As the second half wore on the visitors started to establish a foothold and they equalised just after the hour mark when Cesar Azpilicueta picked out Ziyech, who drilled home from the edge of the area. The finish was frantic. Chelsea substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside before Sterling had a penalty appeal turned down.
Alonso slotted home the winner in stoppage time after Timo Werner pulled the ball back to complete the turnaround but City could be crowned champions as early as Sunday, if Aston Villa beat United. Tuchel admitted the match would have had a different complexion if Aguero had converted from the spot. "If they score the penalty maybe it is over before it starts -- at 2-0 you have no chance to come back," the Chelsea boss said. "I was impressed by the reaction and the performance in the second half. If you want to steal all three points here after being down, you need a bit of luck, decisions from the referee." Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was delighted to see his team back to winning ways following two costly draws, with Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara both finding the net at Anfield. Speaking about his side being in the race for the top four, he told the BBC: "We are, kind of. It's not impossible but it's difficult. We will give it a try and see where we get to." Earlier, Crystal Palace beat already relegated Sheffield United 2-0.
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