Manchester City held by Chelsea, lose ground in title race

Manchester City’s title defence was damaged by a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.

City were attempting to win an unprecedented fourth successive title.

Chelsea took the lead in the 41st minute as former City winger Raheem Sterling took Nicolas Jackson’s pass and curled his shot into the far corner from 12 yards.

City laid siege to the Chelsea goal and finally drew level in the 83rd minute when Rodri’s shot deflected in off Trevoh Chalobah.

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Pep Guardiola’s men, who have a game in hand on Liverpool, preserved their long unbeaten home league run, but failing to win for the first time in 12 games in all competitions was a significant setback.