November 12th 2023.
The 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Manchester City was an entertaining affair, with both Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer contributing to the score sheet. Haaland gave City the lead at Stamford Bridge in the first half, only for Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling to put Chelsea in front. Manuel Akanji then equalised for the visitors before the break.
In the second half, Haaland scored again, but Nicolas Jackson levelled for Chelsea once more. It seemed as if the match would end in a draw, until Rodri put City into the lead with a strike on 86 minutes. However, the action didn't end there, and Ruben Dias fouled substitute Armando Broja in the penalty box, allowing Palmer to confidently stick the ball past Ederson deep into injury time to make it 4-4.
Things were far from over as Manchester City won a free-kick in a very dangerous position in the very last minute of injury time. The City players were deep in discussion over who would take the set-piece and Palmer thought he would try and get some intel from his former teammates for his current team. Unfortunately for him, Haaland didn't take kindly to this and shoved him away to make sure he didn't hear anything useful.
Palmer was making his return to the Etihad for the first time since his £40m move to Stamford Bridge in September. Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the 21-year-old said it was a strange feeling.
‘Very, very strange,’ Palmer admitted. ‘First time I’ve played against City since I left, but I’ve got the utmost respect for the club that I spent 15 years at. It was nice to see some friends, unlucky not to get the win but it was a great game.’
When asked whether he had friends and family in Manchester who will be annoyed with him, he said: ‘Yeah probably, I know many City fans. But it’s the game innit. It was amazing, I was excited before the game to see some faces and show what I can do. It was a great game, we went behind a few times and bounced back.’
It certainly was an exciting match, with Palmer's cheeky attempt to gain intel on his former side being foiled by the ever-alert Erling Haaland. The draw leaves Manchester City 'a level above' their closest challengers, according to Jamie Carragher, and the Blues will no doubt be pleased to have grabbed an all-important point.
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