Chelsea scored a dramatic equalizer in the final minutes of the match, possibly the only one under the guidance of Calum McFarlane. The Blues drew with Manchester City 1-1, just 4 days after parting ways with Enzo Maresca.
McFarlane, coach of Chelsea U21 team, appeared on the Etihad field after the club announced Maresca leaving the hot seat on New Year's Day. Chelsea is expected to announce new coach Liam Rosenior of Strasbourg as his replacement before the away trip to Fulham.
And in his possibly only match as captain, McFarlane witnessed Enzo Fernandez score in the 90+4 minute, thereby hitting Man City's championship hopes hard.
Previously, Tijjani Reijnders put Pep Guardiola's team ahead right before halftime with a neat close-range finish. Man City limited Chelsea from creating very few clear chances for most of the time. However, they paid the price in injury time when Fernandez received a pass from the right wing and successfully finished in the second rhythm, defeating Gianluigi Donnarumma.
This is a disastrous result for Man City, as they continued to lose points in the second consecutive match and were widened the gap in the rankings by Arsenal.
McFarlane deserves praise
Etihad may have witnessed a match with a rare difference in training records in Premier League history. Guardiola owns 12 national championships in 3 different countries, along with three Champions League titles, 16 domestic cups and is considered the most outstanding football mind of the generation.
In the opposite direction, McFarlane was on his way to take his family to a light show in Windsor when he received a call asking to lead Chelsea for this match, after Maresca's sudden departure.
McFarlane (40 years old) previously emphasized that Chelsea's model requires the U21 team to operate in a similar style to the first team, so it is not surprising that Chelsea did not change too much in playing style or personnel. However, when they did not have the ball, they played cautiously, often going deep with a five-man defense right next to the penalty area.
After a somewhat misguided start, both McFarlane and Chelsea gradually became more confident in the second half. The breakthrough of substitute player Liam Delap in the 68th minute was rejected for a hand-touching error, clearly igniting McFarlane's emotions, before he had a complete smile when Fernandez equalized.
Guardiola gave McFarlane a warm hug after the match. He may not have known McFarlane before the ball rolled, but it will certainly be hard to forget this colleague after the result caused a big loss to Man City.
McFarlane was even praised by Chelsea fans, when the whole team approached to thank the fans who followed the team to Etihad.
Chelsea's substitutions have been effective
One of the reasons Maresca is most dissatisfied is the feeling that Chelsea's medical team intervened excessively, unnecessarily affecting the selection of the squad and the way players are used.
Maresca sometimes ignored recommendations and ignored instructions, especially regarding the match volume, in the context that he was informed that some players were only allowed to play 45 minutes, 60 minutes or 75 minutes per game.
Therefore, the noteworthy detail is that McFarlane only made three substitutions, starting from halftime. Estevao Willian made way for Andrey Santos, then in the 62nd minute, Liam Delap and Jorrel Hato were brought on to replace Joao Pedro and Josh Acheampong.
If Cole Palmer had left the field in the 75th minute, it would have been a "hat-trick" for the medical team. However, to be fair, Chelsea under McFarlane has improved significantly after the break. Delap caused more problems for Man City's defense than Joao Pedro, and Santos helped rebalance the midfield area.
McFarlane also adjusted positions to neutralize the threat from Man City's two wings, and at the same time pushed Fernandez to play number 10. These changes were effective in the opposite half of the field.
From the attack on the right wing, Malo Gusto made a cross and Fernandez finished to equalize in the fourth minute of added time. This was a goal that was almost impossible to score if that personnel adjustment and tactics were not implemented.
