Chelsea beat Manchester City to win the UEFA Champions League
Chelsea won their second UEFA Champions League trophy and a first since 2012-13 after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final. City, who were looking to win a treble this season after winning the Premier League and Carabao Cup, suffered a defeat against Thomas Tuchel's side. Tuchel won his maiden UCL trophy as Pep Guardiola lost a maiden final after winning twice with Barcelona.
How did the match pan out?
The game started at a frantic pace as Chelsea dominated in terms of chances as Timo Werner spurned the same. City almost went ahead but Antonio Rudiger's last-gasp challenge prevented a goal. Ahead of half-time, Kai Havertz netted the opener for Chelsea. In the second half, Christian Pulisic missed a glorious opportunity to put Chelsea ahead. City applied pressure but Chelsea worked hard.
Havertz scripts history after scoring in the UCL final
As per Opta, Havertz (aged 21 yrs, 352 days) is the second youngest German player to score in the Champions League final after Lars Ricken (20 yrs, 322 days) for Borussia Dortmund in 1997. Notably, Havertz also scored his first Champions League goal after 21 hours and 2 minutes of play. This was his 20th appearance in the competition.
Notable record for youngster Phil Foden
As per Opta, Phil Foden (aged 21 yrs, 1 day) has the third youngest English player to start in a UCL final after Owen Hargreaves for Bayern Munich in 2001 (20 yrs, 123 days) and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool in both 2018 (19 yrs, 231 days) and 2019 (20 yrs, 237 days).
Thiago Silva makes record Champions League finale appearance
Chelsea defender Thiago Silva was forced out in the 39th minute with an injury. However, he became the fifth player to play in the Champions League final in consecutive seasons with different teams, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, Samuel Eto'o, and Alvaro Morata. Silva (36y 249d) became Chelsea's oldest player to appear in a major European final, overtaking Claude Makelele (35y 93d).
Chelsea win third successive game against City
Chelsea have won their last three games against City in all competitions since Thomas Tuchel took charge. The Blues won their ninth match in the UCL 2020-21 season, besides scoring 23 goals. Meanwhile, City suffered their maiden defeat this season in the Champions League (W11 D1 L1). Man City had just one shot on target in this match (eighth minute).
Champions of Europe!
Chelsea join Liverpool and Man United in this elite club
Chelsea are now the third English team to win the Champions League on two occasions, after Liverpool (2004-05 and 2018-19) and Manchester United (1998-99 and 2007-08).
