Rodri rescues draw for Manchester City against Chelsea after Sterling strike

Rodri fires home Manchester City’s 83rd-minute equaliser against Chelsea. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA

Frantic, open and featuring an ­83rd-minute Rodri rocket of a Manchester City equaliser that went in off Trevoh Chalobah’s knee to send the home faithful ballistic: this scintillating contest ended with Chelsea earning a point and the champions dropping two in their bid to defend the title again.

After 11 successive victories the expected narrative was a 12th for City that would match Liverpool and Arsenal earlier, who had each won.

By half-time the script had been ripped up, because Chelsea led via a classic counterattacking Raheem Sterling goal and Pep Guardiola’s players were dazed, unable to bully their guest. Yet City’s iron will grabbed a draw that could prove priceless when May arrives and the championship is decided.

Rain-slickened and under the lights, this had atmosphere. There was a wake-up call for Sterling, who slept as Kyle Walker mugged him and initiated a purring move that ended in Julián Álvarez’s shot rolling wide.

It was smooth. So, too, was the opening engineered for Conor Gallagher. Cole Palmer jinked infield, thudded the ball to Enzo Fernández whose instant layoff had Gallagher in, but he crossed instead of shooting.

Toe-to-toe thus far, as was the half. Next Álvarez slid along the left and chipped to Erling Haaland, whose header was wild. Sterling twisted and shot into Ederson’s gloves. A powder-puff clearance from the latter precipitated a Chelsea foray that required a sliding Nathan Aké challenge to thwart Palmer having a free hit.

Now, a gilt-edged chance. Palmer fashioned a rearguard-splitter that took Malo Gusto skating down the right. He rolled the ball over the turf to where Nicolas Jackson would ask but he dawdled, allowing Ederson a crucial fraction to smother the effort.

Chelsea’s gameplan included a harrying of those in the lighter blue shirts. Example: Moisés Caicedo upending Jérémy Doku and moments later repeating the act on the Belgian. This was about chopping up City’s rhythm and it meant the champions grasped for moments rather than enjoying their normal dominance, and Chelsea could be pleased.

Theirs was a statement of defiance and unwillingness to fall over easily as many visitors do here. The question, though, was the old one: how long could they hold out against the craft and power of the host? Palmer offered the very best answer by creating the opener.

First, he bundled over Aké to disrupt City. Moments later, he sliced the ball along the right to Jackson. His delivery teed up Sterling who twisted to leave Walker sprawling on the turf before firing the ball home.

Cut to the benches where Mauricio Pochettino jigged in sheer delight and Guardiola was a man enraged as this was the textbook manner to breach his side. Guardiola usually has a riposte to the insult of falling behind, often featuring Kevin De Bruyne, and there was, as soon as the second half kicked off: Caicedo, already booked for a further foul on Doku, scythed down Rodri and up stepped the Belgian to ripple the free-kick along the roof of the net.

De Bruyne played Walker in, who tangled with Sterling in the area. The captain yelled for a penalty – as did his teammates plus Guardiola – but VAR, correctly, said no, Walker shown to have kicked Sterling’s foot first.

One-nil it remained in a spectacle close to a repeat of the all-action 4-4 thriller in November’s reverse fixture, as, twice, Chelsea could have doubled the lead. Gallagher lost his cool close in, before Sterling, at similar range, saw Ederson beat his attempt away, Ben Chilwell unable to profit seconds after.

City took their turn to bombard the goal. Axel Disasi blocked Phil Foden’s volley, Haaland’s follow-up was also repelled, as was a hit-on-the-angle by the Norwegian; Gusto and his goalkeeper, Dorde Petrovic, saving Chelsea.

Chelsea had City at arm’s length but could not hold them. Now came Rodri’s intervention – his screams of vamos in his native Spanish a rallying cry, not just for City’s breathless finish but the campaign remainder.

In the last seconds Levi Colwill escaped a VAR penalty award when challenging Rúben Dias: it was for the type of handball – arm moving to it – that can be given. But not tonight.