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Chelsea Defeats Man City to Win Champions League Title on Kai Havertz's Goal

Kai Havertz's 42nd-minute goal proved to be the difference in Chelsea's 1-0 Champions League final win over Manchester City.

Andrew Gastelum

Chelsea Defeats Man City to Win Champions League Title on Kai Havertz's Goal
Chelsea Defeats Man City to Win Champions League Title on Kai Havertz's Goal /

It seemed as though things couldn't get any better when Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel started his tenure at Stamford Bridge with a spectacular 14-game win streak in January. But Tuchel showed that the only thing more memorable than early perfection is everlasting glory, ending his first half-season as a Champions League winner with Chelsea's 1-0 final win over Manchester City.

In as little as four months, Tuchel became a Chelsea legend after outmaneuvering Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with a tactical masterclass for the third time this year. Just nine months after losing the 2019-20 Champions League final while manager at PSG, Tuchel lifted the trophy in Porto. 

Tuchel's German compatriot, Kai Havertz waited until the biggest occasion to score his first-ever Champions League goal. Chelsea's £88 million summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen scored what proved to be the match-winner in the 42nd minute as the Blues held on for its first Champions League title since 2012.

Beleaguered by Tuchel's defensive tactics, Manchester City was never able to find the rhythm that led it to its first Champions League final. Despite an attacking résumé that saw it scored 83 goals in its Premier League winning campaign, City fell short with only one shot on target against Chelsea in the final. 

Guardiola opted to embrace his formidable attack with a loaded starting lineup, dropping defensive midfielders Rodri and Fernandinho in favor of an all-out attack. Consistent with his tendency to tinker with his squads in big games, Guardiola chose Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and UCL semifinal hero Riyad Mahrez to lead the line with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva in behind, with only İlkay Gündoğan in holding midfield. 

Both American internationals were named to the bench with Zack Steffen backing up City keeper Ederson while Tuchel preferred Kai Havertz over Christian Pulisic on the wing. Pulisic became only the second male U.S. international, after Borussia Dortmund forward Jovan Kirovski in 1997, to lift the Champions League trophy after coming on as a second-half sub.

In front of a roaring crowd over 14,000 spectators at the Estádio do Dragão, City started off with a high line that Chelsea tried to take advantage of early. Havertz created the first dangerous chance of the match with his drive into the box following a Timo Werner run, but his ricocheted pass ended up in the hands of Ederson in the fourth minute. 

Ederson used a brilliant ball over the top to stretch the Chelsea defense as Raheem Sterling seemed nearly through on goal, but Mendy was there to stop the chance just in time after Sterling's misplaced touch.

Havertz and Werner combined again, this time down the left wing in the 10th minute, to give Chelsea a premium chance in front of goal, but Werner failed to connect on a low pass at his feet and scuffed the chance. 

Werner seemed to have the lion's share of the scoring opportunities early on with his best chance coming in the 14th minute on a Chelsea counter attack, but the German couldn't corral the ball at his feet properly before sending a rushed shot directly at Ederson. 

After 20 minutes, City appeared to settle into its possession-based gameplan following the frenetic pace set by the Chelsea counter attack. Still, Chelsea found plenty of pockets to maneuver with Kanté drawing a foul in the 25th minute to create a dangerous free-kick opportunity for Chelsea, which was eventually cleared by City's standout center back Rúben Dias. 

De Bruyne finally got involved in the action against his former team in the 25th minute, creating City's most dangerous chance yet. The Belgian international opened up space down the left wing and slid a perfect pass for a goalbound Foden, but Antonio Rüdiger's perfectly timed, sliding challenge prevented the point-blank shot from testing Mendy. 

Five minutes later, Kyle Walker intercepted the ball down the right wing in Chelsea's defensive third and sent a dangerous pass into the area. But the cross was just inches out of the reach of a crashing Mahrez, which drew groans from the boisterous City fans in attendance. 

Tuchel was forced into the first change when Thiago Silva limped off in the 38th minute with what appeared to be a groin injury. Andreas Christensen came on for the Brazilian, who was playing in his second Champions League final of the last nine months after captaining PSG in the 2019-20 final in August.

Chelsea's counter attack paid dividends just before halftime when Mason Mount sent a through ball that unleashed Havertz up the pitch. The former Bayer Leverkusen star took the pass in stride and ran past a charging Ederson before easily finishing for his first goal in 20 Champions League appearances. 

Despite the injury to Thiago Silva, Blues rarely looked unnerved by City's all-out attack, instead allowing Guardiola's side to push its numbers forward before taking control on the counter attack. 

City opened up the second half with a free-kick in the Chelsea half after Sterling drew a foul, but Foden's poorly hit a low set-piece cross that was easily cleared by Kanté in the 48th. 

As expected the second half started slowly as Chelsea withdrew into a tighter formation in its own half, relying on two Kanté tackles to stop City's attack in the first 10 minutes. 

Rüdiger and De Bruyne were involved in a collision that forced the latter out of the match in the 58th minute with an apparent facial injury. With Gabriel Jesus running on, De Bruyne left the pitch in tears with a swollen eye after his head crashed straight into Rüdiger's shoulder, which earned a yellow card for the German. 

City was denied its handball cries in the 60th minute when Sterling's shot hit Reece James between the arm and chest, leading to a quick and inconclusive VAR check while the game carried on.

Pulisic entered the match in the 66th minute, becoming the first male American international to feature in a Champions League final. Meanwhile, De Bruyne was seen on the City bench with an icepack held against his severely bruised left eye as second-half sub Fernandinho led the midfield in place of Bernardo Silva. 

Chelsea had to deal with another defensive injury when Cesar Azpilicueta went down with a knee injury following a collision, just moments after the captain cleared a sharp cross into the box that was en route toward Gündoğan. However, the Spaniard was able to continue following on-field treatment. 

Pulisic nearly became the first USMNT player to score in a final with his chance in the 73rd. Kanté and Havertz did the hard work once again, with the German drawing two defenders for Pulisic's run, but Pulisic couldn't find the back of the net after chipping his open shot just wide of the post. 

As De Bruyne gingerly left the bench to receive more treatment in the dressing room, Chelsea looked set on winding the game down by holding the ball up as Mateo Kovačić came on for Mount in a defensive-minded substitute. 

In the 85th minute, City put together one of its best chances of the second half when second-half substitute Sergio Agüero, in his final game for City, took a pass down the left of the penalty area and appeared to chip his shot toward goal, only for the chance to end up in Mendy's hands. 

It was Thiago Silva's replacement, Andreas Christensen, who proved to save Chelsea in the 90th minute with his block of Foden's shot from inside the area after latching onto Mahrez's pass. 

Despite the seven minutes of stoppage time, Chelsea held strong at the back as City frantically looked for an equalizer. In the waning moments, Mahrez came within inches of the equalizer. But in the end, Tuchel avenged his final loss from last season and completing Chelsea's stunning four-month turnaround. 

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Andrew Gastelum
ANDREW GASTELUM

Andrew Gastelum is a programming editor and writer at Sports Illustrated who specializes in soccer, the Olympics and international sports. He joined the SI staff in March 2021 and previously contributed to Howler Magazine and NBC Sports. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame alum and is currently based in Italy.

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