The Champions' Curse Strikes Again: Chelsea Snatches a Point From City in a Nail-Biting Thriller
4 January 2026
Match context
Manchester City continued their historic run against Chelsea, settling for a 1-1 draw at the Etihad in the Premier League's 20th round.
Key moments
Tijani Rainers opened the scoring for City in first-half stoppage time, and Enzo Fernandez rescued Chelsea with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser at 90+4, in the first game under interim Chelsea boss Calum MacFarlane.
Despite the late strike, Chelsea’s point felt like a small victory amid their upheaval, as they extended their winless streak against City in all competitions to five years.
Since the 2021 Champions League final, Chelsea have struggled to topple City, with City dominating the head-to-head in 12 meetings (9 wins, 3 draws) and a combined 22-7 goal tally.
Chelsea have failed to score against City in six consecutive encounters, while City dropped points in the previous round against Sunderland, keeping Arsenal six points ahead at the top.
The game lived up to its hype: late drama, a new Chelsea era beginning under MacFarlane, and a reminder that the “curse” sometimes bites back with a last-gasp equaliser. Punchline time: if football were a sniper, the clock struck a cheeky 90+4 on Chelsea’s favor. And for City fans, spoiler alert—the scoreboard didn’t exactly scream victory party. Punchline 2: Chelsea’s luck might be on layaway, but at least the drama paid for itself in blood pressure and memes.
