By Richard Martin
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester City negotiated a heavyweight EFL Cup tie with Chelsea as second-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez secured a 2-0 home win on Wednesday to send them into the fourth round.
City manager Pep Guardiola made seven changes to the line-up that scraped a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday but still named a team brimming with talent costing the champions more than 300 million pounds ($341 million).
Chelsea, last season’s beaten finalists, also fielded a strong side and 18-year-old Lewis Hall made his debut for the club but City dominated the game and were worthy winners.
Jack Grealish, the Premier League’s most expensive signing, was City’s standout player and created a number of chances but it was Mahrez who broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute from a free kick.
Alvarez doubled City’s lead five minutes later, sending a spectacular crossfield ball towards Mahrez and knocking the loose ball in from close range after Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy had parried the Algerian’s low strike.
($1 = 0.8806 pounds)
(Reporting by Richard Martin, editing by Ed Osmond)
