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Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Champions League Final Highlights | UCL on CBS Sports

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Chelsea shut out Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to claim their second European crown.

The Estádio do Dragão in Porto hosted the biggest club match in world football on Saturday, May 29, and Chelsea walked away with it. A single first-half goal was enough to beat Manchester City 1-0, denying Guardiola’s side the Champions League title in their first-ever appearance in the final. Thomas Tuchel, who took over at Stamford Bridge in late January, delivered a trophy in his first few months on the job by out-organizing one of the most talented squads in Europe.

• Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute, his first-ever Champions League goal, after Mason Mount slid a through-ball behind City’s back line.
• Kevin De Bruyne was forced off in tears in the 60th minute with a head and facial injury following a collision with Antonio Rüdiger, who was booked for the challenge.
• Christian Pulisic entered as a 66th-minute substitute for Timo Werner and became the first American man to play in and win a Champions League final.

Havertz Turns a Mount Pass Into the Difference-Maker

Chelsea’s breakthrough came right before the half. Mason Mount threaded a pass through Manchester City’s midfield and defensive line that split the entire back four, and Kai Havertz ran onto it in stride. He rounded a rushing Ederson and slotted the ball into the empty net, giving Chelsea a lead they would not surrender. It was Havertz’s first goal in Champions League play, arriving on the biggest stage the competition offers.

City, appearing in their first Champions League final under Guardiola, never found an answer. N’Golo Kanté anchored Chelsea’s midfield and repeatedly cut off City’s buildup before it reached the final third, forcing Guardiola’s attackers into low-percentage looks from distance rather than clean chances inside the box.

Two Costly Injuries Reshaped the Match

Chelsea absorbed their own setback first. Veteran center-back Thiago Silva went down in the 39th minute and had to be replaced by Andreas Christensen, forcing Tuchel to reshuffle his back line just before Havertz’s goal changed the complexion of the match.

City’s blow was more dramatic. In the 60th minute, Kevin De Bruyne left the pitch in tears after a heavy collision with Rüdiger left him with a head and facial injury. Rüdiger was shown a yellow card for the challenge, and City lost their primary creative outlet for the stretch run of the match at the exact moment they needed to chase a goal.

Pulisic’s arrival in the 66th minute made him the first American man to both play in and win a Champions League final.

Pulisic’s Super-Sub Turn

Christian Pulisic came on for Timo Werner in the 66th minute and immediately gave Chelsea another gear on the counter. In the 73rd minute, Havertz sprung him clean through on a breakaway, but Pulisic’s chipped attempt skipped just wide of the far post. The chance would have doubled Chelsea’s lead and put the match away entirely, but even without the second goal, Pulisic’s entrance secured his place in the competition’s history.

City’s Late Siege Comes Up Empty

Manchester City threw everyone forward in the final stretch, with the match extended by seven minutes of second-half stoppage time. Guardiola brought on Sergio Agüero, in what turned out to be his final appearance for the club, hoping the striker could produce one last moment of magic. Instead, it was Riyad Mahrez who had the best look, sliced a half-volley just over the bar in the closing seconds, and Chelsea’s back line held firm to close it out.

Edouard Mendy’s clean sheet and Tuchel’s defensive setup turned a City side that had steamrolled the Premier League into a team that managed almost nothing dangerous for 90-plus minutes. For Chelsea, it’s their second European crown to go with the one they won in 2012 — and this time it came with an American, Christian Pulisic, lifting the trophy alongside them.