Chelsea ended May triumphantly winning the 2021 UEFA Champions League, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the all-English final.
Kai Havertz goal late in the first half was enough to see off City and claim Chelsea’s second ever Champions League trophy before many of the team jetted off to play in the European Championships ahead of the 2021/2022 season. Looking ahead, Chelsea appears to be a strong team for any Draftkings sportsbook punter planning to wager on the Champions League next season. This sportsbook is known as an expert when it comes to providing players a top-notch sports betting experience.
Despite being the strongest team in the EPL all season, Manchester City could not respond and were dealt a killer blow as Kevin de Bruyne left the game during the second half after suffering an injury. Chelsea controlled the game from the start and used patience to organize a defense that held off City’s attack.
City manager Pep Guardiola brought in Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero, but the changes failed to have the desired effect. The Londoners claimed their second UCL crown, having first won the competition in 2012. The Blues’ USMNT maestro Christian Pulisic also made history by becoming the first American player to appear in the final, although he couldn’t go one further and score off the bench. Here are some takeaways from the Champions League final held in Porto.
Chelsea impressive ahead of a new season
Replacing Frank Lampard with new manager Thomas Tuchel proved to be an inspired move by Chelsea. He featured three fellow Germans in his starting line up, with defender Antonio Rudiger making a crucial tackle early on to deny Phil Foden a scoring opportunity. The cohesion, the confidence, and the belief grew significantly from that moment for the Blues, and attacking midfielder Kai Havertz produced what proved to be the winning goal by rounding the goalkeeper to slot home late in the first half.
Kai Havertz’s Breakthrough
German international Kai Havertz’ Chelsea career started slowly after being signed from Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen where he scored 36 goals and was heralded in the same way as Erling Haaland as one of the league’s rising stars. Havertz suffered a bout of Corona Virus in January which was a blow to his first season with the Londoners, but he recovered in time to score one of the most important goals in history.
After collecting Mason Mount’s defense splitting pass to round Man City’s goalkeeper Enderson three minutes before the break, Havertz won over the hearts of Chelsea fans forever.
Kevin de Bruyne’s Injury Was City’s Fatal Blow
It was another German Chelsea player who was involved in the other crucial moment of the game, if not in such a glorious manner. Antonio Rudiger’s challenge on de Bruyne resulted in a yellow card for Rudiger, and a concussion for the Belgian star who was unable to continue in one of the most important games of his career to date.
The loss of their key playmaker clearly had an affect on City’s performance, as they failed to create any meaningful opportunities in their first ever appearance in a Champions League final.