By our football writer at the Etihad
THE ETIHAD STADIUM was transformed into a freezing cauldron of frustration last night as Manchester City’s title charge hit a snowy roadblock.
Under the blinding glow of the East Manchester floodlights, Pep Guardiola’s superstars were left frozen out by a dogged, managerless Chelsea side who refused to follow the script.
The Etihad, usually a fortress of sky-blue celebration, felt more like a library of nerves as the clock ticked down through a biting winter gale.
City looked to have the game in the palm of their hands when Tijjani Reijnders sent the home fans into raptures just before the break.
His 42nd-minute strike was a rocket, lashed into the roof of the net to make the Etihad pulse with the familiar beat of a City victory march.
But as the sleet swirled around the stands and the temperature plummeted, the atmosphere turned from expectant to anxious.
The home faithful, wrapped in scarves and huddling against the Manchester chill, watched in horror as chance after chance went begging.
Erling Haaland, usually the Etihad’s clinical executioner, saw his efforts rattle the woodwork and fly wide, leaving the door ajar for a Chelsea smash-and-grab.
And grab it they did.
Deep into stoppage time, with the Etihad’s “Blue Moon” anthem fading into a nervous hum, Enzo Fernandez became the party pooper. Amidst a frantic scramble in the six-yard box that had the Chelsea away end in total meltdown, the Argentine bundled the ball home to snatch a 1-1 draw.
The roar from the travelling Londoners echoed around the concrete curves of the stadium, drowning out the stunned silence of the City supporters.
Guardiola was left screaming at the heavens as his side dropped two massive points in the race for the crown.
At the final whistle, the Etihad was a scene of contrasting worlds: the Chelsea players diving into their fans in the front rows, while the City stars trudged off into the tunnel, heads bowed against the driving rain.
It was a night where the Etihad’s heavy-metal football met a blue brick wall.
