Manchester City's history with Chelsea dates back to 1907, but only recently has the duel between these two clubs been considered of utmost importance.
City and Chelsea have been two distinct beneficiaries of the sport's evolution with foreign ownership playing such a major role in the development of the Premier League. The sheer wealth of Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour has seen the blue side of Manchester and west London emerge as two breeding grounds for success.
While their respective rises arrived at different times, the two clubs have capitalised on Sir Alex Ferguson's departure and enjoyed their time at the top of the Premier League.
Despite City's dominance since Pep Guardiola took charge, Chelsea have often come out on top in head-to-head meetings between the two sides since 1992 and there have been plenty of memorable matchups along the way.
Chelsea 2-4 Manchester City - February 2010
A handshake refusal, Craig Bellamy's heroics, and a rare home defeat for Chelsea; this contest had a little bit of everything.
Much was made of the relationship between John Terry and Wayne Bridge in the build-up to the contest and the pair refused to interact before kick-off which set the stage for a bitty affair in which Michael Ballack was sent off after City had raced into a 3-1 lead.
Bellamy scored his second and the visitors' fourth in the closing stages before Frank Lampard added a mere consolation from the spot. This was a bad day at the office for Carlo Ancelotti's Blues, who would go on to win the league, and a sign of things to come from the upstart Sky Blues.
Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea - December 2016
This was the very best of Antonio Conte's Chelsea.
After Kevin De Bruyne spurned a golden opportunity to give City a 2-0 lead, the Blues ran riot in transition to send a statement out to the rest of the Premier League. This was their eighth successive league triumph, and their ruthless efficiency in the final 30 minutes was nothing short of unnerving.
Diego Costa ignited the Blues' charge with a fine solo effort after bullying Nicolas Otamendi before Willian and Eden Hazard produced devastating finishes on the break to seal an emphatic victory.
Manchester City 6-0 Chelsea - February 2019
The Citizens avenged their 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season in some style as Guardiola's eventual title-winners put six past Maurizio Sarri's Blues at the Etihad.
Chelsea had produced a limp display on City's home patch the season before during Conte's fateful second campaign, but a naive showing on this occasion meant the visitors were 4-0 down after 25 minutes.
There was no coming back and City added a couple more to the score in the second half to inflict the worst defeat in Chelsea's Premier League history.
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Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City (3-4p) - February 2019
The 2019 Carabao Cup final arrived just a couple of weeks after Chelsea's humbling at the Etihad, but the Blues were much improved at Wembley.
Chelsea's newfound defensive resilience meant this was a final of few highlights, but the remarkable standoff between Kepa and Sarri at the end of extra-time ensured the neutrals were entertained.
Kepa's stubbornness meant he stayed on the pitch for the penalty shootout, and while the Spaniard denied Leroy Sane from 12 yards, it wasn't enough as Jorginho and David Luiz missed from the spot to hand City the trophy.
Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City - May 2021
The most significant duel between these two sides culminated in sky blue heartbreak and Chelsea's second Champions League triumph.
The arrival of Thomas Tuchel proved nightmarish for Guardiola, who was outwitted by the German on three separate occasions during the second half of the 2020/21 season. After Chelsea beat City in the FA Cup and Premier League in April and May respectively, the Blues concluded their campaign in Porto by edging the favoured Citizens 1-0.
The west Londoners defended superbly throughout and they were good value for their slender victory. The winning moment arrived just before half-time when Kai Havertz latched onto Mason Mount's pass and rounded Ederson before finishing into an empty net.
Manchester City vs Chelsea - Complete H2H record
- Games played: 174
- Manchester City wins: 64
- Draws: 39
- Chelsea wins: 71
Manchester City vs Chelsea - Premier League H2H record
- Games played: 51
- Manchester City wins: 17
- Draws: 7
- Chelsea wins: 27
Top scorers in Manchester City vs Chelsea fixtures
This article was originally published on 90min as Manchester City vs Chelsea: Complete head-to-head record.