LONDON, 18 Aug (AP) — Erling Haaland marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City with his 91st goal for the club as the defending champion began its search for a fifth straight Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday.
Haaland gave his team the lead in the 18th minute and Mateo Kovacic added a strike from just outside the area in the 84th to make it a harsh welcome for new Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca in his first game in charge.
After a promising start for Chelsea, Haaland scored when he received the ball on the edge of the area and cut between Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella before dinking the ball past Robert Sanchez.
It was the kind of clinical center-forward play that Chelsea lacked for much of last season and again on Sunday despite another summer of heavy spending.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson had a goal disallowed just before halftime after needlessly straying offside and then hit a close-range volley straight at City goalkeeper Ederson in the 61st before being taken off for 18-year-old newcomer Marc Guiu.
Still, there were signs of encouragement for Maresca, the former Man City assistant under Pep Guardiola. While none of Chelsea’s nine summer signings started the game, Romeo Lavia made his first league start after missing most of last season with injuries and impressed in a midfield partnership with Moises Caicedo.
Winger Pedro Neto came off the bench in the 59th to make his debut after a big-money move from Wolves and nearly scored right away as he was inches from getting to Enzo Fernandez’s low cross toward the far post.
But Kovacic doubled the lead against his former club when he intercepted a high ball up the pitch and strove forward before launching a shot that snuck in via the post.
In the early game, Brentford beat Crystal Palace 2-1.