0-0 after an hour of play against Chelsea.
Then Pep Guardiola chose to replace Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez.
Three minutes later it was they who combined to score the winning goal for City.
Manchester City needed to win away at Chelsea to face Arsenal in the First Division.
But even though Mason Mount faltered for Chelsea even before the game and Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic were both injured early in the first half, it turned out to be tough.
The best chance of the first half came from 19-year-old substitute Karney Chukwuemeka when he hit the post through a City defender and it was 0-0 at the break.
– This is the worst half of the season for Manchester City, says Eric Neva in Fiplay.
That prompted Pep Guardiola to act and the Spaniard made a double substitution at the break and City took further control of the game and just a few minutes into the second it was City’s turn to hit the woodwork when Nathan Ake headed the ball over the crossbar.
Got an open target
After an hour’s play, City made their next change when they brought in Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez, who paid off after just three minutes.
Grealish played to Mahrez, who managed to take a 1-0 lead in an open goal for City.
That prompted Graham Potter to play and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was substituted after five minutes of play in the 68th minute.
But Chelsea were nowhere near an equalizer and Manchester City won 1-0 and now sit five points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
On the other hand, Chelsea are only in tenth place and have ten points up to the CL position.