Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic scored a stunning late goal to ensure Manchester City took all three points at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Premier League Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland had earlier carried on where he left off last season by scoring the opener to set City on their way.
It meant a losing start for new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca in his first league game in charge of the club.
The Italian, who led Leicester City to promotion back to the top flight last season, also had to answer questions before the game over his decision to leave Raheem Sterling out of his squad.
Haaland opened the scoring for City after 18 minutes when Bernardo Silva flicked a Jeremy Doku cross into the box and the Norwegian outmuscled Marc Cucurella before dinking the ball over keeper Robert Sanchez.
Pep Guardiola had switched Doku to the left side shortly before the goal. There was a lengthy VAR check but Silva was just played onside by Wesley Fofana in the build-up. It was Haaland's 13th goal in nine Premier League games in August.
Enzo Fernandez had a penalty shout for Chelsea denied just past the half-hour mark when he went down too easily under a challenge from Savinho after allowing the ball to escape him with a poor first touch.
After impressing on his debut for City in the Community Shield win over Manchester United, the 20-year-old Brazilian winger again looked excellent on his Premier League bow, showing pace, control and the ability to deliver dangerous crosses.
Doku and Silva forced good saves from Sanchez and Chelsea wasted several decent chances before Nicolas Jackson thought he had scored after 44 minutes.
A Cole Palmer shot from the edge of the area was spilt by Ederson into the path of the onrushing Jackson, who tucked it into the back of the net but the striker had strayed marginally offside before making his run into the box.
Chelsea then had another penalty appeal ruled out as Fernandez threw himself down after minimal contact in the box from Ruben Dias but it was waved away by referee Anthony Taylor. Shortly afterwards, the official also rejected a third penalty appeal after Nkunku went over when his run was blocked by Rico Lewis.
After the restart, Haaland was teed up well by Silva but his tame shot was saved easily by Sanchez.
Chelsea's new £54 million signing from Wolves Pedro Neto almost made an immediate impact when he came on as a substitute for Nkunku in the 58th minute.
As Fernandez squared the ball in the six-yard box, the Portuguese was denied the chance to poke it home by a last-ditch clearance by Rico Lewis.
Lewis then had the ball in the back of the net for City before it was chalked off for a foul by Haaland in the build-up.
Maresca rang the changes, bringing on fresh legs in 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu, signed for £5m from Barcelona, and fellow debutant Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on 67 minutes in place of Jackson and Romeo Lavia.
The home side began to put City under pressure and a Malo Gusto cross that hit Mateo Kovacic's arm was ruled not to be a penalty under the new interpretation of the law brought.
Another of Chelsea's summer signings, Portuguese Renato Veiga, was brought on to replace a limping Cucurella.
But the game was taken away from the home side after 84 minutes when Croatian midfielder Kovacic chested the ball down and broke clear before scoring from 25 yards out. Sanchez, who got a glove to it may have felt he could have done better.
While the defending champions got their quest for a fifth straight title off to a winning start, new Chelsea boss Maresca will know he has plenty of work to do to fashion a team that can threaten Premier League's top four.
Afterwards Maresca told Sky Sports: “I think we competed very well for much of the game. The performance was there but we didn’t take the chances.
“We were against the champions today. They are a master in this kind of moment. We don’t like to lose. We just need to continue.”
There has been plenty of talk about the Blues’ unwieldy squad in the build-up to the season and Maresca’s decision not to include Sterling in his squad raised questions.
Sterling’s representatives said in a statement issued before the match: “[Raheem] has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.
“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.”
Asked about his decision, Maresca said: “The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don’t like it. Just a technical decision, no more than that.”
City manager Guardiola said when asked about Rodri’s injury absence: “Rodri is massively important for us so it’s important to have Mateo [Kovacic] here because he is an experienced player and a great person. He made a good performance.”
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The five pillars of Islam
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The five pillars of Islam
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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Torque: 859Nm
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