Analysis of Chelsea's low block against Manchester City:

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Chelsea were set up in a 4-5-1 system defensively, but it wasn't a flat 5 in the middle. Instead, staggered lines of 3/2 were used in defence to counter movement of City's interior midfielders.

Chelsea also used a hybrid system of zone + man defence in the central areas. Each player was allotted a zone to defend and then man-mark the City player who entered their zone. Giroud shifted to the ball side as required.

Kante was used as a defensive anchor. He played as a dynamic #6.

Bernardo, Sterling and De Bruyne rotated as false-9s for City. Kante's job was to man-mark them. His free role in defence allowed him to do that.

How did Chelsea defend De Bruyne?

Once again, Chelsea's use of zone defence helped them here. The interior midfielders (Mount/Barkley) constantly combined with the wide midfielders (Willian/Pulisic) to block passing lanes and cover the gaps.

Chelsea defended wing entries from City by overloading the flanks.

Ball-sided players immediately closed down on players in possession. Meanwhile, Kante dropped deep as an auxiliary CB to maintain the 4-man backline.

This is how Chelsea were able to deal with City's attacking juggernaut. They were able to limit big chances and reduced the shot quality considerably.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can consistently pull off defensive performances like this, but it's a good start.