Player ratings: Rodri's late goal secures crucial point in 1-1 draw between Man City and Chelsea

In their recent match, Manchester City managed a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, a feat accomplished thanks to a late goal by midfielder Rodri.

Chelsea displayed an excellent game play, taking an early lead via a smart first-half strike by Raheem Sterling, a former City player. However, Rodri's late goal redeemed Manchester City for their poor performance under Pep Guardiola's guidance in this match.

This game was a struggle for City as Erling Haaland missed two wonderful opportunities to score via headers, yet ended up sending his shots wide of the goal.

Right at the start, Julian Alvarez couldn't capitalize on City's initial fiery energy but ended up striking wide in the first two minutes. Haaland also missed a prime opportunity as his header missed the goal, when he could have easily netted a simple tap-in.

Chelsea's counterattack posed considerable threats. Conor Gallagher's precarious cut-back got cleared aptly, as did a smart through-ball to Cole Palmer. Despite Sterling finding a tiny opening, his effort was not enough to score.

At around the 20-minutes mark, Nicolas Jackson had a clear opportunity to score when he found himself one-on-one with Ederson, City's goalkeeper. However, Ederson proved to be the better player, effectively blocking the shot. Sterling also narrowly missed another scoring opportunity, saved from embarrassment by a last-minute offside flag.

Sterling, however, successfully managed to score right before half-time. Skillfully turning a counterattack into an opportunity, he delicately cut inside his defender to push the ball into the net.

The second half began with another golden opportunity for Haaland to score, thanks to a cross by Phil Foden. However, Haaland's inability to control his strike cost him the goal.

On another occasion, Ederson had to block a close-range effort by Sterling and also managed to deal with a follow-up from Ben Chilwell, which allowed Ruben Dias to clear the ball. City's defense seemed frail and misplaced during these instances.

Despite the pressure, from the 60-minute mark onwards, the hosts continued their aggressive play, consequently exposing their defense. Haaland missed yet another scoring opportunity from a cross by Kevin De Bruyne, as his header went wide again.

The hard-earned breakthrough for City came only with eight minutes left on the clock, thanks to Rodri’s crucial goal.

The Spanish player's forceful volley spun into the net after deflecting off Trevoh Chalobah, although it would likely have scored regardless.

Even towards the end, there was noticeable tension as a VAR check during the additional four minutes had Chelsea on edge. However, they withstood the trial, holding on to the draw - a result that indeed carries significant influence in this season's title race.