Hakim Ziyech plays for Chelsea
It's been easy to forget this season, paticularly under the tenure of Graham Potter. Against Manchester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup though, Ziyech made his first appearance under the new Chelsea boss, and many may suggest it could be his last.
The Morocco international had barely played 25 minutes for the former Brighton coach before the clash at the Etihad and it's easy to see why it is suspected he could depart Stamford Bridge in January. With that said, a start in the Carabao Cup after a brief Champions League cameo seven days before offered an uncertain position for the ex-Ajax wizard. Would there be any point in playing him if he is definitely leaving?
Ziyech showed much of what we have come to expect of him at Chelsea, some quality passes and touches in the opposition half and even some moments of work-rate as he dashed back into his own half to make a tackle. The 28-year-old produced a memorable moment to beat Sergio Gomez on the byline in the second period, just to ensure a reminder of what he was capable of.
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There was perhaps not enough quality in his 68-minute outing to convince Potter he is worth more playing time however. Nevertheless, Ziyech did not look particularly impressed when he was substituted, understandably given it was a rare chance.
Lewis Hall reminder
It has been more than 10 months since Lewis Hall last featured for the first team in a cup competition, and once again he did a very good job to not look out of place. The 18-year-old was named man of the match against Chesterfield in the FA Cup in January and put forward a good argument that he was Chelsea's most impressive player against City.
Still not playing in his favoured position in the centre of the park, Hall showed plenty of confidence to relentlessly push up the left wing, attempt probing passes and combined well with Marc Cucurella on the left side of defence. It was not an entirely polished performance but one full of promise, where he was not daunted by the team he was facing.
The youngster was joined by Omari Hutchinson in the Blues' matchday squad, and while the duos recent outings as squad members have come from injury problems in west London, Hall's performance may prove to Potter that the development squad is worth a look when required. They will have more time to impress during the break for the World Cup.
Gap to Man City
Ahead of the trip to the Etihad, Potter once again spoke about the process that needs to occur at Chelsea. There was an acknowledgement that work must be done to reduce the gap to the top of the table - a familiar tenet of the last couple of seasons.
The Blues boss wants to compete for trophies, but was realistic in his outlook. He said: "One of the reasons to come here, one of many, was that it's a fantastic football club, potentially one of the best in the world, and that can compete for any major trophy. But I think we all know that we're not at that point now, and we haven't been for two or three or four years. That is the reality when you look at the league table and the points difference between the top two and Chelsea.
"So okay, how do you get there? That's hard work, and that's pain, and that's suffering, and that is moving forward, and that's learning, and that's developing, and that's just driving it forward - And that's absolutely why we're here."
While there were plenty of changes across both teams - Chelsea and Manchester City made seven changes each - there was something significant in the home side's play. The speed and quality of their attacks were consistent and each player appeared comfortable manipulation the ball regardless of the situation.
In recent years, Chelsea have seemed ponderous even when they have had control, too slow to take advantage of situation unless it is an obvious opportunity to break. There is an ethos that the Blues need to find, that goes beyond simply the quality of player and Man City illustrate that better than most.
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