Recent signings Omar Marmoush and Khusanov – the first Uzbekistani to ever feature in the PL – each made the City starting XI, with the defending champions looking to bounce back from a confidence-shaking 4-2 collapse against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
The debutants were involved from the off, but after an early sighter from Marmoush forced Robert Sánchez into a stop, a glaring defensive error from Khusanov allowed Chelsea to break the deadlock.
Just three minutes in, the City defender let a looping ball bounce over his head before inadvertently nodding into the path of Nicolas Jackson, who seized upon it in the box and laid off for Noni Madueke to tuck into an empty net.
An action-packed start almost saw the Blues double their lead as the hosts were carved open, yet Cole Palmer’s pass pushed Jackson wider than intended as the counter-attack ultimately came to nothing.
At the other end, the in-form Phil Foden thundered a snapshot onto the near post, shortly before Joško Gvardiol blazed over from a promising position.
Having regained their composure, Pep Guardiola’s side ended the half on top, and while Marmoush may have seen his would-be goal flagged offside, City fans were soon celebrating.
After poking wide moments earlier, Gvardiol capitalised from a central position, sweeping home following Matheus Nunes’ well-timed run.
Having started so positively, Chelsea were fading fast as City looked the more likely side to edge ahead.
A long ball led to a Levi Colwill miscue, allowing Erling Haaland a shot on goal, which failed to trouble Sánchez, yet this proved to be a warning sign of things to come.
After Marmoush had sent a decent strike narrowly wide, the hosts made the most of a long ball from Ederson, with Haaland charging down on goal and chipping a poorly-positioned Sánchez.
Much has been made of City’s inability to see out wins, but the home side remained largely in control as they sealed the points, with Haaland showing strength to hold off his marker, laying off the ball for Foden to race through and slot home his sixth goal in his last four PL appearances.
The result lifts Guardiola’s side above the Blues and into fourth, while defeat for Enzo Maresca on his return to the Etihad Stadium sees his side drop to sixth, trailing by a point.