I felt for Doku. Chelsea targeted him during the first by having Palmer & James double up on him, with Disasi moving across as a deep lying blocker.
Doku's good. Doku's dangerous. But even prime Messi wasn't getting past those three, especially as Gvardiol seemed to lose confidence after being skinned a couple of times & gifting Chelsea a goal, because he couldn't sort his clown feet out.
I knew Palmer would physically put himself about in a way he wasn't able to in a City shirt. This tactic by Chelsea nullified Doku because as soon as Bernardo moved across to help him, it left a gaping hole in the midfield with only Rodri & Akanji playing the hybrid role to deal with Chelsea's midfield three.
We were just out-thought, but made good adjustments in the second half. However, there's nothing you can do about unforced errors & shite defending.
It's not the draw that gets me, it's scoring 4 away & still being held. As a neutral I'd have loved it. As a City fan, I'd have felt better with a 0-0 & knowing our defence held firm.