Raheem Sterling Does NOT Celebrate Scoring Chelsea's Opener against Manchester City
- 3 months ago
Raheem Sterling did not celebrate scoring Chelsea's goal during their 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Saturday evening.
In the pre-match press conference, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino had asked Sterling and Cole Palmer - two former Man City players - to celebrate if they scored at the Etihad.
But when Sterling cut inside Manuel Akanji before curling a shot around Ederson into the bottom far corner after 42 minutes, he did not celebrate his goal.
Sterling was mobbed by his Chelsea teammates, who were a lot more jubilant about taking the lead, but he chose to remain calm on his return to the Etihad.
He was also roundly booed by Manchester City fans on his return to the club, where he was on the books from 2015 to 2022 before his move to London.
Sterling's goal was the only difference between the two sides at half-time, but the game finished all square after Rodri salvaged a point for the hosts ten minutes from time.
Palmer and Sterling both scored in November's exhilarating 4-4 draw with Man City at Stamford Bridge, though their celebrations were somewhat muted then.
On Friday, Pochettino said: 'If they celebrate, it's football. If they don't celebrate and want to show respect, OK, but I think when you score a goal you need to celebrate.
'You kill your former club and after you say "sorry". When you play for different shirts and badges and clubs, you cannot stop your feelings.
'When you score, it's the most beautiful feeling in your body and you cannot go, "Argh, no, I don't want to celebrate." You need to. You are now playing for another team.
'You showed respect when you were there and you gave everything to the club and the badge and the people. But now you defend another shirt, you need to celebrate because you are part of another history.'
Chelsea's next match is the League Cup final against Liverpool, another one of Sterling's former clubs.
The 29-year-old spent a couple of years in the youth system at Liverpool, before becoming a senior player for the Reds between 2012 and 2015.
In the pre-match press conference, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino had asked Sterling and Cole Palmer - two former Man City players - to celebrate if they scored at the Etihad.
But when Sterling cut inside Manuel Akanji before curling a shot around Ederson into the bottom far corner after 42 minutes, he did not celebrate his goal.
Sterling was mobbed by his Chelsea teammates, who were a lot more jubilant about taking the lead, but he chose to remain calm on his return to the Etihad.
He was also roundly booed by Manchester City fans on his return to the club, where he was on the books from 2015 to 2022 before his move to London.
Sterling's goal was the only difference between the two sides at half-time, but the game finished all square after Rodri salvaged a point for the hosts ten minutes from time.
Palmer and Sterling both scored in November's exhilarating 4-4 draw with Man City at Stamford Bridge, though their celebrations were somewhat muted then.
On Friday, Pochettino said: 'If they celebrate, it's football. If they don't celebrate and want to show respect, OK, but I think when you score a goal you need to celebrate.
'You kill your former club and after you say "sorry". When you play for different shirts and badges and clubs, you cannot stop your feelings.
'When you score, it's the most beautiful feeling in your body and you cannot go, "Argh, no, I don't want to celebrate." You need to. You are now playing for another team.
'You showed respect when you were there and you gave everything to the club and the badge and the people. But now you defend another shirt, you need to celebrate because you are part of another history.'
Chelsea's next match is the League Cup final against Liverpool, another one of Sterling's former clubs.
The 29-year-old spent a couple of years in the youth system at Liverpool, before becoming a senior player for the Reds between 2012 and 2015.