Manchester City cuts Arsenal’s Premier League lead to five points after they snatched a narrow 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s side struggled in the first half but came out firing in the second, with substitutes Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez combining for the only goal of the game, scored by the Algerian in the 63rd minute of the match.

Chelsea, led by Graham Potter, was in 10th place in the table when they played at Stamford Bridge, but they won the first 45 minutes.

In the second half, though, the visitors found their attacking rhythm, and Guardiola said they were “miles better in every way” than they were in the first half.

“We struggled a lot in the first half — it was sloppy and slow and without rhythm,” the City boss told Sky Sports. “In the second half it was much, much better from minute one.

“The three points are important, definitely. The players know it. For a long time we were at the top. But we try, we have the FA Cup and Carabao (League) Cup and then Old Trafford. But it’s important for these games, a win today.”

Chelsea was already missing a number of senior players, including Mason Mount and Reece James. In the first few minutes, forward Raheem Sterling seemed to have sustained a hamstring and was replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The home side was the first to pose a real threat, but City defender John Stones saved the day in the 16th minute when Christian Pulisic was about to shoot. Stones made a perfectly timed sliding tackle to stop Pulisic.

The American got hurt in the challenge, and he had to leave the game a few minutes later, which added to Chelsea’s injury woes.

When Carney Chukwuemeka came on for Pulisic, his had a shot blocked, while Hakim Ziyech’s shot was saved by City goalkeeper Ederson.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland hit a shot wide in the 38th minute of what turned out to be a quiet night for the Norwegian superstar.

But Chelsea kept looking like the more dangerous team. Just before halftime, Chukwuemeka hit the post and came so close to breaking the tie.

Guardiola didn’t like what he saw and made two changes at halftime when he replaced Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker with Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji, respectively.

The visitors quickly got comfortable and took control of the game, with Nathan Ake’s header hitting the post, but Chelsea played well in response and were just inches away from taking the lead when Thiago Silva shot wide.

On the weekend, Guardiola’s team played Everton to a 1-1 draw. At the hour mark, he put in Grealish and Mahrez to give his attack a boost.

A few minutes later, the decision paid off when Grealish made a great pass from the left side and Mahrez scored with a close-range shot.

Potter made changes of his own when he introduced Conor Gallagher on the field, but despite late pressure, they were unable to tie the game.

The result puts City five points behind Arsenal, who dropped points earlier in the week when they tied 0-0 with high-flying Newcastle.

But Potter is getting more pressure because Chelsea has only won one of its last eight league games and is still 10 points behind the top four teams.

Potter’s Chelsea team plays City again on Sunday at the Etihad in the third round of the FA Cup. Potter said he was proud of his team’s performance, especially since Sterling and Pulisic were injured so early.

“It’s tough at the moment I must admit and I feel for the boys,” he said.

“We have to stick together. It was disappointing to lose those guys but the players on the pitch and the ones that came in gave everything and that’s all you can ask for.”