After a tough week, Manchester City were glad to be back on home soil for the visit of José Mourinho’s Chelsea in their biggest league game of the season so far. It was a day when debutants and referees dominated in a 1-1 draw that neither side can really argue with.
Despite no wins since the visit of Liverpool in August, City fans were oddly confident going into a game against many people’s title favourites. It would have been a great opportunity to get back on form, but many thought the losing run was going to continue when Andre Schürrle put the visitors ahead on 71 minutes. It wasn’t to be though, with Frank Lampard scoring an equaliser five minutes from time.
In the first half, Manchester City started very well. The Citizens set up to attack their visitors, with the only two available strikers in the squad both in the starting lineup. It almost paid off, as City attacked the goal and won corners and set pieces. The closest the hosts came was a Yaya Touré header from a corner, headed straight at Thibaut Courtois.
Up the other end, all eyes were on Diego Costa and City new-boy Eliaquim Mangala, making his first ever appearance in a City shirt. Regardless, the job of marking Costa was left to Kompany, who marshalled Chelsea’s new signing well, frustrating the Spanish international. Chelsea came close with a chance from a corner, but other than that didn’t really look like scoring in the first half.
Interestingly, there were six bookings in the first half: four for City (Fernandinho, Silva, Touré and Zabaleta) and two for Chelsea (Ramires and Matić).
In the second half, the abundance of bookings was replaced by an abundance of chances. Early in the half, the hosts came close through Agüero, whose shot was saved by Courtois before the rebound was cleared. That was the closest City had come since Yaya’s header, but it wasn’t quite enough to break the deadlock.
On 66 minutes, the game changed. Chelsea broke forward with Diego Costa, and as Pablo Zabaleta went to tackle him out on his flank, he won the ball but also took the man with him. Having already been on a booking from the first half, he had to walk. There was much protest from City fans and players after Costa appeared to grab his fouler round the neck with both hands, but Mike Dean wasn’t about to rescind the red he had just administered.
Five minutes later, the visitors were in front. They broke from a corner after it was easily cleared. The ball ended up with Hazard out on the left-hand side, who brought it into the box before crossing low towards the substitute Schürrle who put in from close range. Down to ten men, that could easily have been the end for The Citizens, but they refused to give in, and six minutes later made an inspired change.
They brought on Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.
He made his debut at Arsenal last weekend, starting in the 2-2 draw at The Emirates, but it was today he really made his mark on his new club. On 85 minutes, the ball was played high over the top to James Milner, who had by now moved to left-back, and the Englishman played it first time into the box towards Frank Lampard, who put it in past Courtois, before getting back to his feet and walking away, not celebrating out of respect to the club to whom he gave thirteen years of service.
Lampard could have had another minutes later, when he shot from outside the box towards goal, but it was blocked before it even got close to Courtois. After their equaliser, City looked the much more likely to go on and win it, but seeing as they were already down to 10 men they were conservative in not allowing Chelsea much time or space to organise one of those devastating counter-attacks.
Whilst Manuel Pellegrini will have wanted to win the game, he will be more than happy given the situation with 10 minutes to go. There were some very pleasing performances for the home side, particularly from debutant Eliaquim Mangala, who looked quick and comfortable on the ball, as well as defending when off of it. James Milner also gave his all as always, and it won’t be long before City fans are calling for a new contract for the ex-Aston Villa man.
Without a win in nearly four weeks (albeit with two of those being international weeks), Pellegrini will look towards the challenge of Sheffield Wednesday with eagerness; eagerness to return to winning ways, and an eagerness to progress in the cup.
