Ahead of this Sunday’s huge showdown against Chelsea, we take a look back at three memorable clashes against The Blues. City have undoubtedly forged a slight rivalry with the West London side in recent times, and we have been treated to a number of memorable clashes against them which have proved decisive in City’s success. Where were you when these games were played?
Chelsea 2 Manchester City 4: February 2010 at Stamford Bridge (Premier League)
When City fans think about memorable Chelsea games, this one sticks out in the memory the furthest. City travelled to Stamford Bridge knowing that any sort of slip-up would cost them in the race for a top four spot with Tottenham breathing down their necks. Matters were made worse with Chelsea going 26 games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge prior to this game, so City were far from favourites.
We did not let the omens get to us however as we put in perhaps one of our best away performances to date. The fire was fuelled pre-match with the feud between Wayne Bridge and John Terry’s personal differences; but this only added to the feisty affair.
Frank Lampard opened the scoring for the hosts with a low shot into the corner, before City’s Carlos Tevez equalized after Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho failed to deal with a long pass and the Argentine forced the ball over the line beyond the outstretched leg of goalkeeper Hilario. Craig Bellamy then turned the game on its head by firing City into the lead shortly after the break, shooting low past Hilario and stunning the Stamford Bridge crowd. Things got better for City when Gareth Barry won a penalty after being tripped in the area; a penalty which Tevez duly dispatched.
Matters were made worse for Chelsea after German midfielder Michael Ballack was dismissed after a lunge on Tevez and Bellamy grabbed his second of the game three minutes from time after latching onto a long ball from Shaun Wright-Phillips to make it 4-1. Frank Lampard reduced the embarrassing deficit for Chelsea in added time from the penalty spot to collect his second of the game, but it couldn’t mask the score-line entirely as City ran out confident 4-2 winners at a ground where Chelsea had previously failed to lose all season.
Chelsea did go on to pip United to the league title in May and City eventually failed to grab that coveted Top Four spot as Tottenham forced us to settle for a 5th placed finish, but this game in West London was one to remember, and showed the Premier League that City were going to be back and firing on all cylinders in the upcoming campaigns.
Man City 2 Chelsea 1: March 2012 at Etihad Stadium (Premier League)
Another huge game against Chelsea occurred in March 2012 at the Etihad as we welcomed Carlo Ancelotti’s side to Manchester. This time, though, City were not fighting Tottenham for a top four finish, but were instead locking horns with rivals United for the league title.
Had City lost this game, then they would have found themselves four points behind United with only a handful of matches to play, so there was no room for error.
We did put ourselves in danger of opening up this four point difference as Gary Cahill’s deflected shot put Chelsea ahead with just half an hour left to play. The goal was entirely against the run of play and set City back hugely as we searched for that all important three points which would keep us within touching distance of The
Reds.
Levels were mattered in the 78th minute however after Michael Essien handled Pablo Zabaleta’s shot in the area, forcing referee Mike Dean to point to the spot and Aguero converted with aplomb.
Tevez’s’ introduction shortly before the equalizer clearly had an effect on the City side though as he was involved in the dramatic winner. It was the Argentine who combined with match-winner Samir Nasri, threading a
delicate pass through to the Frenchman who chipped the ball superbly over Petr Cech to send City fans into raptures.
This win was hugely significant in the title race as City maintained the one-point gap with United and remained up there with them until the end, and no City fan needs reminding of what happened after that…
Chelsea 1 Manchester City 2: April 2013 at Wembley Stadium
City were in search of their second FA Cup in three years and found themselves within touching distance of the final in this particular season. The only team standing in their way was a Chelsea side fighting City for the league
title and already currently holding the coveted trophy. Despite City eventually losing the final in the dying minutes against Wigan Athletic a few weeks later, this clash is still fondly remembered by Blues’ fans for its enthralling nature
and importance in claiming a scalp over one of our title rivals on domestic duty.
Samir Nasri opened the scoring mid-way through the first half as the ball invitingly bounced to him after Aguero’s effort had been blocked by Azpilcueta, and he made no mistake; firing past Cech to fire us into the lead.
We got our second two minutes after half time, and it was that man Aguero who provided the finish as he rose to a Gareth Barry cross to expertly head past a motionless Cech in the Chelsea goal to double our advantage.
Demba Ba’s stunning effort in the 66th minute made the last twenty rather nervy from a City perspective, however after a brief Chelsea rally we held on to claim a place in the final of the old competition and raise our credentials in the world of English football. The corresponding result against later-relegated Wigan made this clash with The Blues seem less important, but it still sticks out in my memory as a historic clash against the London side in what was such a huge occasion at Wembley.
Let us know what your favourite Chelsea games are by commenting, or by tweeting us @ReadManCity! Are there any other games against The Blues that you remember fondly?
You can watch highlights of all these games below:
