Summary:
City lost to the champions in a match that saw Bernardo Corradi sent off for two second half bookings. The Italian departed with City two goals down, but Chelsea only added to their first half strikes through a Drogba header with 12 minutes to go. Nick Weaver returned after four years away from league action with the Blues, and five since his last appearance in the Premier League, but he only had to make one save of note, a great parry from an Essien shot in the first half.
Team news:
Nick Weaver made his first top-flight start for the Blues since April 2001 after new signing Andreas Isaksson sustained a slight ankle injury. Richard Dunne recovered from his hamstring strain and played alongside Sylvain Distin at the heart of the City defence.
Bernardo Corradi joins Ousmane Dabo in making his full City debut alongside Georgios Samaras up front.
Andriy Shevchenko starts for Chelsea, and Shaun Wright-Phillips starts a game against his old team for the first time, having only made a brief substitute appearance here last March.
The Match
Reyna started out on the left of midfield opposite Wright-Phillips, and dispossessed his old team-mate on six minutes. The American then crossed to Sinclair, who found Barton in the area, but his overhead pass found a defender and was put clear.
However we did not have to wait too long for the first goal of the day, and it went to the home side. Ben Thatcher conceded a free kick on the right hand side, which Robben slung in. John Terry rose to flick it on and the ball bounced past Weaver into the bottom right corner of his net.
The day’s first yellow card went against City after 14 minutes when Dabo brought down Essien on the edge of the box, but Lampard’s free kick was curled wide of Weaver’s right post.
City looked to get back into the game, and their first chance came on 19 minutes. Samaras and Corradi linked well and Sinclair was through on goal, but his low shot was saved by Cudicini.
Chelsea doubled their lead after 26 minutes, but City and in particular Richard Dunne, could count themselves very unlucky. Frank Lampard drove a low shot in from just outside the area, but the ball took a deflection off the City skipper’s calf to deceive Weaver and roll into the net with City’s keeper wrong-footed.
Sinclair set up Corradi for a great-looking chance on 36 minutes with a nicely floated chip, but the Italian striker stretched with his left foot and could not make a touch from close range. Cudicini collected, but any kind of contact from City’s striker would surely have resulted in a goal.
Ousmane Dabo took a chance from distance just afterwards, but the ball flew straight at Cudicini.
Essien chanced his arm from around 30 yards on 42 minutes, but his swerving shot was superbly punched away by Weaver, diving to his left.
Bernardo Corradi also marked his debut with a booking just after half time when Steve Bennett cautioned him for a challenge on Ferreira.
Shevchenko drilled a shot straight at Dunne’s hand inside the area, but the referee waved away the penalty demands from Chelsea, City’s skipper having had no chance to get out of the way.
Then for the second game in a row at Stamford Bridge, City were reduced to 10 men. Corradi mistimed a tackle on Essien and referee Bennett reached for the yellow, then the red following the Italian’s earlier booking. As the two players tangled, Essien clearly pulled the City striker’s hair and was himself booked as players from both sides squared up to each-other.
Paul Dickov went into the book after a City corner on 71, despite appearing to be wrestled to the ground himself as the ball came over.
The home side looked to have put the game beyond City’s reach on 78 minutes through Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast striker flung himself to a cross from the left , and his diving header flew past Weaver and into the bottom corner of the net.
Lampard had a chance to make it four with 87 on the clock, but he pulled his shot wide. Chelsea were still awarded a corner from this, even though there appeared to be no contact from a City player, but City’s defence repelled the England man’s cross.
Other than a disallowed Shevchenko effort on 90 minutes, that was all the action for this opening game to the season.
