Summary
A spirited performance from the Blues was not quite enough against the champions, with Frank Lampard’s first half penalty enough to give Jose Mourinho’s team three points. City had lots of possession, with Joey Barton going close on a couple of occasions and Emile Mpenza impressing in his full City debut. Shaun Wright-Phillips, on as a substitute, rattled the City crossbar just after coming on, but the home fans gave their team a great reception after their committed display.
Pre Match news
Emile Mpenza made his first start for City, partnering Darius Vassell in place of Bernardo Corradi. Andreas Isaksson was in for his second start, but his first in front of the home fans.
Shevchenko was on the bench for the visitors, despite limping out of training a day earlier. John Terry returned for his first game since his horrific head injury against Arsenal, and Shaun Wright-Phillips was also a substitute.
The Match
City started brightly and had the first shot in anger after five minutes. Ball’s deep cross was headed back by Vassell into Barton’s path, the midfielder’s volley from outside the box flying a long way over Cech’s bar.
Debutante Emile Mpenza had set up Ball to start that attack, and the Belgian looked lively, being flagged just offside when running onto a neat pass from Ireland three minutes later.
Committed tackling from Hamann and Vassell around the 18-minute mark roused the home support, the players’ efforts not quite resulting in efforts on goal but the response on and off the pitch was encouraging.
Stevie Ireland was the next to get a shot in after 24 minutes, hooking a knock back from the right over the bar from just inside the area. Darius Vassell tried his luck a minute later after good pressure around the box, but his shot lacked power and Cech took it easily.
But after such a promising beginning, disaster struck on 27 minutes. Micah Richards lunged at Kalou inside the area and Alan Wiley pointed to the penalty spot after the striker tumbled to the ground. Despite the cacophony, Frank Lampard was not to be put off and he slotted the ball home to Isaksson’s right, the keeper going the wrong way.
Joey Barton went down under a challenge from Geremi minutes later in Chelsea’s box, but this time the referee waved play on to the City midfielder’s astonishment.
Better was to come for Barton on 37 minutes, when following a good cross from Distin the City number eight steadied himself and volleyed just wide of Cech’s right post from outside the box.
As we went into stoppage time, Petr Cech appeared to haul down Richard Dunne at a corner but to the captain’s and the crowd’s dismay Alan Wiley once again waved away the pleas for a penalty.
Isaksson, with barely a thing to do apart from face Lampard’s penalty, had his wits about him five minutes into the second half. The Swedish keeper went bravely into a scramble at a corner, foiling Ballack’s attempt to nudge the ball home from close range.
Richard Dunne got the crowd on their feet a minute later, a rampaging run to the by-line forcing a corner that Cech collected under pressure from Distin.
The visitors were denied a second on 56 thanks to outstanding work from Micah Richards. The teenager got behind Isaksson after Lampard had dinked the ball over the onrushing keeper, and he was able to stop the ball bouncing into the empty net by heading it back to the Swedish international.
Didi Hamann was the first player into the book on the hour for a tackle from behind on Drogba, but the German’s commitment was winning noisy praise from the home fans. Miller replaced Sun Jihai shortly afterwards.
The Barclays Premiership champions were doing enough to keep City at bay, but without creating much in the way of chances themselves. Mpenza was just short of threatening Cech in the box with 15 minutes to go.
Shaun Wright-Phillips replaced Robben with 12 minutes left, and he nearly made the dream return to his former stamping ground, rattling the City crossbar from 25 yards out seconds after coming on. Micah Richards charged into Chelsea’s area just afterwards but the ball rebounded to safety off him after he looked on the verge of threatening Cech.
Barton burst through the middle a minute later, but the midfielder pulled his low shot wide of the right post from around 20 yards.
Richards and Drogba squared up to each other with eight minutes to go and both went into Alan Wiley’s book. The Ivory Coast striker’s stinging shot on 85 forced a good parrying stop out of Isaksson, which Distin helped to clear.
A frantic final few minutes ensued, with City piling on the pressure but unable to force the equalizer, but the fans rewarded the efforts with a lusty rendition of ‘Blue Moon’ as the game went into stoppage time.
Samaras managed a tame shot that Cech collected with ease as the game petered out. The visitors had the win, but you could not fault the effort and commitment from a spirited City, and it was heartening to see the team applauded off by the fans around the tunnel area.
