Chelsea’s turbulent week came to an end this evening as they staggered to a draw against the Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge.
A whirlwind seven days saw Chelsea knocked out the FA cup by a side two leagues below, reach a Wembley final and, finally, retain their five point lead at the top of the table.
Chelsea knew a win would extend their lead to a staggering eight points, but a win for the side in the paler shade of blue would cut the gap to just two points, leaving the race for the title wide open yet again.
Mourinho’s apparent attempt to build a ‘siege mentality’ within the team racked the pre-match tension up to full as the Chelsea boss refused to speak to the media after Diego Costa was hit with a three-match ban yesterday.
Throw into that the return of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard to his old home and the Stamford Bridge crowd had an intriguing spectacle to look forward to.
Along with their main frontman, Chelsea were without Cesc Fabregas through injury as well as Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah who are set to leave the club.
Consequently, Chelsea had four teenagers on the bench; a completely foreign situation for the club. Loic Remy lead the line for the Blues as Drogba had to settle for a spot on the youthful Chelsea bench.
After a nervy but increasingly open start to the match, chances for both sides were at a minimum, with Sergio Aguero having the best of them, but the striker could only drag his effort wide of Courtois’ right hand post.
However, it was the boys in royal blue who struck first blood after some neat passing and a brilliant first time cross by Eden Hazard, who set up Loic Remy for his easiest goal for Chelsea so far.
The goal, despite being seemingly against the run of play, didn’t come as a shock as Chelsea had looked creative when they had the chance, but their lead didn’t last long.
An uncharacteristic mistake by Thibaut Courtois gave Aguero a golden chance to level it up but it was Silva who claimed the equaliser, prodding home the Argentinian’s effort which was otherwise heading wide.
A dramatic last five minutes of an otherwise nervy half meant it was 1-1 at the break after Chelsea held their lead for just four minutes.
The second period was a different story, with Chelsea seemingly happy to settle for the point, presumably as it would mean they retain their five point lead, while Man City understandably needed the victory.
With City going for the win, Chelsea perhaps had the chance to exploit the gaps left and open up an eight point lead at the top, but Mourinho’s decision to bring Cahill on for goalscorer Remy highlighted his satisfaction with the point.
Despite the introduction of Frank Lampard, who broke Chelsea hearts back in September at the Etihad, and a period of sustained pressure, City failed to break through and went back up North with a share of the spoils.
A key man in earning the draw for Chelsea was Kurt Zouma, who has been thrown in at the deep end with consecutive starts against Liverpool and the English champions, but has more than coped with the pressure.
Following the game, Frank Lampard got the chance to say goodbye to the Chelsea fans who saluted him for so many years (and still do), but he will surely be back at Chelsea in some respect soon enough.
In the wake of this dramatic week, Chelsea have seven days to prepare for their trip to Villa park next Saturday as they look to build on a solid defensive performance this evening.
Chelsea 1-1 Man City – Match facts and stats
- Remy’s 41st minute goal was Chelsea’s final attempt at goal of the game
- Chelsea only had three shots in total today; the lowest figure they have recorded in a single PL game since 2003/04
- David Silva has already equalled his best ever Premier League season goal tally (7)
- Chelsea have conceded just six goals in their 23 home games against the top five teams in the PL with Mourinho as manager
- Today was the first time this season Chelsea have failed to take all three points away from Stamford Bridge
Source: Opta
