man city 2-1

Independent:

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1
SAM WALLACE STAMFORD BRIDGE

He may not get from box-to-box as he once did, he may not score 20 goals in a season ever again and these days he does not get in Chelsea's first XI, but when there is a game to be won from the penalty spot at Stamford Bridge that job is still best left to Frank Lampard.
He was a second half substitute last night, sent on by the Chelsea manager who is only just younger than him, and has brought to an end the old rule that Lampard starts every game for Chelsea. But the most significant win of Andre Villas-Boas' nascent Chelsea career was launched from the penalty spot by Lampard and the 178th goal he has scored for the club.
The goal that ended Manchester City's unbeaten run in the Premier League came eight minutes from time but Villas-Boas' team had been on top in this game for some time. Roberto Mancini said that the game changed on the second booking for Gael Clichy before the hour that reduced his team to ten men but to the home team's credit it came a lot earlier than that as they battled back from one goal down.
First it was Newcastle United's home record that was broken at St James' Park nine days ago, then it was Valencia who were beaten at Stamford Bridge a week ago today. Now the league leaders have also been brought to heel by a team who can claim to be the country's form side and go into Saturday's game against Wigan Athletic with a new conviction that they can be serious contenders in this title race.
Villas-Boas dismissed the gap of seven points that now divides his team from City as "nothing" in a league season as unpredictable as the current one. The Chelsea manager has taken on all-comers over the last few days, not least in his one-man campaign against Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, but to give him his due, last night was one of those occasions that can launch a young manager.
There was no sympathy for Roberto Mancini that City were denied a fairly blatant penalty in the first half for Jose Bosingwa's trip on David Silva – Villas-Boas believes he has too many decisions go against him this season to worry about that. Either way, there were complaints from Chelsea that the referee Mark Clattenburg had missed Yaya Toure slapping Juan Mata.
For Villas-Boas, as ever, the real triumph was in his tactical decisions. He picked another team that did not include Lampard or Fernando Torres in the first XI and was rewarded with excellent performances from Daniel Sturridge, Oriol Romeu, Ramires and Raul Meireles.
It was the latter who chipped in with the equaliser after 33 minutes of the first half. It was Ramires who drew the foul for Clichy's second booking. Villas-Boas said after the game that the "medium-low block" – his defensive line that no longer pushes so high up the pitch – was a more natural fit for his team and certainly they looked more comfortable last night keeping the likes of Silva and Sergio Aguero in check.
As for City, the plan, as of last night, was that the players were to stay in London for their Christmas party, complete with a fancy dress theme. Whether the party went ahead or not, it sounded like a night that was made for Mario Balotelli who scored within the first two minutes.
While Mancini regarded his team as unlucky, especially in the award of a penalty that he said could be seen "even outside the stadium", there were other moments in which they were fortunate. Vincent Kompany could easily have been dismissed for a second half foul on Mata having been booked before the break. In those early stages, City had the home side on the rack but they failed to put themselves out of sight.
Although they eventually sorted themselves out to defend deep, as they had against Valencia, the Chelsea defence found itself jumbled up and out of place in the early stages and allowed Sergio Aguero to pushed a beautifully-judged ball through their back line with the outside of his foot. Balotelli took it past Petr Cech and squeezed the ball in with only one minute and 39 seconds elapsed
For Villas-Boas it was a demoralising start with Stamford Bridge quiet and fearful in those early stages. Yet Chelsea hung on and it was not really until the 25 th minute that they forced a proper save out of Joe Hart. Didier Drogba's quick feet down the right channel meant that he had the space to get off a shot, little more than a sidefoot, that the City goalkeeper pushed round the post.
While they did not create a great volume of chances, there was no doubting that Villas-Boas' side had eased their way back into the game when Meireles scored the equaliser. Sturridge, who had given a Clichy a difficult time, crossed from the right and Meireles came onto the ball late, volleying it past Hart.
Clichy had failed to deal with Sturridge in the first half and his tackle after the break on Ramires was inexcusably poor. He took none of the ball, all of the man and left Clattenburg, who had booked Clichy for a foul on Sturridge in the first half, with an easy decision to make.
It forced a major reorganisation from Mancini and the dynamic of the game altered considerably. Now City were hanging on for the point away from home and it was Chelsea who came forward with a desire to win the game.
With Clichy's off, Kolo Toure came on at right-back which allowed Pablo Zabaleta to move over to the left. Later the City manager would sacrifice Silva for Nigel De Jong as he tried to shore up the middle. Villas-Boas went the other way: he sent on Lampard for Meireles to win the game.
It was Sturridge's shot from the right side of Chelsea's area that struck the arm of Joleon Lescott, who foolishly raised his hands, and Clattenburg made the right call. After that all that remained was for Lampard to convince Mata he was the right man for the job and the rest of the story was as familiar as the old days when Chelsea would win games like these as a matter of course.

Substitutes: Chelsea Turnbull (gk), Lampard (Meireles, 73), Torres, Mikel (Sturridge, 88), Malouda (Mata, 84), Ferreira, Kalou. Manchester City Pantilimon (gk), Dzeko (Lescott, 85), Johnson ,Savic, Nasri, K Touré (Aguero 64), De Jong (Silva 85)
Booked: Chelsea Romeu, Ramires, Meirles, Drogba. Manchester City Kompany, Clichy. Sent off: Man City Clichy (58).
Man of the match Sturridge. Match rating 7/10.
Possession: Chelsea 58% Manchester City 42%.
Referee M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear). Attendance 41,730.


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Guardian:

Frank Lampard's late penalty for Chelsea bursts Manchester City bubble
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

The upper reaches of the Premier League are once more a place of fascination and fallibility. This was Manchester City's first defeat in this competition since last season, when they were overcome at Everton on 7 May. They were hampered by the dismissal of the left-back Gaël Clichy with a second yellow card after he had fouled Ramires in the 58th minute.
City lead the table by a mere two points, much to the satisfaction of a pursuing Manchester United. That, all the same, was an irrelevance to everyone at Stamford Bridge. The gap that Chelsea must close does still stand at a substantial seven points but outcomes of this sort should galvanise the squad and enhance the authority of the manager, André Villas-Boas.
While there is a great deal of interest in seeing just what the Portuguese can achieve with the club, victory came with a penalty converted by a veteran who had been brought on from the bench. That description of Frank Lampard will scarcely please him but his cameo was decisive as he crashed home a spot kick in the 82nd minute that settled the outcome. At 33, he at least had the experience to disregard his failure with a penalty at Newcastle United.
The opportunity for Lampard arose because Joleon Lescott's left arm had been raised as Daniel Sturridge's drive was blocked by it. In struggles between well-matched sides, grievances and complaints are natural. City, who had gone ahead at the outset, should have had an invitation to extend that lead. The referee, Mark Clattenburg, somehow judged the contact insufficient for a penalty to be given after 14 minutes when José Bosingwa connected with David Silva.
City will have difficulty purging that episode from their minds. As it is, Roberto Mancini's team are still in the lead; they will have enough sense to appreciate that they are ahead and will not be going to Old Trafford, where they ran amok, or Stamford Bridge again in the league this season.
It says much for City that Chelsea, with such means, were close to being regarded as underdogs in the buildup to this match. Mancini will have to live with the unavoidable expectations.
Villas-Boas, for his part, has had the type of memorable impact that will strengthen the bond with the Stamford Bridge crowd.
With Chelsea topping their Champions League group while United and City were eliminated from the tournament, there is a sense of status about the Portuguese and his squad. That, in turn, should be enlivening for the Premier League as a whole. Victory over Valencia had been achieved with cunning as Chelsea won with a counterattacking style. Villas-Boas, in his analysis and tactical decisions, can be intriguing.
Even so, he may have felt powerless in the second minute of this encounter. With John Terry pushing up, Sergio Agüero released Mario Balotelli on the right and he resisted a challenge by Branislav Ivanovic before rounding the goalkeeper, Petr Cech, to finish.
But there was nothing tumultuous about the contest then. Chelsea continued to be methodical since most of the match lay before them. The crowd were merely subdued, as if awaiting further clues. When Didier Drogba did let fly from the fringes of the penalty area in the 25th minute the save by the City goalkeeper, Joe Hart, was unremarkable, even if he did concede a corner.
With City relishing their lead, the pressure bore down on the hosts and, to a degree, their manager. His reaction in this instance helps explain why the owner, Roman Abramovich, is content to give the newcomer time and also accounts for the fact that he agreed to pay Porto £13.3m for Villas-Boas.
Another style was demanded in this match to that which succeeded against Valencia. Chelsea drew level in the 34th minute. Terry picked out Sturridge on the right and he easily beat Clichy before his low centre was converted with force on the volley by Raul Meireles. All in all, the occasion had not been prone to hysteria. That may reflect the fact that these are managers at least striving to be measured in their behaviour. Each of them appreciates just how much hyperbole can sweep over them because of public's fascination with the budgets being authorised for this apparent struggle for command of English football.
Despite the intensity, this may be only a little episode in the tale of the clubs. Defeat is scarcely welcome for City but talk of invincibility is a sort of distraction and the side can now get back to a more normal life, even if they cannot find it easy to thank Chelsea for taking away some of that intense focus on them.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1
By Henry Winter, Football Correspondent, at Stamford Bridge

When the moment came, when the opportunity to show his class arrived, Frank Lampard took his chance. He took responsibility for the late penalty, took the ball and drove it with unadulterated venom into the back ofManchester City’s net, bringing Chelsea a momentous victory and reviving their title ambitions.
Rarely has the Bridge sung a player’s name more passionately in recent years. They knew what this goal meant to Lampard and what he means to them.
Some people keep writing Lampard off but he keeps rewriting the script. He was discarded by England but soon returned as captain. He was deemed surplus to Andre Villas-Boas’s requirements, seemingly one of the thirtysomething brigade being guided towards retirement or pastures new. People are foolish to underestimate Lampard, such a driven individual with much more to offer.
What happened in the 82nd minute could have turned Chelsea’s league season around, let alone Lampard’s. It had looked as if City would hold on for a point, but the loss of Gaël Clichy to a deserved red card after 57 minutes ultimately proved too much. Invited on, Chelsea attacked with growing gusto and when Joleon Lescott inexplicably handled a shot from the outstanding Daniel Sturridge, Lampard had his date with destiny. Joe Hart had a date with the back of the net.
This was pure Lampard, pouring all his frustration at being again left on the bench into a constructive act for his club. He could have sulked, could have looked to link himself to another club but Lampard got his head down, remained the true professional, and did himself and his club proud.
The Bridge rocked as it has rarely rocked before this season. From all around the ground came song after song, asking City who they were and what their plans were for Thursday nights, as the visitors slumped to their first defeat in the league since May 7 at Goodison Park. At the final whistle, the speakers almost shook off their hinges to “One Step Beyond”.
This was Madness was all right. This was Premier League football at its dramatic best, a game teeming with movement, incident, enterprise and the obligatory refereeing controversy. There was even noises afterwards: tempers in the tunnel capturing the tempest outside.
If occasions played in a downpour can be sulphurous, this had been one of them, the fireworks begun inevitably by Mario Balotelli. For the man who likes a late night, Balotelli had started early, going to town on Chelsea’s initially wretched defence as City dominated the opening half-hour.
Sergio Agüero, all elegant trickery, made Balotelli’s goal, cutting in from the right with a marvellous run brimming with technique and threat. John Terry tried to keep close but failed, allowing Agüero to slip the ball brilliantly past Branislav Ivanovic for Balotelli.
The striker, justifying his selection ahead of Edin Dzeko, relished the opportunity, enjoying this one on one with Petr Cech. He glided wide, leaving Cech stranded, before calmly rolling the ball into the net. The angle was relatively tight but no problem for Balotelli. Chelsea’s back-pedalling defenders had no chance. Those close to the goalmouth reported a cup of tea thrown at Balotelli.
After the Typhoo, the typhoon. As the rain thundered down, soaking Villas-Boas’s private detective’s mac, making the ball skim across the surface like an ice-puck, City just tore into Chelsea for half an hour. Agüero was a real spinning top, putting Terry and company in a total spin. The Argentine held off Jose Bosingwa effortlessly but shot just wide.
Then Balotelli came calling again, slipping a super little pass across the area to David Silva. The Spaniard darted into the box, his progress stopped by Bosingwa’s illegal challenge. Mark Clattenburg waved to Silva to get up but took no further action. It was either a penalty or a caution for simulation. City’s case appeared strong. Big moment.
Spurred on by their fans, Chelsea began to come alive. Sturridge, looking every inch an England international, led the comeback, creating a chance for Didier Drogba, who was denied when Hart stretched out a hand to save. Sturridge was in the mood, brilliantly fashioning Chelsea’s equaliser. Controlling Terry’s driven pass, Sturridge dribbled past the hapless Clichy before crossing for Raul Meireles to score from close range.
Against the first-half run of play, Chelsea were level and doubts began to seep into the visitors’ minds. Juan Mata was starting to cause problems, twisting City markers this way and that. Sturridge was running at Clichy, who earned his first yellow for a foul on the England attacker. City were in a strange mood, Yaya Touré kicking out at Ramires and Vincent Kompany clattering Mata. Then Clichy, naivety personified, caught Ramires and had to walk.
Chelsea sensed a chance, knowing that their title hopes really required all three points. With 18 minutes left, Meireles was removed for Lampard, who was greeted rapturously by the Chelsea faithful. In truth, Meireles had hardly done badly, even scoring, but Lampard is still a favoured son around these parts, even if not in the manager’s office.
City’s 10 men were sitting deep, absorbing punishment. Roberto Mancini removed Agüero and then Silva, sending on two defensive types, Kolo Touré and Nigel de Jong. City were now 4-3-1-1, with Yaya Touré supporting the front-running Balotelli.
Still Chelsea flooded forward, willed on by their clamorous crowd.And then came that sweetest of moments for Lampard. Mancini was incensed, arguing with fourth official Mark Halsey, but City could really have no complaints. Clichy had cost them. So had Lescott.
The Bridge resounded to “super Chelsea”. This was a super comeback, a sign of Chelsea’s resilience, a reminder that the title race is far from a two-horse chase. And it was a reminder of Lampard’s enduring class.


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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1: Lampard bursts City bubble to throw title race open
By MATT LAWTON

After being dropped for the first time in eight years at Chelsea last week, Frank Lampard was never likely to run to the bench and celebrate his winning goal with the manager.
But Andre Villas-Boas did not seem to care. Not when his side have now become the first team to beat Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League this season and not when they can also taunt them with their superior performances in the Champions League.
‘Thursday night, Channel Five,’ cried Chelsea’s joyous supporters, and after the scrutiny their team has been under in recent weeks that was understandable.
This was an insane game of football. A marvellous piece of sporting theatre but something that was as unpredictable as a Villas-Boas press conference.
After two minutes City were in front thanks to Mario Balotelli. After 30 it seemed they were about to condemn their hosts to another crushing defeat and put Chelsea’s young manager under yet more pressure. From Sergio Aguero there were touches of genius; from City’s midfield another commanding display.
But first came the equaliser from Raul Meireles and then a second half that saw the power shift back to Chelsea, not least because of a second yellow card that meant Gael Clichy was off after 57 minutes.
Only after that was there a sense of inevitability, Lampard’s arrival from the bench pointing to a possible winner from a player so obviously aggrieved at being omitted from the side that faced Valencia last week and apparently heading towards the exit door after a long and distinguished career at Stamford Bridge.
It was Joleon Lescott who finally gave him the opportunity to respond in the 82nd minute, blocking a shot from Daniel Sturridge with his hand and leaving Mark Clattenburg with no option but to point to the penalty spot. Lampard placed the ball on the rain-soaked turf before driving it past Joe Hart.
That he ran away from the bench and towards the crowd was no great surprise. If Villas-Boas did ask his players to acknowledge the bench after scoring, and Chelsea are suggesting the exchange was not quite as has been reported, they almost seemed to over-compensate, barely looking towards the bench never mind running over.
It was a triumphant, less prickly Villas-Boas who emerged afterwards. He has been raging against the world in recent weeks but now his team are beginning to click into gear, this coming on the back of those wins against Valencia and Newcastle.
How they arrived there on Monday night still takes some explaining. For a start, City should have had a penalty soon after Balotelli’s opening goal when Jose Bosingwa brought down David Silva with a clumsy tackle.
Further to that, Meireles could have been sent off for a studs up challenge on Pablo Zabaleta. That said, Yaya Toure could have been dismissed for slapping Juan Mata in the face and Vincent Kompany also flirted dangerously with Clattenburg.
For City, discipline has been a problem. Clichy was their third red card in six games and the fact that they lost after failing to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League presents Mancini with his first major setback of the season. Something that presents him with a different challenge and something that makes the title race that much more interesting.
Presumably City’s Christmas party, due to take place in London last night, was not quite as riotous as it might have been.
Their party-animal-in-chief did his best to kick the evening off on the right note. Late to bed but early to rise, Balotelli gave another demonstration of why he is worth the trouble.
He may have broken a curfew late on Saturday night but he scored a quite brilliant goal that was all the more impressive for the awful conditions.
Aguero was the creator, skipping away from John Terry and two or three other Chelsea players before delivering a perfect through ball.
But it was Balotelli who drifted off Bransilav Ivanovic before dragging the ball wide of an advancing Petr Cech and scoring into an empty net. It was his 11th goal in 14 games and the finest advertisement curry will ever have if it wants to be seen as a health food.
At this stage Chelsea were in trouble; chastened and lacking confidence and almost two goals down when Bosingwa brought down Silva.
But then came a change in approach, Chelsea returning to the deeper defensive approach that worked so well against Valencia and providing their forwards with more security.
Why always him? The Italian striker is mobbed after scoring his eighth Premier League goal of the campaign
The equaliser arrived soon afterwards. In the 34th minute to be exact. It started with a ball forward from Terry and continued when Sturridge, excellent last night, surged past Clichy before inviting Meireles to score with what was a super volley.
Did Chelsea’s players then run to Villas-Boas and his staff on the bench on that occasion? Well no. But they gained in momentum after the break and continued to target Clichy, who having already been booked once for a foul on Sturridge received a second yellow card for a foul on Ramires.
Now Chelsea were in control, solid in defence and strong in midfield. Ramires was impressive, as was Oriol Romeu, and the arrival of Lampard as a 73rd minute replacement for Meireles gave them a freshness in that area of the field.
Mancini responded to by sending on Kolo Toure and Nigel de Jong in the hope of escaping with a draw, but to no avail.
With a penalty came a moment as pleasurable for Lampard as it was for Villas-Boas, even if Chelsea’s players had a group hug at the end without their manager.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-1 Man City: Leaders get Lamped
By Martin Lipton

Invincible, no more. Unbeatable, no longer.
Mortal, like the rest. Still top, but with that sense of invulnerability obliterated.
And now the real test of Manchester City's nerve and courage awaits.
For four months, everything had turned to gold for Roberto Mancini and his men. Everything had gone right.
But six days after being evicted from the Champions League, City were sent spinning to a first Premier League defeat of the season, left fuming and flailing by the penalty that never was, far more than the one that Frank Lampard smashed home to send Stamford Bridge wild with delight.
You could understand Mancini's frustrations, too.
A goal up, as Mario Balotelli profited from the brilliance of Sergio Aguero and the trapeze wire of Chelsea's high defensive line, and in total control, the match - perhaps the entire season - turned on Mark Clattenburg's 14th minute decision.
Receiving from Balotelli, David Silva twisted inside, inducing a reckless leg stretch from Jose Bosingwa, contact clear to all inside the Bridge.
Yet not, crucially, to the man who mattered.
Clattenburg was three yards away, with an unobstructed view.
Incredibly, to the utter and righteous disbelief of Mancini and his men, he waved play on.
It was, unquestionably, pivotal.
Had that been given - as it doubtless should have been - and converted, there would have been no way back for Chelsea, and City would have killed off one of their challengers.
But it was not and as City started to nurse a sense of grievance that they have to dispel soon, they allowed Chelsea to first clamber off the floor, next gain parity, then deliver the knock-out blow, kick-starting their own campaign in the process, and possibly giving us the sort of title race we have craved for years.
City had done so much right, their one-touch football a joy to behold as Silva and Aguero tormented the Chelsea back-line.
The opener was a perfect embodiment of that subtle, penetrative passing football.
There seemed little on as Aguero received from Pablo Zabaleta, with John Terry parked up his backside, just inside the Chelsea half.
His half-turn was sublime, the pass with the outside of his right foot even better and Balotelli was away like a hot knife through melted butter, leaving Branislav Ivanovic trailing in his wake as he walked past Petr Cech to pass nonchalantly into the net.
Less than two minutes gone, in control - and City looked for more.
Silva, found by Aguero, shrugged aside Bosingwa's woeful attempt at a tackle but then dragged wide with the goal at his mercy and even after the penalty shout there were moments when Chelsea looked on the brink of destruction.
Yet City, strangely, lost their way, Chelsea started to get a grip in midfield and Juan Mata, utterly overshadowed by former Valencia team-mate Silva in the opening stages, gradually became the most influential Spaniard on the pitch.
Mata's pass saw Didier Drogba test Joe Hart and from Chelsea's next attack, they levelled.
Clichy was culpable, standing off Daniel Sturridge - who providing plenty of evidence for Mancini's contention that City erred horrendously in letting him leave for just £5million - and letting him twist round the outside.
The delivery was excellent and Raul Meireles, who had drifted off the back of a sleeping Yaya Toure, smashed home on the volley from six yards.
Now the game was in the balance, before Clichy's double folly - first bringing down Sturridge, then a wild lunge on Ramires - pitched the equilibrium in Chelsea's direction.
Chelsea now had all the initiative, City were hanging on grimly, hoping the final whistle would come to their salvation, but it was perhaps inevitable that Lampard should be the man to send them to defeat.
Dropped against Valencia last week, omitted again from the starting side here, Lampard remains the man for the big occasion.
When Villas-Boas turned to him with 17 minutes to go, the script was there to be written.
Lampard found Sturridge, whose shot was stopped by Joleon Lescott's raised arms and while Mata initially wanted the ball, Lampard pulled rank.
His finish demonstrated why: drilled down the middle as Hart dived to his left, setting off wild celebrations - probably echoed in front of a certain Scot's fireplace in Alderley Edge - casting the first seeds of doubt in the blue half of Manchester.
Only once before this term, down the road at QPR last month, had City trailed in a league game but this time there was no response.
Suddenly, the plain sailing has been transformed, choppy waters ahead, Arsenal on Sunday another potential iceberg.
City remain the team to beat but with their remorseless momentum stopped in its tracks.
Game on.
For everyone.

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Sun:

Chelsea 2 Man City 1
By SHAUN CUSTIS

WELL, that's Sheik-en things up a bit.
City's billionaire Arab owners must have thought this was going to be another victory chalked up in their quest for a first title triumph.
But despite going ahead within 98 SECONDS through Mario Balotelli, the visitors finished up losing to sub Frank Lampard's late penalty after full-back Gael Clichy was sent off with just over half an hour left.
The end of City's unbeaten Premier League record has put a sizeable spring in the step of their challengers.
No longer are Roberto Mancini's men invincible.
They are beatable after all and the next home game against Arsenal on Sunday will tell us a lot about their resolve, especially with the Gunners powering back into contention.
Having gone out of the Champions League last week, doubts will start creeping in about their ability to stay the course domestically if they do not beat Arsenal.
Mancini had grounds for complaint about this defeat because City were denied a clear first-half penalty which could have given them a 2-0 lead.
David Silva went past Jose Bosingwa and was definitely clipped by the Portuguese defender but referee Mark Clattenburg was unimpressed.
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas acknowledged after looking at replays that his team got lucky there.
The Portuguese chief claims his club has been persecuted while City are the media darlings.
But it is nonsense.
Chelsea had lost four of their previous 14 league games and questions were bound to be asked.
However, fortunes have turned full circle over the last three matches.
A 3-0 win at Newcastle nine days ago was followed by the same score which saw off Valencia and clinched qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League last Tuesday.
Now this latest success has closed the margin between Chelsea and leaders City to seven points.
Defeat would have left the Blues with too much to do to catch City but it's a very different picture today. With the rain driving across the pitch, the wind blowing and the cold biting it didn't seem like a night conducive to much samba football.
But, within two minutes, Sergio Aguero and Balotelli showed they could play in any conditions.
Aguero turned inside from the halfway line and, as Chelsea backed off, he threaded through a gorgeous ball with the outside of his right boot which split the home defence.
Balotelli collected, shrugged off the despairing challenge of Branislav Ivanovic, went round Petr Cech and calmly rolled the ball into an empty net.
It was quite a start and the way City took the game by the scruff of the neck, they looked set to run out easy winners.
But Chelsea got away with the penalty shout when Bosingwa stuck a leg out and caught Silva and the balance shifted.
At last the home side fashioned a chance when Didier Drogba worked an inch of space and his shot towards the near post was turned away by Joe Hart.
Then, having been very much second best, Chelsea were level on 34 minutes after excellent work by City old-boy Daniel Sturridge down the right.
Sturridge cleverly worked his way past Clichy and his pinpoint cross was just begging to be volleyed in from close range by Raul Meireles.
It is one of football's mysteries why City allowed Sturridge to let his contract run down without a fight and leave in the summer of 2009.
This was more evidence for those scratching their heads.
Juan Mata was in imperious form in the second half as he showed his old Valencia pal Silva — one of the Premier League's star players so far — that he too could dominate a match.
From Mata's free-kick, Sturridge chested down and rifled a volley not far over the bar.
Then Mata went about trying to beat everybody. He produced one brilliant turn which did Pablo Zabaleta down the left and another great dribble incredibly took out four City men.
The visitors were not having it their own way any more and the points were up for grabs.
And it got better for Chelsea when Clichy was dismissed following his second booking in the space of 12 minutes.
He had already been cautioned for pulling back Sturridge when Ramires came charging through and Clichy clearly tripped the Brazilian.
Out came another yellow card followed by the inevitable red. City tried to hold on to what they had, bringing on defender Kolo Toure for Aguero and Nigel De Jong for Silva.
But when Sturridge aimed a shot towards the top corner, Joleon Lescott got his arm in the way and the ref immediately pointed to the spot with just eight minutes remaining.
Mata fancied the penalty but Lampard, who had come on for Meireles, wasn't interested in letting go of the ball.
The pressure was on with Lamps having missed his previous spot-kick but he smashed it past Joe Hart in confident style.
Lamps has relit Chelsea's fire and with it the title race.

STAR MAN - DANIEL STURRIDGE (Chelsea)
CHELSEA: Cech 7, Bosingwa 5, Ivanovic 7, Terry 6, Cole 6, Ramires 6, Romeu 7, Meireles 7 (Lampard 7), Sturridge 9 (Mikel 5), Drogba 6, Mata 7 (Malouda 5). Subs not used:Turnbull, Torres, Ferreira, Kalou. Booked: Meireles, Romeu, Ramires, Drogba.
MAN CITY: Hart 6, Zabaleta 6, Lescott 6 (Dzeko 5), Kompany 7, Clichy 5, Milner 6, Y Toure 7, Barry 7, Silva 6 (De Jong 5), Aguero 6 (Toure 5), Balotelli 6. Subs not used: Pantilimon, Johnson, Savic, Nasri. Sent off: Clichy. Booked: Kompany, Clichy.

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Star:

CHELSEA 2 - MANCHESTER CITY 1: CHAMPS TO CHUMPS
By Danny Fullbrook

MANCHESTER CITY went from likely champs to chumps as they suffered their first Premier League defeat last night.
Leading from an early Mario Balotelli strike, they wasted a host of chances ­before Raul Meireles equalised against the run of play in the 34th minute.
It got worse for City when left-back Gael Clichy was sent off in the 57th minute for a second booking.
Then Chelsea substitute Frank Lampard kept his cool to convert a penalty eight minutes from time, awarded by ref Mark Clattenburg when a Daniel Sturridge shot hit Joleon Lescott on the arm.
Lampard, who had been on the pitch only 10 minutes, rammed the spot-kick past Joe Hart to earn a vital three points.
Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas had made it clear that he felt defeat to City would mean his side would be out of the title race.
It was a huge admission, but maybe an honest one given that they would be 13 points behind City.
So you can just imagine the reaction to falling behind so quickly, Balotelli finding the net in less than two minutes.
The madcap Italian continued his eccentric antics at the weekend.
On Saturday night he was caught out at a Manchester curry house, breaking his club curfew. He was using a rolling pin as a Lightsabre as he got in a mock fight and ended up being fined for that yesterday.
But it did not effect him as he hit the target in lightning speed.
Sergio Aguero was the creator as he drew John Terry away from goal. The Argentinian turned the big defender and then hit a delicious ball with the outside of his foot into the path of Balotelli and ­beyond the outstretched leg of Branislav Ivanovic, playing at centre-half because David Luiz was suspended.
Balotelli typically held his nerve, rounded Petr Cech and slid the ball home from a tight angle.
It was a stunning opening and City then dominated for 25 minutes and really should have put the game to bed.
Chelsea were all over the place with their players just giving the ball away. Next it was Oriol Romeu who was nearly punished for his mistake by Aguero.
It was Ashley Cole’s turn next and City should have scored their second.
His loose pass found Yaya Toure in space on the edge of the area. He slipped the ball into Aguero, who danced along the edge of the penalty box and with the goal gaping somehow managed to drag his effort wide when he should have done much better.
Chelsea just could not cope and at that point the result looked like a landslide.
Referee Clattenburg was the next to make a big mistake as somehow he waved away a blatant penalty shout.
David Silva had the ball on the edge of the area and drove inwards towards Jose Bosingwa. For some reason, the Portuguese defender stuck his leg out and caught Silva on the knee, only for the ref to tell him to get up.
He should have pointed straight to the spot. But if he did not think it was a penalty, Silva should have been booked, however wrong that was. But nothing happened, which was simply wrong.
For some reason, City then started to lose their heads and Toure was in danger when he kicked Juan Mata, while he was on the floor, then pushed the Spanish midfielder in the face. And the balance of the game was suddenly changing. Didier Drogba finally got into the game and had a shot saved by Hart.
And then Chelsea struck. The 34th minute goal was started by Terry, who swept the ball out to Sturridge the right.
The young attacker beat Clichy all ends up and crossed for Meireles, who evaded the efforts of Toure and volleyed his shot home brilliantly for the equaliser.
Meireles had been dreadful until then and you could not see why he was playing – particularly as for the second game in a row he was preferred to Lampard, who had been in fine form until he was dropped.
Mancini must have had words with his team at half-time, given the way they had started to play. But they were rocked just before the hour when they were reduced to 10 men.
Clichy had already been booked in the first half, but then he was caught out by a surging run from Ramires.
The French full-back tackled with the wrong foot and Clattenburg had little choice but to show a second yellow.
That altered the balance of the match – and Chelsea cashed in.