Man City 2-1

Independent:
Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1
Fernando Torres scores late winner to secure Blues triumph

Dramatic 90th-minute effort concludes thrilling encounter at Stamford Bridge

By SAM WALLACE

Bad Torres v Good Torres: the battle for the soul of Britain’s most expensive-ever footballer continues. For today at least, you can chalk it up as a victory for Good Torres, but it was not as if we did not see a glimpse of the dark side too.

Fernando Torres’ 90th minute winner was the dramatic conclusion to a game that was drifting to a draw and it meant that he left the pitch to the sound of his own name being chanted over and again, not always the way during his time at the club. For periods of this game he was superb, not least when he made Chelsea’s first goal for Andre Schurrle and then when he prodded in the winner after Joe Hart and Matija Nastasic’s miscommunication in defence.
But there can be no ignoring it, that moment in the 29th minute which precipitated a familiar sense of dread around Stamford Bridge. The miss. The moment when Bad Torres took over and conspired to volley a perfectly decent chance over the bar from eight yards out. That is how it goes with Torres, the light and the dark, the certainty and the indecision. The Torres that embarks on those barnstorming runs and then the blank-eyed, just-lashed-it-over-the-bar, Torres.
For Jose Mourinho, this was a major result, one of those that, over the course of the season, might just prove decisive. His team are still second, two points behind Arsenal, but they have their first major scalp of the season against one of the title contenders. That was why Mourinho celebrated by climbing into the supporters behind the benches in search of his son Jose junior, he said later, who has been allocated a season ticket behind the away dug-out.
Manuel Pellegrini did not take kindly to that, although given his team’s three away defeats already this season, you might argue that he has bigger things to worry about. Having played well in the second half, and with a useful draw in the bag, City threw it all away in the final minute with a goal very similar to the winner scored against them by Andreas Weimann in the defeat to Aston Villa last month.
Willian, a substitute, played a long ball over the top, Hart ran out to get to the ball and, just as he thought he had reached it, Nastasic headed it past him. Torres still had some work to do to beat Martin Demichelis to clip the ball in, but by then the blame was already being dished out.
This being Hart, he will cop it more than any other and Pellegrini’s refusal even to discuss his goalkeeper or the incident is probably not a good sign for the Englishman. Yes, Hart came out quickly and left his area but Nastasic also showed a lack of awareness about the man behind him. Hart has made some bad mistakes in the recent past, but this was not the worst of them, however much it might have cost City.
Afterwards, Pellegrini would concede only that he was tired of his team conceding “stupid points” and expressed himself content with all aspects of his team’s performance apart from their defending. “Keeper’s, f****** keeper’s,” Hart said as he trudged back to get the ball out the net, but there is no knowing what he said in those critical moments when he came out to try to claim Willian’s ball over the top.
It leaves City in seventh place with as many defeats in the league – three – as their Mancunian neighbours, United, and only one place better off. Nevertheless, City look a much more coherent threat in attack than United and much will hinge on whether Pellegrini meant “arrange” or “re-arrange” when it came to his plans for his defence.
He gave a debut to Demichelis at the heart of City’s defence, once again prompting the question what it is that Joleon Lescott has to do to get a game these days. He was not even on the bench. As an introduction to life in the Premier League, they come no rougher than playing against Torres in this form.
Not until the half hour did it really come alive when Torres incredibly missed from Ramires’ cross from the right which he chested down and then conspired to volley over the bar from about eight yards out with only Hart to beat. The two goals against Schalke last week mask the fact that today’s winner was only his second league goal of the year. He is never going back to be the Torres of 2007-2009 again, the question is, what can he salvage?
Within minutes of the miss he was magnificent, dominating Gael Clichy with a powerful run down the right flank that took him past the City left-back easily and into a position by the goal-line where he could pick out Schurrle for a finish just yards from the line. Feeling the love from the Chelsea support he left Demichelis trailing in his wake on 37 minutes in a run down the opposite channel, the left, and hit a shot across Hart that struck the join of post and bar.
Chelsea conceded four minutes after the break, a superb finish from Sergio Aguero who ran down the left, picked up Samir Nasri’s ball and blasted it past Petr Cech at his near post. He hit it hard enough that the Chelsea goalkeeper never adjusted in time.
After that, City imposed themselves more on the game. Javi Garcia, who operated in front of the City back four, had a free header from a David Silva free-kick from the left which he might have done better with. After the hour, Cech was obliged to save from Aguero with his feet when the striker found space again on the left side to get a shot away.
Mourinho ended the game with Torres and Samuel Eto’o on the pitch, the latter his third substitution. The Chelsea manager had become steadily more aggrieved with Howard Webb’s decisions, including the referee’s refusal to give a penalty for what looked a trip by Pablo Zabaleta on Eden Hazard.
Neither team wanted to lose the game, Mourinho claimed later. While Ramires was Chelsea’s most exceptional all-round performer, it was Torres’ instincts that took him into the right places to win the game. Euphoria engulfed Chelsea’s No 9, although recent history tells us that there is no telling what he will produce next.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 7, Cole 6; Ramires 8, Lampard 6 (Mikel 6, 66); Hazard 6 (Eto’o, 84), Oscar 5, Schurrle 6 (Willian, 66); Torres 8.
Substitutes not used: Schwarzer (gk), Luiz, Mata, Azpilicueta.

Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Hart 5; Zabaleta 5, Demichelis 5, Nastasic 5, Clichy 5; Garcia 6 (Kolarov, 80); Nasri 7 (Navas, 70), Y Toure 6, Fernandinho 6, Silva 7; Aguero 7 (Negredo, 86).
Substitutes not used: Pantilimon (gk), Richards, Milner, Dzeko.
Booked Chelsea Lampard, Ramires Manchester City Zabaleta, Nastasic, Garcia

Referee: H Webb (South Yorkshire)
Man of the match: Ramires
Attendance: 41, 865
Rating: 7

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Guardian:
Chelsea's Fernando Torres exploits late error to sink Manchester City
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

It was around six seconds from time here, with the fourth official preparing to hoist his board on the touchline, when ­Fernando Torres buried Manchester City's prospects and, in the process, confirmed his personal renaissance. Pinball in midfield had culminated in Willian's punt over a backtracking Matija Nastasic, the centre-half panicking as he stretched to nod back to Joe Hart.
The Serb might just have caught sight of his goalkeeper's close proximity as he made contact on the edge of the area, then watched the ball loop over his team-mate whose sprint, mystifyingly, ended up carrying him well outside his penalty area. There was Torres, tearing beyond the visitors' confused last line of defence and away from a leggy Martin Demichelis, to convert into the gaping net.
City players crumpled to the floor, Nastasic burying his face in the turf while Hart retrieved the ball from the net and could be seen screaming "keeper's, fucking keeper's" in livid frustration. The pair were culpable but the Englishman had put himself in no position to collect, intercept or divert. He wore the look of a guilty man.
Torres's name was chanted all around, the chorus persisting as José Mourinho extricated himself from the crowd behind the visitors' dug-out where he had apparently dived – much to Manuel Pellegrini's disgust – to celebrate with his son, José Jr. This was the second week running the Portuguese has ended up in the crowd ­following last week's dismissal against Cardiff City, but this time he was not the centre of attention. That was reserved for Torres alone.
This performance summed up the Spaniard's Chelsea career, veering as it did from the ridiculous to the sublime, though it was the manner in which he recovered from the former to serve up the latter that suggested that his inner strength has been restored. The 29-year-old had been guilty of a dreadful miss on the half-hour, spooning over Ramires's fine pass when free and alone near the penalty spot. In the recent past a miss so glaring might have left him cowed, his display shrivelling thereafter. Here it served to galvanise.
Within minutes he had embarrassed Gaël Clichy with his pace across the grass, the full-back left gasping in his vapour trail, before squaring for André Schürrle to tap in a first Chelsea goal. Then there was the shot curled sumptuously on to the angle of post and bar as half-time approached that left Mourinho slumped over the wall in his dug-out, aghast that one of his players could be so bereft of fortune. This, after all, was a striker who had scored only once in the league – on last season's final day – since December. Those manic celebrations at the end greeted the breaking of a drought.
"It was a fantastic performance and, even better, because it came after an easy goal was missed," said Mourinho. "When a striker misses an easy chance, he can be affected for the rest of the game. But it was like that was the moment he decided he would be man of the match. The fans were amazing and supported him, saw how hard he worked for the team and saw his heart."
Torres has been prolific in Europe this year, albeit largely in the Europa League, but it should be noted that his best ­performances under Mourinho have now come against sides of better quality: Bayern Munich in the Uefa SuperCup, ­Tottenham Hotspur in the league, Schalke in the Champions League in midweek and now City.
The trend has been upwards, certainly since half-time at White Hart Lane last month, even if that particular afternoon had ended with his dismissal and that unpunished but catty scratch at Jan ­Vertonghen. Rafael Benítez could not coax displays this menacing from his ­compatriot during last season's interim spell in charge. "It would be easy for me to say that we did this or that but we did nothing," added Mourinho. "We believe our ­methodology improves players' sharpness and speed in the first 15-20 metres. We work high intensity for short periods and that helps them to become sharp. But he's responsible. I don't know if he was the same last year but since I arrived he's worked very, very hard every day."
This was his and Chelsea's reward, the dramatic nature of the victory ensuring City departed bruised as well as beaten. They must have thought they had wrested control of this contest having started the second half with such urgency, the excellent Sergio Agüero – "a powerful tank," according to Mourinho – darting behind Gary Cahill to collect Samir Nasri's pass and thump a glorious finish high beyond Petr Cech at his near post. City had never previously lost a Premier League game when their thrilling Argentinian had scored and, had David Silva not been guilty of over-elaborating and Javi García mustered a more convincing header from the Spaniard's free-kick delivery, that record might have been maintained.
As it was, they had seemed content enough with a point, particularly given recent failings at Cardiff and Aston Villa, only for Hart's rush of blood and Nastasic's header to provide a sting in the tail. The lack of communication between goalkeeper and centre-half was damning, the scrutiny fixing inevitably back on the England keeper whose untouchable status for club and country now looks fragile. ­Pellegrini, riled by Mourinho's dash across his box, hardly offered a vote of confidence in his later mumbled assessment. It all seemed as damaging to City as it was rejuvenating for Torres.

Man of the match Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

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Telegraph:

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

On a day when Joe Hart and Jose Mourinho both ended up out of their areas, Fernando Torres ended up back in a place he looked to have left long ago.
Playing with strength and speed, preying on opponents’ mistakes, Torres evoked memories of his predatory Liverpool days with an accomplished performance here.
Still only 29, with three or four good years ahead of him, Torres can be a vital force for Chelsea if he repeats such displays as this.
There was a bad miss but otherwise so much to admire in the powerful way he created André Schürrle’s goal, in the way he cut in from the left to hit the post, and how he kept hunting chances and his persistence was rewarded with the injury-time winner to erase the memory of Sergio Agüero’s majestic equaliser.
It was reward for all the work Torres has put in during training, doing what Mourinho calls the “high intensity for short periods” that helps the players become even sharper.
It was Torres’s first Premier League goal of the season and only his second goal in 24 league games in 2013. Chelsea will hope this is the start of a renaissance.
Before kick-off, the DJ had played The Story of the Blues and there were so many storylines. As Torres was to discover and exploit, there was another worrying entry in Hart’s blotted copybook.
When Willian lifted a long ball forward, the 20-year-old Matija Nastasic could have thumped the ball clear but decided to head it back to his goalkeeper. Hart had already rushed out, leaving his box, as Nastasic’s header flew over him.
Marooned outside his area, Hart looked back in despair on as Nastasic lay on the ground, Martin Demichelis slid in but was too late to stop Torres turning the ball in. As he retrieved the ball from the net, Hart shouted “keeper’s, f------ keeper’s” in frustration. Judging by the filthy mood of Manuel Pellegrini, usually so urbane, the debriefing at Carrington this week will not be pleasant.
Vincent Kompany cannot return from injury soon enough to bring some more experience and leadership to Manchester City’s defence.
Hart has been caught out of his area before, most recently allowing Andreas Weimann to score Aston Villa’s winner in September. There was also an embarrassing mix-up with Kolo Touré against Blackburn Rovers in 2010. Hart came flying out to meet Morten Gamst Pedersen’s hooked ball, misjudged it and Nikola Kalinic scored.
This really was a story of people straying out of their area. As Torres’s goal went in, Mourinho celebrated wildly, running in front of Pellegrini and City’s shocked coaching staff to reach his son, whose season ticket is behind the away area.
As Mourinho embraced his son, one fan tried to join in the hug and take a picture simultaneously, a reflection of the modern trend that an event is only real if recorded.
There was the latest episode of “handshakegate”, a very English drama seemingly as long-running as The Mousetrap. Pellegrini disappeared down the tunnel with the final whistle still lingering in the air, ignoring Mourinho.
Whatever the understandable depths of the Chilean’s frustration over the result, and annoyance of Mourinho’s celebration, Pellegrini’s piqued reaction was disappointing. He is better than that.
There was the sight of the Premier League table, showing Chelsea rising to second because they never gave up, and highlighting the openness of the race.
Arsenal lead the way, two points clear of Chelsea. Liverpool lie third and the goalscoring double act of Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge will ensure they remain involved in the hunt.
Spurs keep defending tightly and winning narrowly. Southampton may not possess the squad depth to stay so prominent but their exuberant attacking and intense pressing has been a feature of the season so far. Everton, too, have goals and adventure.
The two Manchester clubs occupy the next positions, City in seventh and United in eighth, but they will surely climb up. Their early-season labours, particularly focused on City’s defending and United’s issues in midfield, have provided some of the storylines of the season.
There were so many plot-lines to this story of the Blues but the main one was the Torres show. Others had claims to positive headlines, particularly Ramires, Agüero and David Silva, but this was Torres back approaching his peak.
It took half an hour for the Spaniard to get going. Space was at a premium.
Javi García and Fernandinho were anchoring for City, with a subdued Yaya Touré pushed on in the hole behind Agüero.
City had Demichelis making his debut at centre-half alongside Nastasic. Chelsea immediately looked for any vulnerability in the heart of the City defence.
Barring an early Torres header, City were actually creating the better chances for half-an-hour. Samir Nasri shot wide. Agüero’s effort was blocked by Gary Cahill.
Another attempt by the Argentine was saved by Petr Cech. Then came the Torres show, the ridiculous miss and then a sublime passage of play when he absolutely terrorised City’s defence.
The miss before the assist was staggering. Ramires released Torres, who chested the ball down and then fired it way over Hart’s crossbar. Mourinho leaned back in his seat, his eyes ablaze with frustration at Torres’s profligacy.
Torres could have hidden but he responded superbly. He ran again into the box, looking to make amends. He then crumpled under a foul from Nastasic but got up and carried on.Then, collecting possession from Schürrle, Torres deceived Gaël Clichy, looking inside, wrong-footing the left-back, and then accelerating past him. He crossed low and hard, picking out the unmarked Schürrle, who enjoyed the easiest of tap-ins.
Torres was now invigorated, cutting in from the left, and sending a curling strike against the post.
The Matthew Harding Upper and Lower were now chanting Torres’s name, but were seething with annoyance four minutes after the restart when Chelsea’s defence was exposed by the brilliance of Agüero.
Silva and then Nasri shaped the move to City’s equaliser, the Frenchman sweeping the ball down the inside-left channel. Agüero had darted between John Terry and Cahill, who responded too slowly to the forward’s movement. Cech was then caught out by Agüero’s ferocious left-footed strike.
The Torres show resumed. He had a header held by Hart and was then cynically baulked by García. Hart went Awol, Torres pounced, and Mourinho went walkabout.

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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Man City 1: Nightmare for City as Nastasic and Hart gift Torres late winner after Aguero's stunner cancelled out Schurrle opener at the Bridge

By NEIL ASHTON

Chelsea had stunned City in the final minute of this exhilarating match, and Mourinho was where he likes to be — centre stage.
On the touchline his assistant Rui Faria sprinted on to the pitch with clenched fists, sank to his knees and looked up to the heavens.
The Chelsea ranks were pumped full of energy but on the pitch bodies were everywhere as the knees buckled on City’s players.
They collapsed on the turf as if they had just blown their chances of winning the Barclays Premier League. Perhaps they have.
There was certainly no talking to Manuel Pellegrini on Sunday night when he appeared, very briefly, to analyse City’s third defeat on the road. This one hurts the most and has left them six points off Arsenal at the top.
‘We are losing stupid points,’ was City boss Pellegrini at his most coherent during a torturous five-minute assessment of his side’s performance.
He was going through the motions but that’s what happens when your title rivals strike for glory in the last minute and the opposition manager’s name happens to be Mourinho. There is disbelief. And there was disrespect.
Pellegrini also confirmed he had refused to shake Mourinho’s hand at the final whistle.
Whatever the semantics, it’s a long-standing custom in English football to afford the opposition manager the courtesy at the final whistle. City’s coach will have to learn the way things are done here.
Once the Chelsea excitement had died down — and the stadium announcer confirmed that Torres had scored his first goal in the league this season — there was only one question: Joe Hart, what were you doing?
His face was contorted when Torres sprinted beyond him in the final seconds but he has only himself to blame for this inexplicable error.
Hart operates at the highest level and there is no hiding place for a keeper once considered good enough to be spoken of in the same breath as Manuel Neuer, Gianluigi Buffon and Petr Cech. Not any more.
The late, great Brian Clough always claimed that a good goalkeeper could save a team between 10 and 15 points a season. Hart is costing City as many.
Hart was in familiar territory. Only last month he came racing out of his penalty area to intercept Andreas Weimann at Villa Park.
Weimann shimmied past him in the 75th minute to win the game for Aston Villa, adding to a collection of howlers on the Hart showreel. City’s keeper is a liability right now.
His deputy, Costel Pantilimon, is expected to replace him for the Capital One Cup tie against Newcastle on Wednesday at St James’ Park. From there, it has to be the Romanian’s jersey to lose.
This was a brilliant match. It was full of magical moments from both teams as they tested and stretched each other to the limit at Stamford Bridge.
David Silva’s 360-degree spin that took him past two Chelsea midfielders was a blur of skill and speed, a real jaw-dropping moment.
Then there was the cheek of Chelsea full-back Branislav Ivanovic when he nutmegged Silva as he set up yet another attack down the right flank.
Chelsea were bombing on all afternoon down that wing, throwing numbers forward to test the resilience and confidence of City’s left-back Gael Clichy. They had his measure.
Torres was sensational, galloping past him to set up Chelsea’s first-half opener by Andre Schurrle.

STAMFORD BRIDGE MATCH ZONE by Laurie Whitwell
Stats not the whole story
Manchester City bettered Chelsea in all key statistics other than the most vital . . . goals.
Manuel Pellegrini’s visitors enjoyed 54.4 per cent of possession in the game, and 53.8 per cent of the play came in Chelsea’s half.
And with Spanish midfielder David Silva in fine form City also made 478 passes compared to Chelsea’s 396.
Aguero edges it for G-Nev
There was some confusion over who was Gary Neville’s man of the match, leading Ladbrokes to pay out on bets for Sergio Aguero AND Fernando Torres.
Sky pundit Neville chose Aguero but then suggested he might change it to Torres, prompting the bookies to pay out twice. Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: ‘We’ve listened to Neville and Torres backers will be celebrating.’
But Neville later tweeted: ‘Aguero best striker on pitch!’

Wherever Schurrle is on the pitch, the ball is attracted to him and he scored his first goal for the club in the 33rd minute.
By then Chelsea could have been clear. Torres had already failed to meet Ramires’ cross and he hit the joint between post and crossbar with a curling effort from the edge of the area. He has rediscovered his mojo.
So, too, had City at the start of the second half when Sergio Aguero’s fabulous left-foot shot beat Cech hands down.
It was a terrific finish, outwitting Gary Cahill with the timing of his run to seize on Samir Nasri’s smart through ball.
Aguero’s explosive finish raised the stakes. Mourinho threw on substitutes to try to win their fifth successive league game at home, sending for Samuel Eto’o, Willian and John Obi Mikel to change the game.
But this was Torres’ day. His attitude was first class and his commitment unquestionable after he saved a goal-kick by sliding into the electronic advertising hoardings.
It was the Torres of old who ran through in the final minute, reading Willian’s hopeful pass and making a mug of Matija Nastasic and Hart on the edge of City’s area.
He finished the job, applying the touch in front of The Shed that could turn the season into a title race fought between two teams.
Chelsea are two points off Arsenal at the top and by the time they face each other on December 23, they could be both be in the clear.
After this, Chelsea are one, big happy family.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City: Fernando Torres capitalises on late defensive mix-up to secure victory for hosts
By Martin Lipton

The Spanish striker set up Andre Schurrle's opener before scoring the winner in dramatic circumstances
He celebrated as if they had won the title, not just one match.
But Jose Mourinho has ­transformed the mood of Chelsea, the mindset of Chelsea.
And unlocked the beast inside Fernando Torres.
Not bad for nine Premier League games.
As Torres’ tap-in saw Mourinho hurling himself into the seats behind the dug-out in search of his son, the Londoners' boss seemed to have found what is even more important for the Chelsea fans.
The same sense of destiny they had first time around, when the Special One was making his mark.
This was more than just a victory, extending his remarkable unbeaten league record at ­Stamford Bridge to 65 games, matching the return from the first 27 points on offer when he took Chelsea to the title in his first season.
After all, when Sergio Aguero scored a stunning equaliser for the visitors at the start of the second period, ­everything that Chelsea had done in the first half was wiped out.
City looked in the ascendancy.
Aguero was tormenting Gary Cahill, David Silva weaving pretty patterns, Fernandinho beginning to stir.
First, Chelsea weathered the storm. And then, as the game entered its last 15 seconds of normal time, they ­chiselled out a huge ­psychological blow.
If any player deserved to score the winner, though, it was the Spaniard.
Since his arrival from Liverpool in January 2011, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre ­Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and even Rafa Benitez have tried, but failed, to recreate the man who was magnificent at Anfield.
Mourinho, it was felt by some, would just decide Torres was not his cup of tea. That he would ease him out.
But against Spurs last month, he was scintillating before his undeserved red card.
Here, he was simply electric, all the more impressive in light of what had happened on 28 minutes.
All alone 14 yards out when City’s off-side trap – with Martin Demichelis horribly out of ­position – failed to work, Torres snatched at his shot, sending it miles over the bar.
The old Chelsea Torres would have gone into hiding. Not this new, revitalised version.
Five minutes later, he destroyed Gael Clichy down the right, rolling it across for Andre Schurrle to tap home.
Next he left Demichelis on his backside, scooted down the left, turned inside and cracked against the angle of post and bar.
“When a striker misses an easy chance, he can be affected for the rest of the game,” said Mourinho. “But it was like that was the moment he decided he would be man of the match. The fans were amazing and supported him, saw how hard he worked for the team, and saw his heart.”
They did.
Torres was on fire, City being burned, only for Aguero, fed by Samir Nasri before rifling into the top corner, to alter the equation again.
Had Javi Garcia, unmarked, headed past rather than at Petr Cech soon afterwards, City might have won, not slipped to their third defeat in five away games.
But it looked like ending as a draw until Matija Nastasic and Joe Hart made their total Horlicks of dealing with the ball that lofted forward off sub Willian, the keeper again in no-man’s land as Torres stabbed home.
Cue bedlam around the ground and behind seething boss Manuel Pellegrini.
“I don’t look back,” insisted ­Mourinho. “The past is the past, this is a new situation. But the team is improving.
“And if we can play like that against City, why can’t we in every match? That is the ­self-esteem we need.”

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Express:

Torres winner puts Chelsea second

Fernando Torres netted a 90th-minute winner as Chelsea claimed a dramatic 2-1 Barclays Premier League win in a pulsating contest with fellow title-contenders Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
One of the most eagerly awaited games of the season so far, pitting together squads lavishly assembled by Roman Abramovich and Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour and two former managers of Real Madrid, was decided by a much-maligned £50million striker.
In a thrilling match, a rush of blood saw Joe Hart try to reach a Willian through ball which allowed Torres in to net a crucial winner to extendChelsea's 100 per cent home start to the Premier League season.
Jose Mourinho celebrated the goal and the extension of his unbeaten Premier League run at Stamford Bridge to 65 games by leaping into the crowd, where he finished the prior home match with Cardiff following his touchline dismissal.
Torres had missed a sitter earlier on and made amends by provided the cross for Andre Schurrle to tap in his first Chelsea goal.
Torres then crashed a shot against the bar after terrorising the City defence with his pace for a second time.
The Spain striker had designs on making the match about one man, but another former Atletico Madrid striker had other ideas and Sergio Aguero struck his ninth goal in seven games four minutes into the second half.
Then Torres struck in a dramatic finale which Hart and City boss Manuel Pellegrini will not want to see again.
Debutant Martin Demichelis - one of three changes to the City side which won at CSKA Moscow - conceded a third-minute corner when not under pressure and Gary Cahill squandered the opportunity to give Chelsea an early lead.
City half cleared and Oscar's cross was met by Cahill, who blasted over.
John Terry had been standing in an offside position, but a flag was not raised and Cahill was left to rue the chance.
City's constant movement - particularly the attacking triumvirate of Aguero, David Silva and Samir Nasri - continually troubled Chelsea.
Frank Lampard was booked for fouling Fernandinho in the centre circle, thwarting another attack as Chelsea tried to get to grips with their opponents.
The hosts were enjoying some space on the right between Silva and Clichy, with the rampaging Branislav Ivanovic and Ramires threatening.
Ramires provided the cross from which Torres should have scored after breaching the City offside trap.
The World Cup-winner chested the ball down and blasted over the bar. A more subtle touch would surely have beaten Hart.
Mourinho's reaction was one of disbelief after investing so much faith in Torres, who had one Premier League goal in 2013 entering the match, against Everton on the final day of last season.
Torres atoned for the miss soon after when Ivanovic flicked the ball on from a goal kick.
Torres surged around Gael Clichy down the Chelsea right and rushed to the byline where he crossed for Schurrle to score.
Chelsea, and Torres in particular, were lifted and the striker smashed a shot on to the bar after another driving run which terrorised the City defence.
Despite his team's forward inroads, Petr Cech had to be on his guard and he saved well from Aguero after the Argentina striker had turned Terry.
City made a fast start to the second half and, after Pablo Zabaleta shot over, were level when Nasri's through ball caught Cahill flat-footed. Aguero ghosted in behind the defender and beat Cech at the near post with an early shot.
Javi Garcia was unmarked when he had a header saved from Silva's free-kick soon after.
Chelsea appealed for a penalty when Eden Hazard went down under the challenge of Zabaleta, but the Belgium forward's cause was not helped by a flamboyant fall which had referee Howard Webb unmoved.
Torres had a header held by Hart and was then cynically blocked by Garcia in a move more at home in Sunday's NFL contest at Wembley.
Try as they might, still Chelsea could not subdue City and Cech saved with his feet from Silva before Mourinho turned to his bench.
He replaced Schurrle with Willian and Lampard with John Obi Mikel, while Pellegrini opted for Jesus Navas in place of Nasri.
The threat of Aguero was constant and he chipped narrowly wide after being found by Silva.
Ramires shot over as an end-to-end contest entered the final 10 minutes and Mourinho made another change, throwing on Samuel Eto'o for Hazard.
Then Torres settled matters in Chelsea's favour. Willian's lofted pass caused a mix-up between Matija Nastasic and Hart, whose latest high-profile error allowed Torres in to score ahead of the covering Demichelis.
Mourinho leapt into the crowd amid the celebrations before Chelsea completed victory.

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Star:

Chelsea 2 - Manchester City 1: Torres grabs winner with keeper all at sea
JOSE MOURINHO warned that Chelsea are clever sharks who know when and how to attack.
By Adrian Kajumba

nd they proved it by snatching a brilliant win from the jaws of a draw thanks to Fernando Torres.
Torres ended his Premier League goal drought with a final minute winner to settle a pulsating clash.
The Spaniard pounced with seconds to spare to bag only his second league goal of 2013 as Chelsea laid down a marker in the first meeting of this year’s title favourites.
Once they picked their gutted bodies off the floor, City were no doubt kicking themselves after gifting Chelsea all three points.
Torres’ first league goal since May came after a calamitous communication breakdown between Matija ­Nastasic and Joe Hart – and it was too late for City to reply.
It was totally deserved for Torres who looks born again under ­Mourinho.
He seemed set to be outshone in the scoring stakes by another in-form striker, Sergio Aguero, whose ­stunning goal brought City level after Andre Schurrle’s opener. Then came his big moment and he capped his best Blues display with his third goal of the week.
Mourinho was talking about Chelsea’s new approach to their transfer dealings compared to City when he ­described his club as clever sharks.
Days after that description, Torres’ killer strike proved fatal for City.
For Mourinho there was the added satisfaction of beating the man he replaced at Real Madrid in 2010 and has enjoyed taunting ever since.
But City boss Manuel Pellegrini has larger concerns than his battle with his old sparring partner, like his side’s away form.
City have only won once on the road in the league this season and this was their third defeat.
Pellegrini’s cautious approach ­appeared to hand the initiative to Chelsea. The Chilean left out Alvaro Negredo in favour of an extra central midfielder and Yaya Toure was tasked with supporting Aguero.
Chelsea were only too happy to take control. Gary Cahill beat City’s shaky offside trap to volley over before Torres outjumped debutant defender Martin Demichelis but headed straight at Hart.
Aguero cut an isolated figure up front for City.
He was left feeding on scraps and on the two ­occasions he got a first-half sight of goal it was thanks to his own hard work.
In between the two ­efforts Aguero fired at Petr Cech, it was all about Torres.
First the Spaniard missed a sitter, slashing widely over from 10 yards with just Hart to beat after Ramires’ through ball exposed City’s defence.
Mourinho was as stunned as everybody else inside Stamford Bridge, a look of disbelief on his face, but he was much happier with Torres in the 32nd minute. The Spaniard gathered Cech’s big goal kick and put on the burners to spin away from Nastasic and leave Gael Clichy for dead.
Once he reached the byline, he had the composure to look up and pick out Schurrle who had an easy tap-in.
Torres had the bit between his teeth and almost made it 2-0 five minutes later when he cut in from the left and cracked a stunning effort against the bar.
City must have received a blast a Pellegrini’s ­answer to the hairdryer judging by their start to the second half.
Within three minutes of the restart they were level thanks to a stunning strike from the brilliant Aguero.
Samir Nasri played him in behind Cahill and, with nothing else on, ­Aguero caught out Cech with a bullet effort from a narrowing angle the Chelsea stopper could only wave into his top corner.
City had Chelsea on the rack and should have turned the game on its head. Javi Garcia headed straight at Cech before the keeper stuck out a foot to repel a through-on-goal David Silva.
Aguero then curled a clever chip inches wide as City kept pushing.
Mourinho chucked on Samuel Eto’o as Chelsea chased a winner but it was Torres who was the hero.
Sub Willian pumped one last hopeful ball forward which Nastasic headed past Hart as the keeper rushed out, leaving Torres with an open goal to tap the winner into.


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Times:

Manuel Pellegrini’s charm fades after Fernando Torres punishes mishap

Matt Dickinson.
Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1

No one saw this storm coming, though perhaps we should have done given Joe Hart’s repeated nightmares and Manchester City’s defensive mishaps away from home.
“Everyone was expecting a draw,” José Mourinho said. That was until the most costly blunder of Hart’s season in the last minute of normal time gave Chelsea a late, dramatic winner gleefully seized by the reborn, revitalised Fernando Torres.
Suddenly Chelsea physios, kit men and fitness trainers were on the pitch. Mourinho was clambering into the stands behind the City dugout. Bedlam.
A seething Manuel Pellegrini was soon deriding his team for “losing stupid points” and demonstrating that his urbane, Chilean charm finds its limits when his players self-destruct against title rivals.
The City manager’s anger was mostly aimed at his side’s failings but he was also furious at Mourinho’s celebrations, stalking off down the tunnel to avoid his counterpart. Another day, another handshake row.
“I didn’t want to shake hands,” Pellegrini said. As for Mourinho climbing into the seats? “I didn’t expect anything else. It is a different way to celebrate from me,” he said, pointedly.
Mourinho came out to say that no disrespect was intended. He explained that his son has a season ticket behind the away dugout, and he was simply seeking out the 14-year-old José junior.
Pellegrini is unlikely to be appeased, but then there is history between the pair.
Mourinho followed the Chilean at Real Madrid, where he called his predecessor’s second place “first loser”. It is unlikely they will ever be friends.
The Premier League has its latest dugout feud, but by far the greater ramifications are in a title race that grows more intriguing with every week, with the two Manchester clubs in seventh and eighth places.
Early days, of course, and both sides had periods of dominance yesterday — but there are recurring themes in Chelsea’s perfect home form and City collapsing defensively.
Make that four points out of 15 away from home for Pellegini’s side who have lost from winning positions against Cardiff City and Aston Villa, and handed over the points yesterday in farcical circumstances.
In place of the injured Vincent Kompany, and Joleon Lescott who did not make the bench, Martin Demichelis and Matija Nastasic had never fully convinced when Willian knocked a ball over the top and Torres hunted down the young defender.
Hart sprinted out of his penalty area as though pursued by a swarm of wasps, a fateful misjudgment. It was too far to come. Had he stayed back, Nastasic would have nodded the ball safely back rather than past the onrushing goalkeeper. Torres pounced for a tap-in.
It was reward for the Spaniard’s perseverance after a shocking miss shortly before the half-hour mark. The Spaniard had a gaping goal to aim at but lashed his shot high over the bar. The cameras cut to the Chelsea bench where there were looks of disbelief. Torres tried to excuse himself by saying he thought he was offside.
In another time, Torres might have sunk into depression. Not under Mourinho. Four minutes later, his burst down the right flank made Gael Clichy look leaden-footed. Torres crossed low for Andre Schürrle to stab in his first goal for Chelsea.
Torres struck the crossbar soon afterwards with an audacious curling shot. “It was a fantastic performance by Fernando,” Mourinho said. “When a striker misses an easy chance, he can be affected for the rest of the game. But it was like that was the moment he decided he would be man of the match. The fans saw how hard he worked for the team. They saw his heart.”
Chelsea’s main weakness was always likely to be the lack of a No 9, but not if Torres can keep up this form.
According to his manager, it is less a matter of motivation than physical training; short, intense sessions that have also helped John Terry (shame it never worked for Andriy Shevchenko).
“We believe our methodology improves players’ sharpness and speed in the first 15 to 20 metres,” Mourinho said. “But Fernando is responsible. He’s worked very hard since I saw him.”
Chelsea could have had victory in the bag, with Yaya Touré having an unusually quiet game for City. Sergio Agüero was carrying City’s attack as a lone striker.
Mourinho called the Argentina player “a tank” for the power he packs into a compact body, and there was an astonishing demonstration when he ran off Gary Cahill and on to Samir Nasri’s through-ball just after half-time.
Petr Cech did not envisage that Agüero would even try to shoot from near the corner of the box. The goalkeeper barely lifted an arm as the ball arrowed past him into the near, top corner.
Suddenly it was City’s time to dominate. Javi García should have done better with a free header and Cech saved well from David Silva’s low shot.
Mourinho’s double substitution, John Obi Mikel and Willian on for Frank Lampard and Schürrle, showed his anxiety and the need for fresh legs.