Frank Lampard put his hand to his mouth, turned and walked back to his own half with a half-shrug of non-celebration. He had received a rapturous welcome from Chelsea fans when he had come on as a 78th-minute substitute for Aleksandar Kolarov and even before that the away support that delighted in claiming that Lampard had won more titles than Manchester City. But with five minutes to go, it was suddenly the home fans who chanted Lampard’s name after he had scored an equalizer to savage an improbable point for his side – and, it seemed, extend the title race beyond the end of September.
To make such calls after five games, of course, would be absurd, but if Chelsea had won, it would have been five victories out of five this season and it would have stood eight points clear of City. This had looked like being a classic Jose Mourinho performance, a counter-attacking master-class. City was 1-0 down and down to 10 men. It looked, in all honesty, as if it had run out of ideas. But then James Milner stretched to clip a volley across the box and a tumbling Lampard forced the ball in. After a leaden-legged performance in the first half against Arsenal last week, it had seemed his time at City might be a curious footnote to his career; as it is, he has scored what is probably City’s most important goal of the season so far.
It was a game of much striving, much good defending, and very few chances which, given the leakiness both sides have shown recently, probably didn’t disappoint either manager greatly. This felt like a welcome throwback to the days of the last decade and beyond, when the meetings of big teams were grinding, physical affairs in which each pass, each moment of space, had to be earned amid the clashing of giant bodies. This was like two mighty stags rutting in the forest, a spectacle notable less for any subtlety or finesse than for the sheer mass of the protagonists.
The battle between Diego Costa and Vincent Kompany quickly established itself as the game’s principle sideshow. Costa is an awkward forward, all elbows and with few qualms about using them. As he showed against Everton, the repertoire of things he will do to get the better of his man extends beyond what is permitted under the laws. Kompany, meanwhile, although he has a tendency to dive in at times, is a generally unflappable defender.
Again and again the two clashed, Costa full of shrugs and plaintive looks at the referee, Kompany making a show of being unruffled, chest outthrust, eyes as impassive as a statue. At one moment in the first half, he received the ball under pressure to the right side of the City box: Costa chopped at him, Kompany shrugged him off; Costa again reached his leg around the Belgian to try to steal the ball away, and again Kompany kept going. Only when he clattered him a third time did the referee Mike Dean final give a free-kick, although Kompany still had possession. The two patted each other’s bellies in a gesture of mutual respect.
Eliaquim Mangala, the £32million summer signing from Porto, made his first appearance alongside Kompany and offered an impressively muscular presence. The line form City had been that it would bed him in slowly, working on the training ground to get him used to playing alongside Kompany; his inclusion was either a indication that that process is complete, or that Pellegrini has been so concerned by the form of Martin Dimichelis that he has accelerated the France defender’s integration.
Not until 10 minutes after the break did either side have a notable shot on goal, Fernandinho blasting a snapshot wide from the edge of the box after a corner had been half cleared. Two minutes later, Thibuat Courtois pulled off a fine save low to his left from a Sergio Aguero shot on the turn and Ramires just got to the rebound before Edin Dzeko.
But just as it seemed City may take control, Pablo Zabaleta was sent off. He had perhaps been a little unfortunate to be booked in the first half for what looked a clean challenge on Eden Hazard – although the referee Mike Dean indicated he was being cautioned for repeated foul play – but his foul on Diego Costa was clearly worthy of another yellow and so off he went. Costa was booked for grappling with the Argentinian, but you suspect he would mind that too much; having failed to rile the center-backs, he had managed to take another defender out of the game.
Four minutes later came the opening goal. Hazard won the ball and swung it left, and the ball passed through Cesc Fabegas, Branislav Ivanovic and Costa before arriving back at Hazard who had advanced down the right. He crossed low, and Schurrle arrived at the back post to turn the ball over the line.
At that point it seemed the story would be the same as last year; Chelsea holding City at arm’s length and striking on the counter. Costa could have won it when his shot came back off the post. But that was to reckon without Lampard and a remarkable twist. Chelsea stands five points clear of City, which is still significant, but it is manageable. The title race remains alive.
