The much hyped most-expensive match ever turned out to be a very average football match that the Champions eventually won comfortably. Two things were clear though: Chelsea is on the up, while Manchester City looks to be on the slide.
Pessimists may say that this Premiership fixture between two teams managed by two under-pressure Italians was never going to be a classic.
Though the pre-game hype was about an intriguing tactical battle, it was nothing more than a feeling out process for the majority of the game until the enthusiasm of new cult-hero David Luiz attacked Didier Drogba’s free kick to break the dead-lock.
That triggered reaction from the city dug-out, but Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson struggled to make an impact as Chelsea kept possession diligently and eventually struck the killer blow in stoppage time when Michael Essien and the impressive Ramires combined.
Disappointment again for Manchester City, then, as their title dreams seem over just three days after exit in the Europa league to Dynamo Kiev.
But this isn’t the first time though that we’ve seen this sort of toothless performance from City against a top five side.
Goalless draws at Old Trafford and White Hart Lane are by no means bad results, but this performance shared so much in common with those matches.
On this occasion however, the scoreline didn’t complement the resistance of City and instead proved that erring on the side of caution came at a costly price as their opponents rose above them in the table.
At kick-off, the teams didn’t lineup particularly differently in formation with two defensive midfielders by name, a central midfielder given license to get forward, two wide men and a centre forward.
David Pleat summed it up excellently in commentary though, when he stated that Chelsea fully deserved their win against Manchester City as ambition won out over caution.
A low-blow was handed to Roberto Mancini before kick off with talismanic skipper Carlos Tevez failing a fitness test and unable to even sit on the bench at Stamford Bridge.
His replacement Edin Dzeko struggled to make an impact at all though, having been handed an opportunity ahead of bad-boy Balotelli in the eleven.
Unfortunately for Dzeko, he’s looking like the next of a series of players struggling to cope with a high price tag but you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him here as he played the isolated lone ranger.
In contrast, Fernando Torres toiled equally as much as Dzeko, having endured a similar inability to score in league competition.
Torres though had options with him in support unlike the Bosnian, and having worked harder than each of his previous starts combined he came off after 70 minutes with a pass-able performance despite another match without a goal.
This was in part due to midfield support and willingness to get forward and help out their striker, and there was no reason why City couldn’t have assisted a confidence lacking Dzeko to similar effect. The system that Mancini has implemented in his cautious midfield shows a lower return of goals for the season in comparison to the rivals above.
A four goal top-scoring midfielder just isn’t enough for a contending side and this is partly due to personnel not being utilised to full effect, a cardinal sin for mine of a club with the riches of talent at hand.
Out wide, James Milner and David Silva are without doubt talented attacking options but Milner spent most of his time guarding the forward thrusts of Ashley Cole, with Silva also playing more withdrawn and not being allowed to show his full artillery of skill. The more direct options of Adam Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips were again left on the bench from the start, too.
Yaya Toure, an imperious footballer that looks like he has the full package seemed to be the central supporting figure in attack. But you have to wonder whether City purchased him and put him on the wages he’s on to play him as an attacking midfielder as opposed to the less advanced role he played at Barcelona.
That was ultimately where the game was won, and while box-to-box midfield duo Essien and Ramires were excellent in finding the ball and looking to move the ball forward to support their attackers, the same could not be said for typically unadventurous performances from Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry.
The Dutch international famous for his thuggery in the World Cup final against Spain rarely crossed half way, while Barry looks far from the creative outlet he was at Villa. If there was a moment to sum up the contest it was that second goal where the ineffective De Jong was nowhere to be seen as Ramires tore through the heart of City with a tired chase from Barry unable to pressurise the Brazilian as he slotted past Joe Hart.
It’s feasible to say that perhaps the Europa League on Thursday left them a bit short for this one, but 36% possession and an early effort on target from Toure’ was still all they had to show from their efforts.
The showing was simply not good enough and while the performance didn’t surprise, it was disappointing that they didn’t make a statement here given the position Chelsea have been in recently.
It’s far from a disaster for Manchester City of course, with Champions League ultimately the aim and still well and truly within reach, but you have to wonder whether they have progressed at all this year.
In terms of results, yes, but the football expected from this multi-million pound team is far from there. There’s also an FA cup semi-final to look forward to against their cross town rivals, but regardless of possible silverware, Mancini will be asked some serious questions if they struggle to finish top four.
The pressure is on.
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