IF the title is heading to Anfield, Manchester City are being carried out on their shield.
Trailing for the second home game in a row, they showed the spirit of champions to claw their way back and keep runaway pacesetters Liverpool in sight.
Riyad Mahrez celebrates after putting Manchester City in frontCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Kevin De Bruyne fired Man City level after the Blues took the leadCredit: PA:Press Association
But at what price this hard-fought victory cost remains to be seen, with Rodri, David Silva AND Sergio Aguero all limping off in the second half.
Last season City had smashed six past Chelsea in the third of 14 straight victories, at the end of a season which brought them a second successive title.
This time they kicked off 12 points behind VAR-assisted Liverpool. Even at this stage they could not afford a slip.
But after making the early running, that’s exactly what did happen, as Frank Lampard’s men snatched a lead they had already threatened after Willlian’s early shot whistled wide.
It was a move instigated by City’s own carelessness, through Joao Cancelo’s sloppy clearance.
Chelsea celebrate with N’Golo Kante after the Frenchman opened the scoringCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Mateo Kovacic’s ball over the top left N’Golo Kante in a sprint with Bernard Mendy, and he was strong enough to win the race and prod an angled shot which bounced into the far corner.
Chelsea could argue they deserved it, having also gone within inches after Fikayo Tomori’s spin and shot.
But with their tail tweaked, an angry City finally got it together and hit back with two in ten minutes.
There was a slice of luck about the first, as Kevin De Bruyne cut back onto his left foot, and saw his shot clip off Kurt Zouma, to leave Kepa Arrizabalaga without a prayer.
Yet there was nothing fortunate about the way Riyad Mahrez danced between Emerson and Kovacic, before drilling an Exocet into the bottom corner to put the champions in front.
They should have got breathing space, too, when Kepa cleared straight to Sergio Aguero, but although he left the keeper for dead, his shot rattled the crossbar.
How they could have done with that breathing space.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
