Manchester City ended Chelsea’s 100 per cent start to the season with a 1-0 win at Eastlands on Saturday.
After starting the season with five straightforward wins, this was Chelsea’s first real test.
City manager Roberto Mancini had said before the game that he expected Chelsea to win the league easily, but while they may still win it, and certainly didn’t play badly, it will not be the procession it had begun to look as if it might be.
Mancini’s side restricted Chelsea to long-range efforts, defended well, and took advantage of a rare break just before the hour to take the lead through Carlos Tevez who, after his lean final season at Manchester United, has now scored 25 goals in his last 29 Premier League games.
City began well, Tevez driving a speculative shot just wide, and Chelsea keeper Petr Cech being called into an ugly flap to divert a James Milner free kick from wide on the left away from danger.
It was, though, a cagey opening, the two 4-3-3s cancelling each other, and the first corner didn’t arrive until the 24th minute.
It went to City, but it was Chelsea who had the first real chance, as they took their first corner short to Didier Drogba, who crossed to the back post where Nicolas Anelka headed back across goal and Branislav Ivanovic headed against the bar.
The Serbia international then got to the rebound first, but Joe Hart saved, diving to his right.
It wasn’t a scrappy game, and the quality of much of the passing was excellent, but equally there was rarely much of a goal threat.
It remained goalless at half-time, the first time Chelsea had gone in at 0-0 at half-time since December 26 last year against Birmingham, who also had Joe Hart in goal.
The second-half was a little more open. Anelka curved a shot just wide form 25 metres, then David Silva, quiet until then, drew a smart save from Cech at his near post.
And in the 59th minute it was City who took the lead. Ramires was caught in possession by a combination of Milner and Yaya Toure, and as Tevez broke, Silva made a fine decoy run to draw John Terry away.
Tevez advanced and struck a low shot through Ashley Cole’s legs and in off the post — the fifth game in succession in which he’d scored against Chelsea.
Essien flashed a couple of long-range efforts just wide and Alex headed wide from close range, but City’s defence, in which Vincent Kompany was excellent, remained solid.
