Chelsea 2-4 Man City

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Carlos Tevez scored twice as Manchester City became the first team to beat Chelsea at home in 16 months.

The Argentine scored a stoppage time equaliser at the end of the first half for Roberto Mancini's side after a catalogue of errors from the hosts, only moments after Frank Lampard had given the Blues the lead.

But City started the second period with menace and it was little surprise when Craig Bellamy gave them the lead thanks to a fine run and finish beyond Henrique Hilario.

Substitute Juliano Belletti then hauled down Gareth Barry inside the penalty area to give City the opportunity to increase the lead. Tevez effortlessly dispatched beyond Hilario whilst Belletti was given a straight red card.

And the Brazilian was soon followed down the tunnel by Michael Ballack, who picked up a second yellow card for an aggressive tackle on City's diminutive Argentine, but Bellamy put the icing on the cake with City's fourth goal after ex-Chelsea man Shaun Wright-Phillips had been played in by Tevez.

Lampard pulled a late consolation back for Chelsea for his fifteenth goal of the campaign after Barry had brought down Nicolas Anelka inside the area - but that was scant reward for a Chelsea side whose lead at the top of the table is reduced to a mere point, with a visit to Old Trafford looming ever closer.

There will be serious questions asked of Chelsea after another below-par performance and more lacklustre defending. Under-fire captain John Terry was again partly at fault for allowing Tevez to roll home the equaliser, but besides perhaps goalscorer Lampard and the faultless endeavour of Nicolas Anelka, no Chelsea player can seek to take positives from the match.

With Petr Cech missing for a month due to a calf injury, stand-in goalkeeper Hilario was expected to grasp his opportunity between the posts with both hands, but an unconvincing, mistake-riddled performance will leave Carlo Ancelotti with a lingering seed of doubt planted in his mind.

And with Ballack and Belletti joining a list of unavailable players for the FA Cup clash with Stoke next weekend, the Italian's options look increasingly thin.

Much of the pre-match talk was of Wayne Bridge's feud with former team-mate John Terry over allegations of the latter's private life, but few expected anything other than a Chelsea victory as the Blues sought to increase their lead at the top of the table.

City mustered just one effort on target during the opening exchanges, and that was an easy take for Hilario as he gathered a freekick from Adam Johnson without concern.

Chelsea were coming closer as the half drew on - Malouda drilled a thunderous long-range strike narrowly over the crossbar, Drogba wastefully headed over and Vincent Kompany almost sliced an attempted clearance beyond his own goalkeeper. Joe Cole had also seen an effort saved after cutting inside Johnson.

And it came as no surprise that Chelsea would eventually take the lead, and it was Cole's ball into Frank Lampard that allowed the England star to score his fourteenth goal of the season.

Juliano Belletti sees red as Chelsea's day is summed up in one disastrous moment.

But the unthinkable happened when Tevez - a peripheral figure all game so far - stole a march on Terry, rounded Carvalho before rolling the ball into the net. The Argentine had been on a leave of absence to be with his wife and prematurely-born daughter, but scored despite a limp finish that Hilario should have done better with.

And they could have gone in ahead at the break had Joleon Lescott converted a free header from just six yards out - Chelsea were living dangerously.

Lampard and Anelka both had chances to give Chelsea the lead again as the second half began, but as the Chelsea attack broke down, Mikel found himself isolated against Bellamy marauding down the left flank.

The Welshman did not disappoint with his finish; low and across the goalkeeper, but questions must be asked of Hilario, who simply should not have been beaten from such a tight angle.

Only a last-gasp clearance by Branislav Ivanovic prevented City from increasing the lead any further - and there were was indication that their relentless pressure would cease. Ancelotti's side were becoming desperate and he responded with three quick fire substitutions.

The Chelsea manager's decision was met with boos as Joe Cole was withdrawn. Having set up the earlier goal for Lampard, Cole was enjoying his best game for Chelsea for some time, and his replacement Daniel Sturridge instead only frustrated by making a number of wrong decisions when well-placed in the City half.

And another of Ancelotti's substitutes - Belletti - lasted only fifteen minutes as he was dismissed for a foul on Barry inside the box. One lethally-dispatched penalty later, City had a healthy lead and Chelsea's problems did not look like ending.

Ballack saw a second yellow and Bellamy slotted home a second to confirm a magnificent result for City - their first league double over Chelsea for over fifth years.

Lampard's late consolation penalty came after a late surge by the nine remaining Chelsea players - Anelka had been foiled by a superb reflex stop by Given whilst Drogba had shot tamely wide on two occasions.

But Barry's hack on Anelka gave Lampard the chance to add a speck of credibility to the scoreline, but it was a weak performance by a lacklustre Chelsea side that barely deserved the scant consolation the penalty would prove to be.

The Chelsea number 8 comfortably stroked the ball home to partly amend for his costly miss in the reverse fixture where Given had denied him the opportunity to score Chelsea's second on that particular night, but the damage had been done.

Manchester United sit just one point behind Chelsea, and can go top next weekend due to the Blues being in cup action. The title is slowly slipping out of Ancelotti's grasp.

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Chelsea(:Hilario; Ivanovic, Carvalho (Kalou), Terry ©, Malouda; Ballack, Mikel (Belletti), Lampard; Anelka, J Cole (Sturridge); Drogba

Manchester City: Given ©; Zabaleta, Richards, Lescott, Bridge (Santa Cruz); Kompany, De Jong, Barry; Bellamy, Tevez (Sylvinho), Johnson (Wright-Phillips).

The TalkChelsea.net Man of the Match was Man City's number 39 - Craig Bellamy