Wayne Bridge made a point, then left with all three as
Manchester City blew the Premier League title race wide open once
more by hammering nine-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
All kinds of conspiracy theories had been raised about the
pre-match handshake following revelations about John Terry's
alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of Bridge's young
son.
In the end, there was no mass boycott of the traditional
pre-match handshake by City players, just an icy stare from Bridge
as he refused to shake Terry's hand.
Snubbed: Wayne Bridge dodges John Terry's proffered
hand
It was perhaps the most predictable part of a truly astonishing
afternoon that exploded into life once Frank Lampard had put the
hosts in front just before the break.
At about that point, Chelsea's world imploded. Henrique Hilario
gifted City goals either side of the interval, failing to make
saves Petr Cech would regard as routine to keep out shots from
Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy either side of the interval.
Then Juliano Belletti was red carded for a foul on Gareth Barry
that allowed Tevez to fire home a third from the spot.
And the drama did not finish there as Michael Ballack was also
sent off for two yellow cards before Bellamy added another.
A stoppage time Lampard penalty at least raised a cheer from a
team whose lead over Manchester United remains a precarious single
point.
For Bridge though, it was a perfect afternoon. He stands on the
moral high ground, despite the disgraceful chants aimed at him by
the home fans, and City are back in the top four.
The intrigue concerning Terry and Bridge had completely
overshadowed what was a key encounter for both clubs.
After their midweek loss in Milan, Chelsea were eager to
re-establish their four-point lead over Manchester United whilst
for City, it was an opportunity to reinforce their top four
credentials after a disappointing FA Cup exit at Stoke.
False dawn: Frank Lampard fires Chelsea
ahead
Indeed, it could be argued the Bridge issue has taken quite a
lot of heat away from Roberto Mancini, who, after that short
post-Christmas honeymoon period, has found his position already
coming under scrutiny.
The Italian cannot have been too impressed with his side's early
efforts either.
Although Chelsea were not at their best, they monopolised
possession and could have been in front when Didier Drogba turned
onto an off-target Lampard effort and fired a first-time shot over
the bar from six yards.
An overworked Vincent Kompany also sliced a shot over his own
bar, while, for their part, City barely emerged from their own
half.
Given that backdrop, Chelsea could have been forgiven for
thinking it was 'job done' when Lampard struck.
A comedy of errors: Carlos Tevez pounces on
indecision from John Terry to level matters
Joe Cole had cut a frustrated figure during the opening period
and clearly remains some way below his best.
But he spotted Lampard's perfectly-timed run in a flash and once
through, there was never any real doubt the midfielder would beat
Given, which he did with a precise shot into the corner.
The home fans breathed a sigh of relief and went off to grab
their half-time snacks, only for Tevez to jolt them out of their
complacency and shine the light of responsibility on Hilario.
With Petr Cech out for a month with an calf injury, Chelsea are
relying on Hilario at a crucial stage of the season and there could
only be concerned frowns on the home bench as Tevez's shot rolled
in.
It looked bad in real time. Replays were no kinder to Hilario
after Tevez had turned Terry, then scuffed a shot that incredibly
turned into his 20th goal of the season.
Flying high: Craig Bellamy's corker fired City
ahead
Cheerio: Juliano Belletti was given his marching
orders after bringing down Gareth Barry in the box
Within four minutes of the re-start, City had scored again, with
Hilario again placed in the role of accused.
Although Chelsea had plenty of men forward when Craig Bellamy
broke from halfway, John Obi Mikel appeared to do everything
right.
He did not dive in and kept the Welshman to his outside,
ensuring the angle was as tight as possible when the shot
eventually came.
But yet again Hilario was not up to the task as Bellamy's shot
flew under his body and into the far corner.
For a team that had not scored on this ground since 2000 and had
offered so little in the opening 40 minutes, it was a quite
astonishing change of fortunes.
On fire: Tevez fires his second from the
spot
But more was to come as the red cards started flying. Belletti
was shown his for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to tuck
home a penalty.
Ballack followed for a tackle on Tevez that could easily have
been a dismissal in itself. A second yellow was produced and he was
gone too.
Bellamy took advantage of the huge holes now apparent in the
Chelsea rearguard with his second of the game.
And while Lampard rounded off the scoring, it was City, and
Bridge, who were laughing all the way back to Manchester.
