STEVE BATES
cracking Etihad contest was obvious.
And Guardiola looked as edgy and skittish as he’s done for a while, as Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic formed a midfield axis that gave Chelsea the upper hand.
The Premier League is a brutal place to cut your managerial teeth, but Lampard might see the return of Mourinho to London as good news, with the inevitable circus drawn to following the new Tottenham boss.
If that dims the spotlight on Lampard it will be vital space for the Chelsea boss to continue laying the foundations of his own dynasty at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho has a reputation as a two-season wonder – with the third usually a car crash.
Lampard has the look of a man who wants to be at Chelsea’s helm for years.
The last time Chelsea were at the Etihad, Maurizio Sarri’s team were 4-0 down in 25 minutes and ended up being hammered 6-0.
Only four of that side started this time, but the change in Chelsea under Lampard goes way beyond that.
They are easy on the eye in a way Sarri’s hurly-burly style never was – and the way they kept going and pressing for a point right until the end was a huge plus for Lampard.
City started brightly, knowing they had no margin for error after Liverpool’s blistering start to the campaign had been underlined by another late winner in an earlier kick-off, at Crystal Palace.
But Chelsea arrived in Manchester high on confidence and self-belief with six straight league wins, and they went close to scoring through Willian and young defender Fikayo Timori before taking the lead.
N’Golo Kante ran on to a sumptuous pass from Kovacic then squeezed the ball past Bernard Mendy and Ederson, as they converged on him, to score after 21 minutes.
City were level eight minutes later with De Bruyne’s shot deflecting past Kepa Arrizabalaga off Kurt Zouma after Jorginho had unusually lost possession.
Riyad Mahrez grabbed the winner with a clever low finish after 37 minutes, and VAR ruled out Raheem Sterling’s late goal for offside, but victory never felt safe with Chelsea refusing to fold.