There are some things even Mark Hughes has not been able to buy of late. John Terry — though if it was England armband commercial work Hughes was interested in he would have had more chance. And a Premier League win — until Terry and Co swaggered up to Eastlands yesterday only to succumb to one of their intermittent flaky away days.
Advertisement
Like their losses at Wigan and Aston Villa, this trip started well — Chelsea ahead early and seemingly dominant. Without a League win since September and worryingly fragile at the back, and in front of a record home crowd, you feared for Manchester City.
Instead, they presented their embattled manager with a performance of bullish resolve. There was good fortune to their equaliser — the ball rebounding off Micah Richards's arms into the path of Emmanuel Adebayor — and question marks over their winner — Ricardo Carvalho bemused that his foul on the buzzing Carlos Tevez had been detected.
It even needed a penalty save of impressive quality for Shay Given to keep Chelsea at bay, but this, City's first victory over the Premier League's original billionaires since 2004, may mark a turning point for their coach.
Those who know Hughes well describe a man under pressure; a manager conscious that a succession of draws against mid to low-ranking Premier League opposition is unlikely to be tolerated by an ownership that has backed him far longer and further than he expected.
Ever the realist, Hughes feared for his position upon Sheikh Mansour’s takeover last year.
Advertisement
As he waged internecine war with significant elements of his playing staff, the Welshman wondered if he would make it into a second season. Ultimately, the Sheikh decided not only to give Hughes another campaign, but to grant him close to carte blanche in the summer transfer market and a radical overhaul of the club’s feted academy, moving academy chief Jim Cassell sideways to increase his own control.
Problems, however, remain. Some of Hughes’ signings have failed to achieve the expected standard. Wayne Bridge, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure have not knitted into a defence worthy of their combined £53m transfer fees. Vincent Kompany has failed to convince either as holding midfielder or defender. Tevez is yet to re-scale the heights of his last stint as a first-choice forward.
City stage early attack
At least the club are into a first semi-final — the League Cup — in 28 years, albeit by fielding his first team against Arsenal’s reserves. Eliminated from that competition by Blackburn on Wednesday, Chelsea were returned to full strength, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in attack; Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Carvalho returned.
City were eager to strike early. In the opening minutes Tevez left Terry on his backside as he sprinted to the touchline, then hooked the ball back agonisingly over Adebayor.
On the opposite side of the area, Robinho was crudely halted by the join efforts of Branislav Ivanovic and Michael Ballack, winning a free kick from that Nigel de Jong put wide. Less emphatic was their defending. There was a worrying moment when Drogba appeared unmarked in the hole where Bridge should have been to shoot directly at Given. Sixty seconds later Shaun Wright-Phillips was chasing back to concede a corner the Irish goalkeeper protested about.
Advertisement
Perhaps Given sensed impending doom. Though Lampard’s corner was cleared as far as Ballack, the midfielder dribbled the ball back to the far touchline, then wrong-footed Gareth Barry before returning it to the danger area. Both Ivanovic’s initial strike and Anelka’s follow-up were parried by Given, only for the last save to rebound on to Adebayor’s back and trickle over the line.
From City’s half-cleared corner, Wright-Phillips fired powerfully into the area, the ball cannoning off Richards to Adebayor, who shot against Terry, then into the net.
Stung but not paralysed, City gathered themselves and pushed hard for an equaliser. With Wright-Phillips causing consistent problems, the home side won a series of corners and free kicks. Micah Richards headed over when well placed, Adebayor turned a Barry cutback off target, the midfielder had a shot of his own deflected over and Wright-Phillips almost caught Petr Cech out at the near post.
Carvalho then rescued his goalkeeper by turning a netbound Richards header out for a corner, but the equaliser was simply delayed.
From City’s half-cleared corner, Wright-Phillips fired powerfully into the area, the ball cannoning off Richards to Adebayor, who shot against Terry, then into the net. Chelsea’s captain led a protest that the ball had hit Richards’ elbows.
Advertisement
Referee Howard Webb ignored the complaint — and then swiftly booked the complainant for a crude bodycheck on Tevez.
As half-time closed in, Drogba arced one of his trademark free kicks a ball's width adrift of Given's top corner, but City soon pressed back onto the front foot. Once again, Wright-Phillips outdid Ashley Cole before teeing Adebayor up for a shot that Ivanovic blocked. Chelsea could not clear their lines and when Carvalho craftily put his studs against Tevez's back, Webb blew for a foul just outside the area.
Adebayor and Lescott tried to force themselves into Chelsea's defensive wall, which seemed poorly placed, and Tevez curled the kick low around it and beat Cech.
Ancelotti's response was to bring Juliano Belletti on as an attacking right-back and push Essien further up the field. In Belletti’s first 50-50 challenge he inadvertently caught Bridge, who was carried off.
His replacement, Nedum Onouha soon found himself outdone by Drogba — turned in the box and drawn into a late challenge. Given saved Lampard’s spot-kick. It won't win City a League title, but it might just cost Chelsea one.