Manchester City vs. Chelsea: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Game

Frank Lampard returned to bite the hand that used to feed him, as he climbed off the bench to grab a late goal and help Manchester City fight back to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea on Sunday.

City were slipping to defeat after Andre Schurrle had fired Chelsea ahead, but Lampard stunned his former club with a late volley to earn a point.

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MATCH SHOT: City celebrate Lampard's equaliser! #mcfc pic.twitter.com/K4lzfZ4sv8

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 21, 2014"

It is early on in the title race, and it might feel like a punch in the guts for Chelsea, but they are five points ahead of their main rivals.

City made an extremely bright start, with James Milner getting some joy down the right flank, and it took Chelsea some time to get any sort of foothold in the game.

The home side were sharp into the tackle, with the normally unflappable Cesc Fabregas hounded off the ball and Fernandino crunching in on Diego Costa.

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PIC: Diego Costa in action in the first half... #CFC pic.twitter.com/L6N53r526A

— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) September 21, 2014"

Plenty of pre-game focus was on the likely battle between City captain Vincent Kompany and Chelsea striker Costa.

The first clash between the pair was no holds barred, with both looking to exert power on the other. Kompany came out on top on that occasion, with referee Mike Dean awarding a free-kick.

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At £6m, Vincent Kompany will go down as one of the Premier League's all-time bargain buys. #MCFC

— Vince (@vincetalksfooty) September 21, 2014"

Defences were certainly on top in the first half, clear-cut chances were non-existent, with Chelsea in particular thankful for the organisation of their back four for keeping them on level terms.

Referee Mike Dean was in focus as much as the players in the opening half. The official dished out six cautions and turned down a penalty appeal for each side. Yaya Toure could have been penalised for handball, as his hands were away from his body when a free-kick hit him, while Costa was lucky to get away with a clumsy challenge on Edin Dzeko.

City looked threatening at the start of the second half, with a tame shot from Aguero forcing a save out of Thibaut Courtois and a misplaced pass from Toure bringing a halt to a promising move.

There was not a great deal of goalmouth action in the opening half, but that changed after the break.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho has pinned his faith in Courtois as his No. 1 and the Belgian justified his manager’s faith on 56 minutes with a brilliant low save to keep out a strike from Aguero. The danger was still there for Chelsea, but Ramires was alive to clear the danger ahead of Edin Dzeko.

The pattern of play shifted on 66 minutes as Pablo Zabaleta was dismissed for a second yellow card. The defender came through the back of Costa and can have no real complaints about the decision.

And five minutes after City were reduced to 10 men, they were hit on a break by a brilliant Chelsea counter.

The attack swept from right to left and back again at real pace, with Eden Hazard—who had been extremely quiet for the most part—delivering a glorious cross that provided Schurrle with a simple finish from four yards.

City threw on Lampard for the final 12 minutes. He received a tremendous ovation from both sets of supporters, and he wrote his own script by grabbing the equaliser with five minutes left on the clock.

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Chelsea fans who were chanting Lampard's name must have mixed feelings now.

— Mutheliso Phiri (@Mutheliso) September 21, 2014"

A matter of minutes after Costa had struck a post for Chelsea, Lampard latched on to a cross from Milner to volley beyond Courtois—with Schurrle guilty of not tracking the run of Milner.

Lampard did not celebrate, but his team-mates and new fans more than made up for it as City grabbed a point.

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Man City 1-1 Chelsea FT: Shots: 16-6 Chances created: 10-3 Pass Accuracy: 90%-84% Lampard Headlines written: 5,978. pic.twitter.com/CqZanIpyoX

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 21, 2014"

The two sides have multiple fronts to fight on. Both are in Capital One Cup duty next week and Champions League action the week after, but they will be at the forefront of the title race.

City edged things 12 months ago, but Chelsea have a greater attacking threat than they posed in the last campaign and Mourinho’s men may well prove too strong.

Grades

Thibaut Courtois: B+

The Belgian strengths his position by the day. He made one outstanding save, but his presence in commanding his box would have been a joy for the defenders in front of him.

John Terry: B+

Chelsea were under pressure for long spells, but their captain stood tall in imperious fashion.

Cesc Fabregas: C

The Spaniard has cruised through his Premier League outings so far, but he found the City grounds a tough place to operate in. Even though it wasn’t his best game, he still had a hand in the goal.

Vincent Kompany: A

An immense performance from the City captain. The threat was always likely to be there from Costa, but he found an immense talent in his way in the shape of Kompany.

Eliaquim Mangala: B+

On his full debut for City, the defender will have won many fans. Big, strong and deceptively quick, City look to have got hold of a real talent.

James Milner: B+

The England man does not get the best of press, but he was a tireless threat down the right flank all game and set up the equaliser.

Post-Match Reaction

Lampard was somewhat stunned to climb off the bench and have such an impact against his former side.

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Frank Lampard: "I'd be unprofessional if I didn't come on and do my job... I'm a bit lost for words, I didn't expect to come on and score."

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 21, 2014"