Robinho scores but Chelsea romp to victory at Eastlands
Robinho scores on Man City debut but Chelsea come from behind to win 3-1 at Eastlands
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By inthenews. |  |
Saturday, 13, Sep 2008 09:27
Robinho scored on his Manchester City debut but Chelsea came from behind to win 3-1 at Eastlands and go top of the Premier League on goal difference.
The British club record signing opened his City account after just 13 minutes, but goals from Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka ensured the Blues would be the ones taking home the points.
The only downside for Luiz Felipe Scolari, who watched his side take apart a strong-looking City lineup at times, was that captain John Terry was sent off for a clumsy challenge on Jo when the Brazilian threatened to burst clear.
Mark Hughes' Manchester City side started the better and it didn't take long for Robinho - the man at the centre of all the pre-match headlines - to make his mark, curling home a 20-yard effort.
However, it wasn't long before the visitors were level as Carvalho found himself in the right place at the right time to hammer home from six yards after a scramble following a Lampard corner, which Terry had flicked on.
Chelsea grew in stature throughout the first half, despite the early exchanges suggesting it was likely to be a hard-fought day in the Manchester sun for the west Londoners.
And they dominated after the break for long spells, eventually earning a deserved breakthrough when a superb flowing move was finished off by the brilliant Lampard past Joe Hart's despairing dive.
Despite City's attempts to find a way back, Chelsea soon sealed the win as Joe Cole - sporting a protective bandage on his head for the nasty gash he picked up on England duty in midweek - slotted a perfectly-waited ball for Anelka to run onto.
The Frenchman made no mistake, slipping it past the exposed Hart to put the Blues clear.
Despite the celebrations at the final whistle, and the fact that Chelsea are now top of the league, the joy will be muted somewhat this evening as Terry's controversial red card means he will now miss next weekend's showdown with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.