Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea: Lampard misses penalty as league leaders crash to defeat

Shay Given saved a Frank Lampard penalty eight minutes from time as Manchester City recorded a dramatic victory over Premier League leaders Chelsea.

There appeared little hint of the drama to come when Emmanuel Adebayor's own goal gave the visitors an eighth-minute lead.

But Adebayor levelled before the break and Carlos Tevez netted what proved to be the winner 11 minutes later, although City - and Manchester United - had Given to thank as Chelsea's lead at the top was cut to two points.

City made a bright start in the pouring rain and Carlos Tevez nipped past Terry when the Chelsea skipper lunged in but failed to pick out Emmanuel Adebayor with his cross.

Robinho was brought down by Branislav Ivanovic on the edge of the area. Tevez rolled the free-kick to De Jong but his 20-yard shot flashed wide.

Chelsea were soon breaking themselves though and it needed a well-timed tackle from captain Kolo Toure to deny fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba a clear sight of goal.

Drogba was through when he latched onto Deco's flicked pass moments later, but Shay Given saved the day with a fine block.

The visitors were scenting blood though, and when referee Howard Webb awarded them a debatable corner, Michael Ballack eventually swung over a cross that would lead to a bizarre opener.

Drogba's wayward header fell for Ivanovic, whose close-range shot was repelled by Given.

The loose ball fell for Nicolas Anelka, who struck his shot powerfully enough. However, Given got behind it and made the save, only for the rebound to loop up, hit Adebayor on the back and bounce back into the home goal.

It was the perfect start for a Chelsea side looking to re-establish their five point lead over Manchester United.

Micah Richards might have pulled City level when he rose highest to meet Gareth Barry's corner, but the England Under-21 defender could not keep his header down.

Toure then strode forward from defence and let fly from 25 yards but Petr Cech was right behind the shot.

Wright-Phillips brought a smart save out of Cech with an angled drive. A Barry shot was on target until it took a deflection off Michael Essien, although the corner that followed was poor.

The same could also be said of England man Barry's next effort from the right, which Joleon Lescott stretched to reach but merely sent it bouncing beyond the dead-ball line.

City were able to take plenty of encouragement from everything except the scoreline. If there was a criticism, it concerned their delivery from corners, and Robinho was the next to see Cech take command when he was trying to cause havoc from the left.

When Cech did get it wrong after Shaun Wright-Phillips swung over another cross, Carvalho was on hand to make an acrobatic clearance as Micah Richards' header sailed towards an empty net.

City were worth an equaliser though, and it duly arrived eight minutes from the break.

It was just as scrappy as the opener, with Wright-Phillips' shot skimming off Richards on the edge of the six-yard box.

Terry led the appeals for handball. But that was only after Adebayor had turned his first shot into the England captain and then put the rebound into the net.

Chelsea were infuriated. But Webb stood his ground and television replays indicated he was right to do so.

Drogba nearly gave Chelsea the lead a minute before the break but his free-kick sailed narrowly wide with Given well beaten.

Terry was booked for blocking off Wright-Phillips and then engaged in a long conversation with Webb at half-time, still annoyed at City's leveller.

A neat piece of trickery from Robinho took him past Ivanovic but the Brazilian's intended pass to Wayne Bridge instead picked out Michael Ballack.

Drogba stared back in astonishment when Webb wandered across to give him a talking to for the reaction to another offside flag that had gone against him.

Adebayor then forced Cech into a rare mistake when he chased down a loose ball. Chelsea soon snuffed out the danger, though, as did Lescott at the other end when he intercepted a Deco pass that was meant to release Drogba.

Wright-Phillips might easily have gone down as he tried to nudge his way past Ashley Cole inside the Chelsea box.

Instead, he stayed on his feet, cutting a cross back for Adebayor, whose shot had already had the sting taken out of it before Ivanovic cleared off the line.

City had the bit between their teeth, though. And when Carvalho rose to make a clearance and left his foot dangling for long enough to plant it into Tevez's back, the South American striker quickly made them pay.

Chelsea clearly were not happy at conceding the free-kick. They were even less pleased when Tevez strode up and curled it past Cech.

Robinho brought another low save out of Cech before Drogba got above Toure to send a header narrowly wide.

Barry was booked for a foul on Ballack but Ancelotti had already decided a change was required and introduced John Obi Mikel and Juliano Belletti for Carvalho and Ballack.

Terry and Drogba both had legitimate cause for complaint when they were hauled down by Lescott and Toure respectively inside the City box.

Ivanovic eventually headed over in what proved to be the last action Richards would see before he came off with a serious-looking knee injury and was replaced by Nedum Onuoha.

Drogba needed treatment after an innocuous clash with Lescott, then Bridge was carried off after coming off worst in a studs-first challenge with Belletti.

It was becoming a nasty contest. But within the maelstrom, Drogba showed too much class for Onuoha, who brought him down inside the box.

Frank Lampard is normally a reliable performer in such circumstances, but his penalty was poor and Given made the save.

Deco and Ashley Cole took the Chelsea yellow card count to six in the same passage of play before Terry limped off and was replaced by Florent Malouda.

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