Spanish midfielder David Silva equalised as Manchester City prevented Chelsea pulling eight points clear at the Premier League summit in a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Loic Remy put Chelsea in front in the 41st minute, but Silva touched in a shot from Sergio Aguero four minutes later to keep the defending champions five points behind Jose Mourinho’s side with 15 matches remaining.
Manuel Pellegrini’s City have won only one of their last five league games, but following successive defeats by Arsenal and Middlesbrough, they at least prevented Chelsea from streaking away into the distance.
Chelsea great Frank Lampard, sent on by City as a late substitute, was afforded a warm reception on what was likely to prove his final appearance at Stamford Bridge, and it was a broadly positive afternoon for the hosts.
While the sight of Willian limping off late on was a concern, they coped well without the suspended Diego Costa and the injured Cesc Fabregas, and remain very much on track for a first league title since 2010.
With Costa beginning a three-game ban for treading on Liverpool’s Emre Can, Mourinho plumped for the pace of Remy over the battering-ram qualities of Didier Drogba up front, but it was City’s attackers who showed their opponents a clean pair of heels in the early stages.
Inside the first minute, Jesus Navas drifted past Cesar Azpilicueta and worked Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a rising shot, while Fernandinho had a shot deflected wide.
Aguero gave Chelsea three scares, obliging Kurt Zouma to make a perfectly timed last-ditch tackle, drawing a parry from Courtois and then rolling a shot a foot wide after John Terry failed to cut out a long ball.
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