Chelsea claimed a vital win in their hunt to be crowned Premier League champions, with Eden Hazard grabbing a scrappy brace to take all three points.
The game was scrappy and of little quality, with Chelsea in particular guilty of surrendering possession – time and time again trapping themselves in tight situations through their insistence on playing out from the back at goal kicks.
It was, however, Chelsea who drew blood first, as Hazard drilled his deflected effort into the corner via the hapless Willy Caballero – the Belgian’s tenth-minute opener typified the untidy tempo of the game. But more of the same error-strewn play was to come, this time in Manchester City’s favour, as Thibaut Courtois, making his 100th Chelsea appearance, kicked the ball straight into the path of the grateful David Silva, who’s initial shot was parried but only as far as Sergio Aguero who tapped in the equaliser midway through the first-half.
An end to end first 45 minutes was finally rounded off by another Hazard goal, as he finished off the rebound presented to himself after his missed penalty seconds earlier.
City ramped up the pressure in the second-half as they looked to resurrect what little hopes of a title push still remained, and they nearly pegged Chelsea back early on as Vincent Kompany saw his header loop onto the crossbar.
On the whole Manchester City failed to capitalise on a seemingly nervous Chelsea back line and it wasn’t till John Stones blazed over a glorious opportunity with seconds to go that the Citizens really troubled the league leaders – who remain seven points clear at the top.
