Lampard ends City's unbeaten league record

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1:Chelsea ended Manchester City's unbeaten start to the Premier League season and hauled themselves right back into the title race tonight after coming from behind to win at Stamford Bridge.

Frank Lampard scored the winner from the penalty spot with eight minutes left after coming off the bench, with the match hinging on Gael Clichy’s second-half dismissal.

Mario Balotelli gave City a dream start by putting them ahead in the second minute and they had a penalty shout of their own turned down before Raul Meireles equalised.

The early goal came thanks to superb play from Sergio Aguero. The Argentinian carried the ball inside from the right and slipped in Balotelli, who shrugged off the wrongfooted Branislav Ivanovic, rounded Petr Cech and nonchalantly stroked the ball home.

Chelsea looked to have got a grip when Meireles’s drive was deflected over in the 10th minute but they should immediately have been 2-0 down when Ashley Cole gave the ball away, allowing Aguero to leave Jose Bosingwa in a heap before drilling wide.

Bosingwa then got away with dangling his leg in the box, prompting David Silva to go down, with referee Mark Clattenburg waving away the appeals.

Didier Drogba forced the first save of note from Joe Hart in the 25th minute, with City still well on top. But one of their former players came back to haunt them 11 minutes before half-time as Daniel Sturridge brilliantly laid on Chelsea’s equaliser.

The ball was sprayed to the forward out on the right and he tricked his way past Clichy and crossed for the arriving Meireles to crash into the net on the volley.

Meireles was then booked for clattering into Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany soon followed for a cynical body check on Drogba.

The second half began with another yellow card after Clichy hauled back Sturridge, who almost made him pay when he blasted narrowly over from Juan Mata’s resultant free-kick.

Clichy then tripped the onrushing Ramires two minutes before the hour mark to earn a deserved second booking and leave City down to 10 men.

Sensing blood, Chelsea poured forward but Oriol Romeu - who had become increasingly influential - was carded for felling Balotelli before Kolo Toure was sent on for Aguero.

Bosingwa’s dynamite cross evaded everybody before City relieved the pressure with a good spell of possession.

Chelsea threw on Lampard for Meireles in the 73rd minute shortly before Ramires became the latest player to see yellow for an ugly tackle on Balotelli.

Silva was then replaced by Nigel de Jong and Drogba was booked for going through the back of Zabaleta, with City holding firm.

Ramires’s deflected shot was easy for Hart but Chelsea eventually made the breakthrough eight minutes from time thanks to another moment of madness in the visiting defence.

Joleon Lescott inexplicably raised his arms to block Sturridge’s shot and Clattenburg immediately pointed to the spot.

Lampard stepped up to smash the penalty straight down the middle and send Stamford Bridge into ecstasy.

Florent Malouda replaced Mata, Edin Dzeko came on for Lescott and Sturridge was withdrawn for John Obi Mikel but the game was already up for City.