City stifle Chelsea charge

Chelsea 0 Manchester City 0

Dubliner Dunne was named man of the match as he helped City gain a momentous draw, four months after they became the only team to beat Chelsea so far this season. England goalkeeper David James was also outstanding, making a world-class save in injury time to deny Frank Lampard.

But the two points dropped by Jose Mourinho's side were never going to be the major talking point of the night after the Premier League announced an official investigation into the Cole "tapping up" affair.

Chelsea have neither denied nor confirmed stories that manager Mourinho, chief executive Peter Kenyon and so-called "super-agent" Pini Zahavi met Cole, against Premier League regulations, in a west London hotel.

But after an English tabloid newspaper provided more evidence that the meeting did take place, Arsenal have made an official complaint and the Premier League have acted.

Chelsea issued a statement at half-time yesterday to confirm they will co-operate with the inquiry and afterwards manager Mourinho was characteristically defensive.

"The effect on us is absolutely zero," he growled. "I know nothing about it and I don't want to know. I'm a football manager, I'm not a lawyer. I'm not interested in this kind of thing.

"What matters for me is to train, to play and to try and get the best results. When I win I'm happy, when I don't win, like today, I'm not very happy. That's my life, I don't care about other things. It's of no interest to me and I know nothing about it."

Whether the Premier League will be convinced by such rhetoric only time will tell, but for now the possibility, however feint, of Chelsea being docked points for their misdemeanour still hangs over the club.

With that in mind, this draw against City could yet prove a blow, even if Mourinho is adamant it will make absolutely no difference to his team's title charge. "At this stage of the season a point is a point. Before the game we needed nine wins and a draw to win the title, now we only need nine wins."

For City manager Kevin Keegan, so often lambasted for a lack of tactical awareness, the match provided a more positive boost, especially with the performance of Dunne who was such a rock. And Keegan had a special word for his Irish star, who has made such huge strides since working on his fitness and putting right his life off the pitch.

"He's been like that all season. Whatever he achieves now in football he's got to credit himself for it. He's brought himself back from a really difficult position by just seeing common sense, which a lot of players can learn from. He's been playing since he was 17 at Everton but that was a different person then. There are two Richard Dunne's and this one is a real player."

Dunne was certainly crucial to City's game plan at the Bridge and there's no doubt they gave the champions-elect real problems.

Mourinho was without injured Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba and both were missed as City hassled and harried Chelsea to good effect, upsetting the rhythm of the normally fluent Blues midfield. Chelsea's first real chance took 23 minutes to arrive, Damien Duff blazing a 20-yard effort over the bar after taking advantage of sloppy defending from the visitors.

Duff so nearly set the game alight again when he cut inside from the right wing and hit a low, left-footed shot that keeper David James just managed to keep out. The ball fell invitingly to Mateja Kezman but somehow the hapless striker put his follow-up effort wide from less than three yards.

The Stamford Bridge crowd were just drawing breath after all that action when City reminded everyone they were still in the game, as Wright-Phillips popped up on the left wing, beat his man and put over a waist-high cross that was met by a diving header from Fowler that fizzed only narrowly wide.

The chances continued after the break, too, with Kezman having a shot well saved and Joey Barton firing wide at the other end, all within the first four minutes.

But Gudjohnsen really should have put City to the sword when Duff took a fine pass from Kezman and whipped in a low cross that just evaded his team-mate five yards from goal.

Chelsea came even closer in injury time but just as Gudjohnsen looked set to dink the ball over James, Dunne thundered in to force it to safety, a tackle that summed up his all-action performance.

As City began to sense they had done enough, there was one last moment of nerves to come. But James' wonder save from a Lampard volley from eight yards diving low to his right completed the job for a delighted Keegan.

No doubt Manchester United, who face City in the Manchester derby next Sunday, took delight in the result.

But whether it is the last points Chelsea drop this season is no longer down just to the Blues defence but also the Premier League.

CHELSEA: Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Gallas, Bridge; Jarosik (Tiago 57), Makelele, Lampard, Duff; Kezman (J Cole 63), Gudjohnsen.

MAN CITY: James; Mills, Distin, Dunne, Thatcher; Barton, Bosvelt, Musampa, Wright-Phillips; Sibierski (McManaman 86), Fowler.

Referee: Howard Webb.