Wayne Bridge made a point, then left with all three as Manchester
City blew the Premier League title race wide open once more by hammering
nine-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
All kinds of conspiracy theories had been raised about the pre-match
handshake following revelations about John Terry's alleged affair
with Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of Bridge's young son.
In the end, there was no mass boycott of the traditional pre-match
handshake by City players, just an icy stare from Bridge as he refused
to shake Terry's hand.
It was perhaps the most predictable part of a truly astonishing
afternoon that exploded into life once Frank Lampard had put the
hosts in front just before the break.
At about that point, Chelsea's world imploded.
Henrique Hilario gifted City goals either side of the interval,
failing to make saves Petr Cech would regard as routine to keep
out shots from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy either side of the
interval.
Then Juliano Belletti was red carded for a foul on Gareth Barry
that allowed Tevez to fire home a third from the spot.
And the drama did not finish there as Michael Ballack was also
sent off for two yellow cards before Bellamy added another.
A stoppage time Lampard penalty at least raised a cheer from a
team whose lead over Manchester United remains a precarious single
point.
For Bridge though, it was a perfect afternoon. He stands on the
moral high ground, despite the disgraceful chants aimed at him by
the home fans, and City are back in the top four.
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