Robinho famously snubbed Chelsea for the trillions of City on transfer-deadline day, and the Blues of London delivered on their vow to prove he had made the wrong decision.

While his 12th-minute opener sent the crowd into raptures, Robinho faded badly and Chelsea took their richer hosts to pieces through goals from Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka.

City got off to a dream start, attacking with vigour and wowing the crowd with some neat passing moves.

And they took an early lead through you-know-who. Carvalho fouled Jo on the edge of the area and there was only one man taking the free-kick.

The crowd held its collective breath and he did not disappoint. The ex-Real Madrid man delivered a curling free-kick that took the merest of deflections off a poor Chelsea wall and flew past the static Petr Cech.

But that was as good as it got for City – Chelsea equalised three minutes later and went on to dominate the game.

A free-kick on the right was amateurishly defended and the visitors got the rub of the green when John Terry’s header rebounded off Joe Cole into the path of Carvalho, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net.

Aside from a few glimpses of class from ex-Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, the hosts were second-best for the rest of the match.

Anelka missed a free header that substitute

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