Fernando Torres missed a sitter, produced an assist, and snatched a late winner as Chelsea beat Manchester City 2-1 in a pulsating match at Stamford Bridge.
José Mourinho kept faith with Torres up front following his two goals against Schalke 04 in the midweek Champions League game.
But the Spaniard missed a clear chance to score on the half-hour mark when he ghosted onto Ramires' pass, only to fire over with the goal at his mercy.
Torres atoned for his error three minutes later, though, with an electric burst of pace to beat Gaël Clichy and cross for André Schürrle to score his first Chelsea goal with the simplest of close-range finishes.
A seemingly rejuvenated Torres continued to cause havoc and he nearly doubled the lead five minutes later when he cut in from the left and smashed a stunning effort against the crossbar.
The visitors equalised four minutes into the second half with Sergio Agüero drilling a Samir Nasri throughball into the top corner from a tight angle.
It looked like both sides would have to settle for a point apiece until Torres popped up with the decisive strike in the final minute of normal time.
Willian launched a hopeful ball forward and City defender Matija Nastasić headed back towards his own goal, only to see the on-rushing Joe Hart miss the ball to leave Torres with a simple finish for the winner.
"First of all, I feel sympathy with them because I know how it is to lose in the last minute. It's a very difficult feeling, but of course it's a great moment for us," Mourinho told Chelsea TV.
Mourinho also praised Torres' performance, especially after the striker had earlier spurned an easy chance.
The Portuguese added: "It was a fantastic performance and even better because there was an easy chance missed.
"That makes it even more valuable because many times when a striker misses an easy chance he is affected for the rest of the game.
"That was the moment when he decided he would be the man of the match."
"Sometimes the most important thing about a miss is to forget about it and carry on," Torres added.
"I was really happy to create this chance for André to score his goal to make it 1-0 straight after this miss.
"The next action I hit the crossbar so I was feeling well and at the end I could score that late goal and forget the chance I missed in the first half, so it was a very positive goal for everyone."
City manager Manuel Pellegrini admitted the manner of his side's defeat was hard to take.
The Chilean told Sky Sports: "We are losing stupid points.
"I don't know if it's the worst way to lose but it is certainly one of the worst.
"I don't think now is the time to discuss who was responsible. We will look at this in the week and analyse it then."
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| Chelsea striker Fernando Torres scores the winning goal against Manchester City Photo: Reuters |
José Mourinho kept faith with Torres up front following his two goals against Schalke 04 in the midweek Champions League game.
But the Spaniard missed a clear chance to score on the half-hour mark when he ghosted onto Ramires' pass, only to fire over with the goal at his mercy.
Torres atoned for his error three minutes later, though, with an electric burst of pace to beat Gaël Clichy and cross for André Schürrle to score his first Chelsea goal with the simplest of close-range finishes.
A seemingly rejuvenated Torres continued to cause havoc and he nearly doubled the lead five minutes later when he cut in from the left and smashed a stunning effort against the crossbar.
The visitors equalised four minutes into the second half with Sergio Agüero drilling a Samir Nasri throughball into the top corner from a tight angle.
It looked like both sides would have to settle for a point apiece until Torres popped up with the decisive strike in the final minute of normal time.
Willian launched a hopeful ball forward and City defender Matija Nastasić headed back towards his own goal, only to see the on-rushing Joe Hart miss the ball to leave Torres with a simple finish for the winner.
 | |
| Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart reacts after conceding a late goal to Chelsea Photo: Reuters |
"First of all, I feel sympathy with them because I know how it is to lose in the last minute. It's a very difficult feeling, but of course it's a great moment for us," Mourinho told Chelsea TV.
Mourinho also praised Torres' performance, especially after the striker had earlier spurned an easy chance.
The Portuguese added: "It was a fantastic performance and even better because there was an easy chance missed.
"That makes it even more valuable because many times when a striker misses an easy chance he is affected for the rest of the game.
"That was the moment when he decided he would be the man of the match."
"Sometimes the most important thing about a miss is to forget about it and carry on," Torres added.
"I was really happy to create this chance for André to score his goal to make it 1-0 straight after this miss.
"The next action I hit the crossbar so I was feeling well and at the end I could score that late goal and forget the chance I missed in the first half, so it was a very positive goal for everyone."
City manager Manuel Pellegrini admitted the manner of his side's defeat was hard to take.
The Chilean told Sky Sports: "We are losing stupid points.
"I don't know if it's the worst way to lose but it is certainly one of the worst.
"I don't think now is the time to discuss who was responsible. We will look at this in the week and analyse it then."
