A third straight league win successfully places pressure on Middlesbrough-bound Man United for tomorrow after an own-goal and a Salomon Kalou strike sealed three away points.
After the events of the last week, Avram Grant will be pleased to see his side produce a second-half display that bettered the first; Kalou's goal scored after the break. Richard Dunne's mistake, the second own-goal in our favour in four days, had presented an early lead.
Grant was also be satisfied with a successful afternoon having rotated his players.
In this busy period mid-Champions League tie, there were seven changes to the Chelsea side including a completely different front three from Turkey.
Anelka lined-up flanked by Wright-Phillips and Kalou. In midfield, Mikel came in for Makelele and Essien moved forward from right-back to take the place of Michael Ballack.
There was no Carvalho so Alex came back for his first start since Sunderland in mid-March. Belletti was right-back but the game came too early for Cech.
It was a subdued opening five minutes, although Chelsea did show signs the short passing game was in good order - as was proved quite conclusively when the ball was worked down the middle on six minutes, then spread wide by Essien for Anelka.
The Frenchman went for the return pass but Essien was not needed. City captain Dunne panicked and prodded the cross past his own keeper. A goal up so soon, it was a very quiet City of Manchester Stadium.
On 11 minutes, Chelsea caught the home side pressed forward and broke, first through Essien, then Anelka, but the challenge came before the shot could be unleashed and Chelsea had to settle for an ultimately fruitless corner. However with the defence looking alert, it had been a good opening passage of play.
Johnson had a shooting chance for the home side after a miscontrolled chest by Belletti but blazed over. Petrov went considerably closer with a 35-yard power drive after 16 minutes and then Benjani was allowed a free header from a Petrov chip but was off-target. Man City were being allowed a foothold into the game.
It took a timely challenge from Onuoha to keep Anelka at bay after a well-judged Lampard pass and then the England midfielder tried his luck and went wide of the near post as Chelsea picked up the reins again.
City came strong again on 29 minutes, a good ball behind the defence to Benjani was crossed for Ireland to shoot, Belletti diving in to turn it wide. Seconds later, Petrov curled in a shot that Cudicini did well to tip over at full-stretch.
Before long, Ashley Cole was high-kicking off the line after City had bundled the ball through a crowd.
It was Chelsea's turn to attack once more but Kalou was wastefully high with his effort after an Anelka burst had teed him up nicely.
Three minutes before the break, Onuoha was the game's first booking for a crude chop on Wright-Phillips just inside the Chelsea half.
For the third game running Chelsea took a single-goal lead into the changing room at half-time although we had given the home side more hope than their play had perhaps warranted. On the other hand, errors from Eriksson's team were laying them open to further goals for the visitors.
After six minutes of a second half in which City were coming onto Chelsea too much, a dangerous Wright-Phillips cross excluded, Grant made an early change. Wright-Phillips was the player to be withdrawn, Joe Cole his replacement.
Just over a minute later, we at last had the insurance of a second goal - Essien and Kalou combining twice before the former slipped a little ball through and Kalou successfully stepped past the keeper to find the empty net.
Shortly after, Anelka had his own chance to go round the keeper to score but on this occasion, Hart won the contest. Then Lampard clipped a ball over perfectly for Anelka who headed well, only to see it bounce down off the crossbar and then scooped away by Hart before it spun over the line.
City were forced into a change on 59 minutes, Onuoha falling nastily and carried off with a dislocated shoulder; Jihai Sun coming on.
Now Chelsea looked in good control. Anelka was a yard away from picking out Lampard with a left-side cross.
On 72 minutes, Essien once more split the defence but Anelka was crowded out. The same striker then had every right to feel aggrieved when wrongly flagged offside as Joe Cole's ball was setting him for a clear run on goal. On several other occasions, the offside law had correctly caught him out.
Anelka's hopes of scoring against his former side ended when he shot strongly but straight at Hart with three minutes left on the clock.
At the other end, the team in bright yellow had rarely looked in trouble since the break, the dangerous shooting of Petrov limited to the odd off-target free-kick and an effort deep in stoppage time that was gathered comfortably by Cudicini.
A third straight win inside this stadium puts us just two points behind the other side from Manchester ahead of their Sunday action.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cudicini; Belletti (Ferreira 85), Alex, Terry (c), A Cole; Essien, Mikel, Lampard; Wright-Phillips (J Cole 51), Anelka, Kalou.
Scorers Dunne o.g 6, Kalou 52.
Booked Onuoha 44
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