COMMENT: For Antonio Conte, this went way, WAY beyond expectations. Putting three past your nearest rivals. On their turf? Just on paper, it's a great result. But for Chelsea and Manchester City the ramifications go much, much deeper...
Conte couldn't have planned this better. They won the game - and the fight. Come Monday morning, Cobham will be bouncing. It's not like the spirit has been missing this season, but to take three points off City, then see his players unite as Sergio Aguero's lunge at David Luiz emptied both benches, will have left Conte absolutely delighted.
There's nothing like a brawl to bring men together. From Nathaniel Chalobah to Gary Cahill, they all jumped in to defend eachother. The manager will be pleased.
Chelsea return to London leaving City in tatters. Aguero is now suspended for the next three games, which includes Arsenal. Fernandinho is also out next week for his shove on Cesc Fabregas. The doubts will grow around Claudio Bravo after his performance between City's posts. And there's the matter of the myth of Pep Guardiola.
Any honest scribe, no matter their loyalty to the City manager, will have to confess he was out-coached on Saturday. Guardiola tried to match Conte man-for-man, mirroring Chelsea' 3-4-3 - and was completely outdone and outthought by the Italian. On paper, it could be argued City's line-up was the more talented. Guardiola had the players, but he fluffed his tactics. Oh dear, how will the Pepitas in their little waistcoats spin this one?
Spin they will, however. Just imagine the headlines if it was Diego Costa making that terrible swipe - and not Aguero. Or if it was a Jose Mourinho team which ended the game with nine men? What if it was the Manchester United manager on the end of Conte's tactical masterclass? Should we hold our breath for the 'yesterday's man' headlines this week regarding Guardiola?
The City manager sarcastically clapped ref Anthony Taylor after penalty appeals had been waved away, then blanked both Willian and Cesc when they sought him out at the final whistle to shake his hand. Again, if another manager, let's say working just down the road, had carried on like that, the headlines, the pundits would all be screaming.
But this was Conte's day. A triumph of his man-management. Cesc, having not featured since September, had a hand in all three goals. You just wonder if the timing of his recall was more than simple coincidence. He and Guardiola have previous. The City manager wanted Cesc dumped in his final season at Barcelona, freezing him out for much of the campaign. If there was one game when the midfielder would be up for a fight, it would be Cesc against a Guardiola-led team. The Spaniard was as good as anything on the pitch - and was happy to put his foot in when needed. For all their time together at Barca, that Guardiola chose to ignore his fellow Catalan with the game over spoke volumes.
And speaking of fighters, it was another super performance from Diego Costa. His equaliser, which came via a wonder pass from Cesc, was the centre-forward at his best. A brilliant, deft touch to get the ball under control before sheer power took over to first shake off his marker, then fire past the hapless Bravo. This was typical Diego. Brilliant, inspiring stuff.
And the result of another great piece of man-management by Conte. If we need a catalyst for Chelsea's surge up the table. A decisive moment, or decision, that turned everything around. It has to be Conte's handling of Costa after the striker challenged him - in front of the watching world - against Leicester City back in October. This column argued Conte wouldn't freeze out the striker. And the decision wouldn't be based on necessity. He likes a brawler, does Antonio. He knows how to manage them - just ask Carlos Tevez. For all the talk after that very public challenge to his authority, Conte has Diego playing the best football of his career - even better than what Diego Simeone drew out of him at Atletico Madrid.
And when it comes to Conte's Chelsea, it's the football we're all talking about. It wasn't a Blues player who left his studs in an opponent's knee. Nor a Blue who took a rival by the throat and shoved him into the hoardings. It wasn't Conte who chose to snub handshakes at the end. Nor sought to defend the indefensible, claiming Aguero's challenge was "unintentional".
And of course, according to the Pepitas, it also wasn't Guardiola, nor his players. But away from the fawners, the City manager is being tested. The crown is slipping.
This wasn't in the script. He was supposed to be the revolutionary. The Premier League was to turn to tiki-taka en masse. Yet on Saturday, he was the follower. Just another Premier League manager going with three at the back. Which all began thanks to a little Italian now working in Cobham.
INJURY TIME
It wasn't just the scything of David Luiz which had Chelsea players gunning for Sergio Aguero in injury time on Saturday. A source close to the Chelsea dressing room told Tribalfootball.com last night that Aguero's reaction to Gary Cahill's own goal also had their back up.
The pair had been chirping at eachother in the lead up and when Cahill deflected Jesus Navas' cross past Thibaut Courtois, Aguero made a point of chuckling at the England defender as he wheeled away to celebrate.
It was a topic of conversation at halftime and the Argie's actions only motivated Chelsea's players - as a unit - to hit back early at the restart.