Chelsea punish wasteful City

Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips (R) fights for the ball with Chelsea's Scott Parker during their Premiership clash in Manchester

Chelsea moved back to second place in the Premiership table as Manchester City were made to pay for their woeful finishing.

The home side had squandered chance after chance before Eidur Gudjohnsen scored an 82nd minute winner that lifts Chelsea above Manchester United on goal difference.

The striker from Iceland displayed all his cool as he ran on to Wayne Bridge's pass and lobbed David James with a first time shot.

Fresh from their first league win in 15 matches at Bolton last weekend, City were looking to record their first three points on home soil since mid-October.

And they would have done so if they had taken only a couple of a tally of chances that stretched into double figures.

Robbie Fowler alone could have scored a hat-trick as City dominated for long periods playing slick football that belied their precarious position on the edge of the relegation zone.

The best of them came within 20 seconds of the re-start after Shaun Wright-Phillips threaded a pass beyond Glen Johnson to leave Fowler with just Carlo Cudicini to beat.

It was the type of chance the former Liverpool man would once have despatched without a second thought but this time he drilled it wide and that set the tone for a bitterly frustrating second half for City.