With Man City down a goal to Chelsea and reduced to 10 men after Pablo Zabaleta's sending off, Manuel Pellegrini went with his nuclear option and set Chelsea's heartstrings ablaze by bringing on Frank Lampard.
On loan with City from NYCFC, Chelsea's all-time leading scorer and one of the most beloved players in the club's history was doing something he didn't think he would do when his 13 years with Chelsea ended last season: playing against them. And he was doing it as a member of the club's biggest title rivals. Naturally, just eight minutes after entering the match, he scored the equalizer for City, stunning everyone in the stadium, including himself.
Given his history with Chelsea, Lampard didn't even consider celebrating the goal and instead reacted as if he just ran over his kids' dog. When his jubilant teammates ran over to him, he put up a hand as if to say, "Don't...just don't." But they did and he just stood there, a gloomy faced savior in the middle of a celebration he created but wanted part of.
Though Chelsea's traveling supporters could only look on in stunned silence when he scored, they loudly cheered him at the final whistle just as they did when he entered the match even though he made them drop points for the first time this season. When questioned about the goal, Lampard summed it up rather perfectly.
Despite the draw, Chelsea remain top of the table — three points ahead of Southampton and Aston Villa and five points ahead of City. Frank Lampard, meanwhile, is probably going to go home and sit in a dark room for a while.
I think I'm going to be sick... (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Lampard gestures to Chelsea fans after the match. (Getty)
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