Manchester City 1 Chelsea 3: Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard score as game ends in an ugly brawl with Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho sent off

DIEGO COSTA, Willian and Eden Hazard spared Gary Cahill's blushes as Chelsea battled back from behind to beat Premier League title-rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.

Fernandinho had the ball in the back of the net in the 25th-minute, only to have his thumping header from a curling Kevin De Bruyne free-kick chalked out for offside.

But City eventually took the lead on the stroke of half-time as Gary Cahill deflected a dangerous Jesus Navas cross beyond the despairing Thibaut Courtois to send the Etihad crowd into raptures.

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De Bruyne missed the easiest chance of the season, smashing the bar from four yards despite the open goal and Chelsea quickly made them pay as Diego Costa out-muscled Nicolas Otamendi following a sublime ball Cesc Fabregas to smash home an equaliser.

Ten minutes later substitute Willian rubbed salt into the wound, as Chelsea launched a clinical counter attack, with the Brazilian rifling the ball into the far corner to take the lead for the first time and stun the home support.

Things went from bad to worse for Pep Guardiola's men with just minutes left on the clock.

With City piling men forward, Hazard was lethal on the break firing behind a desperate Claudio Bravo to seal the most vital of three points in Chelsea Premier League title hunt.

With seconds left on the clock Sergio Aguero sparked a mass brawl with a horror tackle on David Luiz for which he saw red, while Fernandinho was also sent off for grabbing and shoving Cesc Fabregas in a bitter end to what was otherwise a stunning game.

STATS, FACTS, GOALS & LOLS

• ANTONIO CONTE made a big call to put Cesc Fabregas into his starting line-up for this one - the Spaniard had only played 87 minutes of Premier League football before Saturday.
• YOU couldn't argue with those who predicted goals - the last three meetings between these sides last season had produced 12.
• THIS has not been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea - they've won just one of their last seven Premier League visits to the Etihad.

• THIS was the first time that the nets at the Etihad have been white for nine-and-a-half years. City insist it was nothing to do with Pep Guardiola being superstitious, more to bring them in line with the rest of the league.
• REFEREE Anthony Taylor did nothing to dispel the theories about him having a soft spot for Manchester United - with a series of decisions against City in the first half
• NO player has scored more Premier League goals against Thibaut Courtois than - his own defender Gary Cahill. He now has two - the same as nine other players.

• KEVIN DE BRUYNE has won a lot of plaudits during his 16 months at City - but he two misses early in the second half were so crucial.
• TO be fair the introduction of Willian for Pedro on 50 minutes was another key moment - as it made Chelsea much more of a threat.

• DIEGO COSTA'S equaliser put him one ahead of Sergio Aguero in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot - 11 to 10.
• WHAT a lovely moment for Brazilian sub Willian to score the second goal and then show his black armband for his countrmen who died in the Colombian air disaster.
• YAYA TOURE got a nice welcome back from the home crowd when he came on as a second half sub - his first appearance at the Etihad since his exile.

BIG PICTURE