Just as talk of a title race ratchets up, then, Chelsea merely pick up speed again.

This Eden Hazard-inspired goalkeeper-influenced 2-1 win over Manchester City does not quite mean the discussion goes back to when they win the title rather than if, given Tottenham Hotspur’s admirable late win at Swansea City, but it does instantly restore Chelsea’s intimidating aura after the weekend’s defeat to Crystal Palace. They responded so resolutely.

As for Pep Guardiola’s aura, that is significantly diminished. Beyond the fact City are now five games without a win in the league, this defeat represented the first time that he has last six times in a single league season, and the first time he has twice lost to the same manager in a single league season. As symbolic as it is significant, given that it happens to the manager of the champions-elect.

Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Thibaut Courtois - 4 Horrendous mistake for the first goal, completely mistiming his punch. Was solid in every other part of his game but matches of this magnitude are often won and lost on the small details. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Branislav Ivanovic - 6 Terrible first half performance that included three terrible errors that, fortunately for Chelsea, went unpunished. Made up for that with a brilliant pass to find Hazard for the goal and was much better after half-time. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings John Terry - 7 Made one bad error when he got underneath a long ball to allow Aguero through on goal but again proved he is the best English defender out there. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Kurt Zouma - 8 Still has huge room for improvement but the 20-year-old has all the tools to become one of the very best in the world. Deserves to be keeping England's first-choice centre-back on the sidelines. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta - 5 Jesus Navas had the better of his compatriot all evening. Azpilicueta was beaten in a way Chelsea fans have not often seen. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Nemanja Matic - 8 Stepped up his game in the absence of Fabregas to put in a complete midfield performance. Truly great on and off the ball, the giant Serbian was the best player on the park. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Ramires - 7 Held his position well as the holding midfielder and only made the occasional burst forward, Ramires was very good but its hard to argue that the Blues missed the wizardry of Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Willian - 5 Hassled and harried his way through the 90 minutes, Willian was excellent in the defensive and middle thirds of the field but produced little to nothing in areas where he could do damage. Set-pieces delivery was also poor. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Oscar - 6 Another who failed to produce in the final third, Oscar played deeper than he has done for the most part this season which blunted his effectiveness Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Eden Hazard - 6 Brilliant in the first 45, causing all sorts of problems for Bacary Sagna but was extremely quiet after the break as City closed off the space around the dangerous Belgian. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Loic Remy - 7 Was brilliant in the lone striker role, holding the ball up well to bring his team-mates into the game. Great movement to find space for the goal, it was a shame for Chelsea that the trio behind him starved the striker of service. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Joe Hart - 6 Nothing he could do about the goal and was hardly tested otherwise by the home side. Looked reasonably solid throughout, bar one dodgy kick. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Bacary Sagna - 6 Struggled in the first half against Hazard but grew into it as it went on, to snuff out the Hazard threat. Combined excellently with Jesus Navas. Lost Hazard for the goal. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Vincent Kompany - 7 Defender manfully, though he wasn't always the most comfrotable in possession. In truth, Chelsea didn't offer much threat. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Martin Demichelis - 7 Had an excellent match but went to sleep to allow Loic Remy to steal into yards of space for the goal. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Gael Clichy - 8 Didn't put a foot wrong on the left and never gave Willian the chance to do anything of note in the final third. Offered a good outlet going forward as well. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Fernandinho - 7 Was one of the best City performers with a display full of energy and purpose. Pushed the visitors forward, passed well and was not averse to stopping Chelsea by any means necessary. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Fernando - 7 Gave Matic as good as he got in midfield and provided the City defence with superb cover throughout the game. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Jesus Navas - 7 Gave Cesar Azpilicueta the hardest game he's played all season but for all the occasions he beat his opposite number he failed to deliver that telling ball. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings James Milner - 7 Barely troubled Ivanovic as an attacking force but you can't downplay his importance to the City cause as a worker and defender. Getty Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings David Silva - 7 Was not able to offer his usual craft when in possession as he was well marshalled by Matic and Ramires, but got an absolutely vital touch to turn Aguero's shot past Ivanovic. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Sergio Aguero - 5 Five games since returning from injury and the usually lethal striker is misfiring. Latched on to a Terry mistake to race through on goal for a chance that a pre-injury Aguero would have tucked away - he fired wide. Chelsea vs Manchester City player ratings Frank Lampard - 5 The stage looked set for another Lampard goal against his former club but it was not to be. Given a great ovation at the end from his former supporters. Getty Images

Guardiola just can’t quite get it right, and his side can’t quite seem to build on what they do well. That is not the case for Hazard at the moment, who is back on player-of-the-season form. Chelsea are meanwhile back on winning form, after such a brief halt.

It was a game almost completely played at hurricane pace. That is of course what both managers idealise but then they both also revealed in the last few days that they tend to obsess over errors much more than what they have done well, intensively poring over what went wrong with their teams until they figure them out. The wonder is how long they will spend on this, because it was a game ironically played at exactly the kind of pace where mistakes are inevitable, especially in defence.

Take the first few goals. Chelsea admittedly burst at City in a blur, but there was still so much space for Cesar Azpilicueta to run into and even more for him to pick out Hazard. The Belgian looked to pick his spot, only for the ball to deflect off the returned Vincent Kompany’s head and past Willy Caballero.

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If there was some debate over whether the City goalkeeper was at fault for that, there could be no doubt his Chelsea counterpart was at fault for the equaliser. Initially a bit lax, Guardiola’s team got into gear once Sergio Aguero tore straight at David Luiz and Gary Cahill to shoot, and leave the two central defenders arguing about who was to challenge him. It seemed there was still confusion in the City backline when Thibaut Courtois then played a ball straight to David Silva moments later. The playmaker’s shot was parried, but only to the waiting Aguero to make it 1-1.

City looked to be on a wave again, only to again be undone in a self-damaging manager we have seen so often this season. Without the midfielders to properly control games, it means so much of their play and so many of their players are so rushed. Fernandinho then predictably rushed into the back of Pedro in the box, for a Chelsea penalty. Caballero redeemed himself for the earlier goal by saving Hazard’s shot, only for Hazard to instantaneously redeem himself for that by poking the ball past him.

This is perhaps the biggest issue with Guardiola’s side, even beyond the defending. In fact, the problems with the backline come because they just don’t control matches. They could actually do with occasionally taking some of that pace down, but then Guardiola could probably do with a City equivalent of Sergio Busquets more than any other player.

Chelsea don’t usually have that problem with controlling games, especially when they’re in the lead. It's a nice position for any team of course but particularly suits them for how it allows them to sit and then counter with scorching pace.

But while they generally did that with their usual conviction, they were forced into a reshuffle with the replacement of Kurt Zouma with Nemanja Matic, that also temporarily left them susceptible to deliveries. City had three similar occasions when they might have scored, first when Kompany headed onto the bar, second when Fernandinho blazed over when he might have done better, then when John Stones feebly hit a free header straight into the arms of Courtois.

It is going to be very difficult to wrestle the title out of Chelsea’s arms meanwhile. They look too durable, too resolute, no matter what Spurs seem to do.