VULNERABLE they may be under the guidance of Avram Grant, but Chelsea’s title hopes are still alive. An own goal by Richard Dunne, and a more conventional strike by their own Salomon Kalou, extended an unbeaten league run that stretches back to December, and narrowed the deficit by which they trail Manchester United to just two points.

Any lapse in concentration, like that which nearly cost them against Middlesbrough last week, and eventually did in Turkey four days later, could be fatal at this stage of the season, but here they are, with five matches left, still breathing down Manchester United’s neck. The pressure is now on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to win their game in hand against Middlesbrough this afternoon.

“If you ask Sir Alex, he will tell you that we have put them under pressure for the last three months,” said Grant. “We have won about 80% of our games, which is the form of champions, but they are also doing very well. I don’t think they will win it until the end of the season.”

A Freudian slip perhaps? United, certainly, will not be unnerved by this Chelsea display, however effective. Gifted an early goal, they allowed their opponents to take the initiative, and only came to life after a second had settled the outcome.

Unlike their luminous yellow shirts, it was functional rather than flashy, as professional as it needed to be.

As demonstrated against Fen-erbahce, Chelsea seem to lose the matches in which they play best, and win those that are a grind. As Grant pointed out last night, when they beat City 6-0 in November, they were seventh in the league. “We have come a long, long way,” said the manager. “Now there is only one team ahead of us.”

With one eye on this week’s second leg, Grant made wholesale changes, resting Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho, who were not even on the bench, and drafting in Shaun Wright-Phillips. The home support warmly applauded their former winger beforehand, and again when he was taken off early in the second half, which was maybe a measure of his contribution.

Thanks to Arsenal’s lunch-time draw with Liverpool, Chelsea had slipped to third in the league without kicking a ball, so the goal they were handed after only six minutes came as a welcome filip. Dunne has been told by his manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, to put contract talks on the back burner, and focus instead on his football, but the captain’s response was overshadowed by an own goal. When Kalou, surging towards the penalty area, was brought tumbling to the turf, the ball broke to Michael Essien, who in turn fed Nicolas Anelka wide on the right. When the former City striker cut the ball back into the box, Dunne attempted a sliding interception that succeeded only in diverting the ball past Joe Hart.

It was one of those goals that came before the match had been able to take shape, which was just as well for Chelsea, who found themselves on the back foot for the rest of the first half. Although dangerous on the break, where Nedum Onuoha twice had to thwart Anelka with an outstretched boot, the visitors were asked several times to take desperate measures at the back.

Stephen Ireland would surely have converted a cutback from Benjani Mwaruwari had it not been for Juliano Belletti’s block that sent the ball spinning over the bar. And Ashley Cole’s scissor kick off the line prevented the equaliser young midfielder Michael Johnson deserved after a neat exchange with Ireland.

Johnson has had a frustrating time of it since undergoing an operation last November, but his contribution here was a reminder of what he can do. Although he snatched an early volley over the top, his delicate touches in the middle of the park, intelligent balls wide and timely dashes forward unsettled Chelsea, as did the left boot of Martin Petrov.

One of his trademark efforts sailed narrowly past the upright from all of 30 yards, and a free kick from the corner of the penalty box curled just a fraction too much. If, as expected, City’s interest in Ronaldinho comes to nothing, this man will do to be getting on with.

Chelsea, though, were a different proposition in the second half, especially after they had doubled their lead. Essien’s cute reverse pass on the edge of the area took a deflection on its way to Kalou, who was composed enough to round the goalkeeper and slot over the line.

If a second goal was more than Chelsea deserved for a strategy based largely on counter-attack, they responded to the comfort zone with a spell of sustained pressure that confirmed their superiority. When Anelka, their biggest attacking threat, was presented with a chance almost identical to Kalou’s, he hesitated long enough to let England Under-21 goalkeeper Hart pluck the ball from his feet.

Then, when Frank Lampard picked out the Frenchman in the box, he was twice denied by the goalkeeper. Not only did Hart touch his header on to the bar, he lunged back to claw the dropping ball off his line.

A damaging passage of play for City then took a physical toll when Onuoha had to be stretchered off. The challenge by Essien was harmless enough, but the defender dislocated his shoulder in the fall. While he was taken to hospital, City’s hopes of salvaging anything were beyond repair.