JOSÉ MOURINHO has won most trophies in European football and more seem inevitable after a first win over Manchester City, who were threatening to become his bogey team, having taken four points from two Barclays Premiership matches last season.

Handicapped by the absence of Frank Lampard, Chelsea looked like suffering another shut-out by Stuart Pearce’s hard-working side last night, but Joe Cole popped up with a 79th-minute winner. There may be more exciting teams than Chelsea, but few can be as relentlessly efficient. Mourinho would not swap his collection of players with anyone and the statistics support this, with his side collecting 52 points from the 57 available this season.

“It was a big test for the team from the mental point of view to play without Frank, especially as we only found out ten minutes before the game,” Mourinho said. “The answer was magnificent. For me, defeat is the law of the game, the law of the championship, but after we lost at Manchester United there was no panic. I always say the best team is champion over 38 games.”

After holding out for so long, Pearce felt that his players were hard done by, but took solace from a spirited display. “With the endeavour they put in, we deserved something from the game,” he said. “A 0-0 draw would have been a fair result and I’m disappointed for the players.”

It was fitting that Cole, Chelsea’s best player for the past month, should score the goal that brought them the points, his seventh of the season. The England midfield player earned deserved praise from Mourinho, unlike Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was left in London. His New Year’s resolution should be learning to keep possession of a football.

“Joe at the moment is untouchable,” Mourinho said. “He’s fantastic in every aspect of the game. He’s amazingly strong, controls the ball under pressure and is playing fantastic football.”

Having lost at Old Trafford this season, Chelsea were expecting a difficult encounter on the other side of the freezing city and their task became harder just before kick-off with the withdrawal of Lampard. The England midfield player was on the teamsheet but went down with a virus, ending a record run of 164 successive appearances stretching back to October 2001.

The last time Chelsea played a league game without Lampard, they had just been knocked out of the Uefa Cup by Hapoel Tel Aviv. The disorientation showed as they struggled to impose themselves last night. Darius Vassell’s cross from the left in the fifteenth minute found Trevor Sinclair on the opposite byline and he pulled the ball back to Joey Barton, whose low shot was saved by the legs of Petr Cech.

Apart from the odd run by Cole, Chelsea were restricted to the physical threat of Didier Drogba, who toiled away like a carthorse, but the Ivory Coast striker should have been rewarded with a penalty. Sylvain Distin failed to deal with Asier Del Horno’s ball from the left in the 23rd minute and responded by barging Drogba, who was further impeded by the diving David James. Uriah Rennie, though, chose to give City a free kick, without booking Drogba for diving.

Drogba had another chance on the stroke of half-time, shooting over the bar after running on to a through-ball from Michael Essien, but City deserved to go in on level terms.

The aerial ball to Drogba appeared to be Chelsea’s best hope of breaking the deadlock in the second half, particularly as the unfortunate Distin endured an evening to forget. Cole supplied some excellent ammunition, but after Drogba headed an easy chance wide he was soon replaced by Hernán Crespo, with Arjen Robben coming on for Damien Duff. The Irishman accepted his fate with good grace, unlike Drogba, who stormed down the tunnel without looking at Mourinho.

But, as usual, Mourinho’s substitutes made the difference and Robben changed the game. The Dutchman’s nimble footwork proved too much for both full backs and, after switching to the right, brought a good save from James before creating the winner. After a trademark slaloming run he picked out Eidur Gudjohnsen, whose shot was saved by James before Cole tapped in.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): D James — N Onuoha, R Dunne, S Distin, B Thatcher (sub: S Ireland, 89min) — T Sinclair (sub: L Croft, 83), J Barton, Sun Jihai, D Vassell — A Cole, A Sibierski (sub: B Wright-Phillips, 71). Substitutes not used: D Sommeil, G de Vlieger. Booked: Thatcher, 77.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech — Geremi, W Gallas, J Terry, A Del Horno — M Essien, C Makelele, E Gudjohnsen (sub: P Ferreira, 83) — J Cole, D Drogba (sub: H Crespo, 58), D Duff (sub: A Robben, 58). Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, R Huth. Booked: Del Horno, 84.

Referee: U Rennie.