Chelsea opened their Premier League title bid by coming from behind to beat promoted Birmingham City 3-2 while London rivals Arsenal snatched a late 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday. Chelsea, looking to wrest the title back from Manchester United, who were playing later against Reading, took the points with a second half strike from Ghana midfielder Michael Essien.In a whirlwind first half, Birmingham took a shock lead through Finnish former Chelsea striker Mikael Forssell. The Blues hit back with goals from league debutants Claudio Pizarro of Peru and Frenchman Florent Malouda, while City leveled through their new French signing Olivier Kapo.
But Chelsea came out flying for the second half and were soon back in front, Essien lashing home a curling first-time shot to Shaun Wright-Phillips' cut-back.
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho told BBC Five Live radio: "We had so many chances to kill the game, it would have been more enjoyable for me to see a 4-2 or a 5-3 than a 3-2."
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