Four-goal comeback lifts Man City over Chelsea

St. Louis, Missouri: Micah Richards scored in the 90th minute to complete a stunning comeback from a three-goal deficit and give Manchester City a 4-3 victory over Chelsea in an exhibition thriller on Friday morning.

The English Premier League sides, both bound for next year’s European Champions League after top-three finishes behind league winners Manchester United, attracted 48,263 to the home of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals.

Demba Ba’s header in the 15th minute gave Chelsea the lead and Cesar Azpilicueta netted his first goal for the Blues from a penalty kick in the 44th minute.

Oscar made the lead 3-0 nine minutes into the second half and Rafael Benitez’s side appeared on the way to victory.

But Javier Garcia put City on the scoreboard in the 61st minute and Edin Dzeko followed in the 64th.

Dzeko then netted the equaliser in the 85th minute, setting the stage for Richards to convert the winner from a Garcia cross in the dying seconds.

Both teams wore black armbands as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the tornado tragedy earlier in the week in nearby Oklahoma.

Players unfurled a banner that expressed support for the Oklahoma victims and the teams donated some of the ticket sales revenue to help fund the recovery effort.

The clubs play again on Saturday at New York’s Yankee Stadium in the second and final match of their American tour.