Terry had marked his debut as England captain on Wednesday with a goal in his countrys 4-0 win over Greece.

And the Blues skipper got Chelseas title defence off to a flying start with an early opener before Frank Lampard added a second to put Jose Mourinhos side in complete control - Didier Drogba rounded the scoring off in the 70th minute.

After watching Manchester United get their Premiership campaign off to a fine start against Fulham earlier in the day with a 5-1 thrashing, it was vital for Chelsea to follow suit as they try to win a third consecutive title.

Fellow contenders Liverpool and Arsenal had stumbled on Saturday, but Chelsea were quickly back into the old routine with the kind of ruthless performance that has enabled them to establish a vice-like grip on English football over the last two years.

Mourinhos options were restricted by injuries to Claude Makelele, Petr Cech, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack and he also left unsettled defender William Gallas out of the squad.

But Chelsea were hardly inconvenienced by those absences and dominated possession in the opening minutes, although they couldnt create a serious threat to the visitors.

However, when Ben Thatcher made a rash challenge on Paulo Ferreira to concede a needless 11th minute free-kick, the champions seized their opportunity.

Arjen Robben whipped in a precise delivery and Terry muscled his way ahead of Richard Dunne to glance a header into the far corner.

City had been unable to get a foot-hold in the game but, out of nothing, Italian striker Bernardo Corradi produced a defence-splitting pass to send Trevor Sinclair clear on goal.

Sinclair had time to steady himself but could only scuff his shot straight at Carlo Cudicini.

City were made to regret that miss in the 26th minute when Lampard took Michael Essiens pass, turned and fired in a low drive New England skipper Terry played despite a slight groin problem, which was causing him discomfort towards the end of the game.

Mourinho said after the City match: "In a short squad and, in a country where you can have only 16 players in a match, it's important to have cover for many positions.

"Now I have three options for the centre -- Ricardo, Boulahrouz and John Terry. I can have Paulo or Boulahrouz on the right side and I can have Wayne Bridge or Boulahrouz on the left."

Speaking to Chelsea television, assistant manager Steve Clarke said: "He is a good competitive player and will be a good addition to our squad.

"He can play centre-back or either full-back. It is important to have one or two players around the squad who can play in a number of different positions."

The arrival of Boulahrouz will not end Chelsea's long-running pursuit of Arsenal's England left-back Ashley Cole, with the transfer window closing in 10 days' time.

Boulahrouz began his career at Dutch side RKC Waalwijk, where current Tottenham boss Martin Jol was his coach.

He spent two seasons at Hamburg and made his international debut in September 2004.

Boulahrouz played in the World Cup and was one of four players sent off in the Netherlands' second round defeat to Portugal.