Disguising the shame of losing to Chelsea ... City stars hit town

Manchester City's multi-millionaire stars could be forgiven for wanting to hide their shame after defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

So it was no surprise that the majority of the squad refused to show their faces as they turned up at their Christmas party in an array of outlandish fancy dress outfits hours after the 2-1 loss.

The party, held at Mayfair venue Anaya, went on until 5.30am before the players finally returned to their hotel. One mystery player disguised himself as a character from the blockbuster Avatar by adapting his club kit and painting his legs blue. Striker Mario Balotelli, who scored the first goal in last night's match, arrived at the venue dressed as a cowboy while Dutch international Nigel de Jong opted to come as
BA Baracus from hit TV series The A-Team.

England midfielder Gareth Barry arrived in a Where's Wally costume complete with moustache and glasses and recent signing Owen Hargreaves dressed as Batman. Defender Pablo Zabaleta chose a pirate outfit for the celebration.

Another player came dressed as the Jim Carrey character in The Mask while team boss, Roberto Mancini, was Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and goalkeeper Joe Hart was an American footballer.