Wolverhampton 0 Manchester City 3  Tevez Tames Wolves
Monday 28th December 2009 : John Capper for GYKO at Molyneux

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Manchester City's decision to sack Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini has managed to win as many Premier League games in three days as his predecessor did in his final 12 weeks. This victory was not quite as routine as the scoreline suggests, with Wolves proving awkward opponents until the final 20 minutes, but Mancini was entitled to cherish a second successive clean sheet and City's first away win in four months.

The Italian's decision to drop Robinho and replace him with Craig Bellamy was totally vindicated, with the Welshman an effervescent presence. He created the first goal and made life uncomfortable for the Wolves defence throughout with his searing pace, although it was Carlos Tevez who exuded a ruthless touch in front of goal. The City forward scored twice to take his tally to eight in seven matches.

Between those two strikes the substitute Javier Garrido, who was making only his second appearance of the season, curled a wonderful free-kick from 25 yards around the outside of the wall and inside the near post of the embarrassed Marcus Hahnemann. It was a sublime piece of skill and effectively killed the game, although Wolves were furious Bellamy had not been ruled offside before the free-kick was awarded.

Bellamy, who had started wide on the left but was pushed alongside Tevez in an early tactical change, was in an offside position when the ball was pumped towards Jody Craddock. However, rather than let the ball run through, which would have prompted the assistant referee to raise his flag, the Wolves central defender opted to head, enabling Bellamy to come back onside and join the attack again when City seized possession.

McCarthy was apoplectic at the time but refused to elaborate afterwards, perhaps mindful that the officials had interpreted the rules correctly. "If I talk, it might lose me a few quid," said the Wolves manager. "I've put in my report what I thought. It will be up to the powers that be to say what they think of my words. But I thought we played well tonight. Up until the second goal we were causing them problems."

While the Wolves manager's disappointment was understandable, City ultimately highlighted the chasm between the two sides in the closing stages. Some of their attacking football in that period was breathtaking, in particular when the impressive Martin Petrov and Bellamy combined in the 82nd minute, their first-time passes across the width of the pitch releasing Tevez. This time, however, the striker was unable to find his range, dinking wide of Hahnemann and denying City a champagne moment.

His first goal had arrived following a bright Wolves opening, when the home side's high-tempo approach allied to the aerial threat posed by Chris Iwelumo threatened to make life difficult for City. There was, however, always a danger that City would inflict damage on the counter-attack with their pace going forward and, moments before Tevez struck, Bellamy should have opened the scoring when he volleyed over from inside the six-yard box. He wasted no time in atoning for this profligacy.

Little more than 60 seconds later Bellamy escaped on the left, racing on to Petrov's slide-rule pass before eluding Craddock by letting the ball run through his legs. Cutting in from the left he looked up before pulling the ball back into the path of Tevez, whose shot from 12 yards would surely have been saved by Hahnemann but for Berra's deflection which took the ball on a different course and into the back of the Wolves net.

Tevez was his usual ubiquitous self and even turned up on his own goalline to head George Elokobi's far-post effort off the line moments before the interval. That reprieve should have been followed with a second City goal shortly after the restart but Bellamy, following more superb interplay between the rejuvenated Petrov and Tevez, flicked the ball wide with the outside of his right boot as Hahnemann narrowed the angle.

Doyle squandered Wolves' best opening, when Shay Given saved at his feet, six minutes before Garrido's brilliant strike. Thereafter it was left to Tevez to seal another productive day's work for Mancini, the forward drilling home from the edge of the penalty area after Robinho, a late replacement for Petrov, sliced a crossfield pass to his feet.

"They put on a sub that cost more than the club," said McCarthy. "That kind of puts life in perspective for me."

Teams:

Wolverhampton Hahnemann, Zubar, Craddock, Berra (Stearman 46),Elokobi, Foley (Jarvis 79), Henry, Mancienne, Surman, Iwelumo,Doyle (Ebanks-Blake 73).

Subs Not Used: Hennessey, Milijas, Maierhofer, Castillo.

Booked: Foley, Mancienne, Hahnemann.

Man City Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Richards,Petrov (Robinho 85), Ireland (Garrido 55), De Jong, Barry,Bellamy, Tevez (Sylvinho 90).

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Vidal, Boyata, Weiss.

Booked: Zabaleta, Tevez.

Goals: Tevez 33, Garrido 69, Tevez 86.

Att: 28,957

Ref: Mike Jones (Cheshire).

Manchester City 2 Stoke City 0     Mancini makes his Mark
Saturday 26th December 2009 : Nigel Kay for GYKO at the COMSTAD

They were strikers and they were going in different directions. As Craig Bellamy prepared to come on, a stadium which seemed to have forgotten Mark Hughes with remarkable speed rose to applaud the player who had been most affected by his sacking.

He was replacing Robinho and the Brazilian, thinking the ovation was for him, began to smile. There are, however, few places outside a party conference where displays of such mediocrity – a miscue that unwittingly set up Martin Petrov's opener and a flurry of dreadful corners – has the faithful leaping to their feet.

Roberto Mancini, his first match as Manchester City's 11th manager of the Premier League era safely negotiated, recognised that both men, for different reasons, required careful handling. In front of the City chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, whose organisation, Abu Dhabi United, had paid £32.5m for the Brazilian, it was probably wise for Mancini to play Robinho, whom Hughes had dropped for his surreal final game in charge. Mancini did not survive four years at Internazionale under Massimo Moratti without learning the art of politics.

"Stoke are a big, physical side and this is not the game that Robinho would have preferred," he said. "But he can improve. It is important that he stays because he can earn himself a place in the history of this club."

Mancini's statement that "Bellamy is my friend" and his suggestion that he would start at Wolverhampton this evening might soothe things in that area for now. But Bellamy's relationships with his numerous managers have been on the Burton‑Taylor scale of volatility and he has already changed clubs seven times.

The Italian also went out of his way to praise Shay Given, another dismayed by the regime change at Eastlands, saying "he is one of the best five goalkeepers in the world". Given is a more stable character than Bellamy. At Newcastle both endured the sacking of Sir Bobby Robson, which was more vicious and unpopular than anything engineered by Khaldoon and his chief executive, Garry Cook, last week. Bellamy fell out with Robson's successor, Graeme Souness and moved on loan to Celtic. The Irishman stuck it out for another four years.

But for two remarkable reaction saves, first from Tuncay Sanli and then from James Beattie in the second half, Stoke might have become the latest side whose name would scarcely register in Abu Dhabi to have forced a draw against the richest club in the world. As it was, Carlos Tevez scored City's second before half-time.

Nevertheless, this was the first clean sheet Manchester City had kept at Eastlands since Wolves were beaten 1-0 on 22 August. Kolo Touré, placed in an unfamiliar partnership with Vincent Kompany, showed the pace and desire that seemed to have eluded him in the last few frantic weeks, playing behind a midfield shored up by Gareth Barry. Touré will play the return at Molineux before leaving for the African Cup of Nations, while Emmanuel Adebayor will have a medical to determine whether he is fit enough to travel to the tournament in Angola.

Not everyone in the home dressing room was dismayed to see Hughes leave, especially Petrov, signed by Sven-Goran Eriksson and who had scored in his previous three starts, against West Ham, Wigan and Fulham. The last of those was in October and Hughes never picked him again.

"Every time I scored, I went to the bench," he said. "Now is not the time to speak about my situation. In the past six months too many things have happened to me but what Mark Hughes did to me was unfair. We will get better. We were a little bit nervous because everyone wanted to show the manager what we could do. I know I can play better than I did today. I have not played for two months and I was tired. Everyone was surprised at the quick change of manager but we are football players who have to earn our money."

Teams:

Man City Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Sylvinho (Richards 66), De Jong, Barry, Robinho (Bellamy 70),Ireland, Petrov, Tevez (Garrido 90).

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Vidal, Weiss, Boyata.

Goals: Petrov 28, Tevez 45.

Stoke Sorensen, Wilkinson (Huth 48), Abdoulaye Faye, Collins, Higginbotham, Sanli (Fuller 59), Whitehead, Diao, Whelan, Etherington, Sidibe (Beattie 52).

Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Lawrence, Pugh, Delap.

Booked: Diao, Whelan.

Att: 47,325

Ref: Lee Mason (Lancashire).

Manchester City 4 Sunderland 3   A game too far for Hughes
Saturday 19th December 2009 : GYKO at the Comstad

If Old Trafford is the Theatre of Dreams, Manchester City play at the Comedy Store – 13 managers in the last 20 years, and it's the way they sack 'em. Mark Hughes's dismissal on Saturday was badly mismanaged, as was that of his predecessor, Sven-Goran Eriksson, and so many before them.

Eriksson suffered a lingering death, Hughes a sudden one at an inopportune time. If Sheikh Mansour and his flunkies wanted rid of the Welshman, why did they not do the dirty deed after that dire 3-0 defeat at Tottenham? What purpose was served by waiting until City played Sunderland at home, a match they were always likely to win?

It was apparent before Hughes went, and has been confirmed by fans' reaction since, that the board did not lack popular support in deciding a change was needed. Many shared their view that the progress made these past 18 months was insufficient, given the unprecedented funds made available and the calibre of players to hand. Well over £200m has been spent on transfers in that time, after which City should be doing better than jostling for position with Fulham and Birmingham. It is a personal view that any new manager should get two full seasons in which to prove his worth but there are exceptions to any rule and a strong case can be made for this being one.

It should not be forgotten that Hughes inherited a decent, competitive team from Eriksson. They were running fourth at Christmas two years ago, only to fall away badly and finish ninth. Before his first [and only] full season in charge, Hughes splashed out £125m on players including Jô (£18m), Nigel de Jong (£17m), Craig Bellamy (£14m) and Wayne Bridge (£12m), not forgetting Robinho (£32.5m), who we are told was not his idea. City finished a disappointing 10th, losing more games (18) than they won (15). Another money-no-object spree last summer brought in Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m), Carlos Tevez (£25m), Joleon Lescott (£22m), Roque Santa Cruz (£17.5m), Kolo Touré (£16m) and Gareth Barry (£12m) and, with Hughes's total outlay nudging £240m, the minimum expectation was qualification for Europe.

The new-look team won five of their first six matches in the Premier League but were flattering to deceive. Momentum was lost with a run of seven successive draws against humdrum opposition which pointed up the desperately fragile nature of City's defence. They conceded three goals against Burnley, Bolton and Spurs and the gag that they needed to score four to win became Keystone Cops reality on Saturday, when they led Sunderland 2-0 and 3-2 but required a fourth to emerge 4-3 victors.

Hughes's supporters point to the fact that his team had lost fewer games than all their rivals and were through to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. His critics counter that successful sides are built from the back, and that City have managed only one clean sheet in their last 14 league matches. Progress in the Small Beer [aka Carling] Cup must also be kept in perspective. City beat Arsenal's reserves to get to the last four, having overcome mighty Scunthorpe in the previous round.

Hughes's farewell was typical of the curate's egg his team had become. City raced into a 2-0 lead, only for cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof defending to allow Sunderland to be back on level terms midway through a switchback first half. Bellamy, outstanding throughout, had City in front again before the interval but Kenwyne Jones equalised before Barry set up Santa Cruz for the winner. Informed of Hughes's fate after the game, a players' deputation went looking for the chief executive, Garry Cook, to protest. There are honourable exceptions [Shay Given and Bellamy spring immediately to mind], but the rest would have done better to back the manager where it mattered most – on the pitch.

Old "Sparky" extinguished, what of his successor? A lot is being made of the fact that Roberto Mancini has precious little experience of football in this country but how much did Arsène Wenger and José Mourinho have when they arrived?

Teams:

Man City Given, Richards (Zabaleta 22), Onuoha, Toure, Sylvinho, Ireland, Barry, Wright-Phillips (Kompany 52), Tevez,Bellamy (Petrov 87), Santa Cruz.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Robinho, Adebayor, Weiss.

Booked: Given, Zabaleta.

Goals: Santa Cruz 4, Tevez 12 pen, Bellamy 35, Santa Cruz 69.

Sunderland Fulop, Nosworthy, Turner, Mensah (Healy 76), McCartney, Campbell (Richardson 60), Henderson, Reid,Cattermole, Malbranque (Jones 41), Bent.

Subs Not Used: Carson, Bardsley, Murphy, Da Silva.

Sent Off: Turner (90).

Booked: Nosworthy, Cattermole.

Goals: Mensah 16, Henderson 24, Jones 62.

Att: 44,735

Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Manchester City 0      No Hart Lane
Wednesday 16th December 2009 : Stuart Codling at White Hart Lane for GYKO

This Tottenham Hotspur victory came with a simplicity that must leave Manchester City in a tangle of anxiety. Some players may have been absent, but there was also a tameness that indicates a lack of appetite or a frustration over their style of play. The danger is that they will not maintain the momentun to realise their grand ambitions. Although Emmanuel Adebayor missed from close range near the end for City, it was the uncomplicated purpose of the victors that separated the sides.

The budget sets Manchester City apart from virtually everyone else, but there was still a kinship with these opponents. Each has had cause for encouragement while appreciating that they should have done better still. Mark Hughes's sense of irony may not have been profound enough for him to appreciate that the sole interruption to a run of eight draws was a win over the league leaders, Chelsea.

A new approach was enforced at White Hart Lane following the knee surgery that will rule out the £22m centre-half Joleon Lescott for around six weeks. City were inconvenienced in other areas, too, since Craig Bellamy, their leading performer in this campaign, was suspended after the unwarranted red card at Bolton. Tottenham, beaten at home by Wolves on Saturday, would have been grateful for any encouragement.

It did look initially as if both teams believed they were capable of the goals that would bring a morale-enhancing victory, although City then drifted into a period of blandness. Tottenham's urgency was more marked and the manager, Harry Redknapp, had demoted Robbie Keane to the bench so that Jermain Defoe could be paired instead with Peter Crouch.

Both sets of players seemed exasperated with themselves and could not muster the poise to complement their competitiveness. Promising avenues were turned into dead ends in the opening half-hour.

Aaron Lennon was one of the few figures who looked, even in those exchanges, as if he would be incisive. It must have egged on this swift winger that his main opponent was a veteran left-back, Sylvinho. The impending damage could have been anticipated when Wilson Palacios released Lennon and Defoe utterly miscued.

It was entirely logical that an opener after 38 minutes should stem from that unequal contest between the Tottenham winger and Sylvinho. Lennon lofted the ball in and Crouch's header bounced off the chest of Stephen Ireland to allow Niko Kranjcar to shoot home the rebound. Crouch himself was clear soon afterwards but the goalkeeper, Shay Given, blocked the attempt from an angle.

Whatever the flaws, there had been an intent to Tottenham's work that was not echoed by the visitors. The blandness of City appeared to increase. They were in a familiar 4-2-3-1 system, but the lone centre-forward, Adebayor, was isolated. The visitors sorely missed Bellamy's readiness to go haring into the attack with clear intent.

There were no conundrums for Tottenham once they were in front. The lead was extended by wholly unsophisticated means when the goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, thumped the ball downfield. Crouch then outjumped Nedum Onuoha and, with Kolo Touré unable to intercept, Defoe converted his partner's header with a first-time finish.

There was an ineffectual tone to the visitors and the fixture seemed to be alien to figures such as the record signing Robinho, who was replaced by Roque Santa Cruz. The old-fashioned strengths of Redknapp's line-up were underlined in the process. Following the concession of a second goal, City worked the ball around with a higher tempo, but it also had to be borne in mind that Tottenham could afford to be more cautious.

Adebayor did have an opening of sorts on the edge of the 18-yard line slightly to the right but his drive flew high. He and others in the line-up were once more attempting to make up for the number of goals conceded by their defence.

Hughes sent on the winger Martin Petrov with 20 minutes to go but despite a sharp late shot he could not reverse City's fortunes. It was Kranjcar who found the net, skipping past Adebayor before putting the ball through Given's legs.

City can only flourish when they come up with the means to resist. They lost here to opponents better-equipped with all aspects of this match.

Teams

Tottenham Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto (Bale 90), Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios, Kranjcar, Defoe (Jenas 90), Crouch.

Subs Not Used: Alnwick, Hutton, Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Modric.

Booked: Palacios, Kranjcar.

Goals: Kranjcar 37, Defoe 54, Kranjcar 90.

Man City Given, Richards, Onuoha, Toure, Sylvinho, Ireland, De Jong (Petrov 71), Barry, Tevez, Adebayor, Robinho (Santa Cruz 59).

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Zabaleta, Mwaruwari, Kompany, Weiss.

Booked: Sylvinho, De Jong, Tevez.

Att: 35,891

Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

Bolton Wanderers 3 Manchester City 3   Mark Clottenburg
Saturday 12th December 2009 : Simon Coldbridge for GYKO at the Reebok

Carlos Tevez came to ten-man Manchester City's rescue at the Reebok Stadium by securing a point with 13 minutes remaining of a rousing encounter. It was his second goal of the game and his eighth of the season after Craig Bellamy had been sent off for two yellow cards. Tevez is now on a roll but the disappointing fact for City was that they failed to build on the splendid victory against Chelsea last weekend. This was their eighth draw in nine league games -yet it could have been a lot worse.

Bolton belied their lowly league status with a fine performance and Ivan Klasnic also scored a brace. There was also a superb individual effort from Gary Cahill to savour. Chung-Yong Lee headed over the bar in the second minute before having a hand in the opening goal for the home side in the 11th minute after Matt Taylor's cross had been deflected into his path. Lee drove the ball across the face of the area and Ivan Klasnic was on hand to score at the back post.

Lee almost added a second shortly afterwards. The Korean's spectacular over-head kick from inside the six-yard area went narrowly over the bar. Bolton then made a unsuccessful claim for a penalty in the 20th minute when the ball struck Micah Richards' arm.

City were forced to make a change a minute later with Shaun Wright-Phillips coming off and replaced by Stephen Ireland.

Bolton were growing in confidence and Gretar Steinsson rattled a shot wide of the post in the 27th minute after being set up by Lee.

However City drew level a minute later when the home side paid for some sloppy defending. Zat Knight and Fabrice Muamba were slow to clear the ball and his hesitation was punished by Tevez. The City striker won possession and then sent a shot from the edge of the area over Jaaskelainen with the help of a deflection. The visitors stepped up the pace and Gareth Barry saw his effort go wide of the post in the 35th minute after Ireland had flicked on a corner from Bellamy.

Bolton went back in front in the 43rd minute with a superb goal out of nothing. Cahill got on the end of Steinsson's throw-in, turned quickly then fired a shot beyond goalkeeper Shay Given.

Back came City and they drew level in stoppage time through Richards, who made the most of a good through ball from Bellamy.

Bolton went back in front for the third time with Klasnic's second goal of the game in the 52nd minute. The Croatian striker hooked the ball home at the back post after Matt Taylor had flicked on a cross from Paul Robinson.

City were stunned and Tevez tried to break free seven minutes later later only to be tripped by Tamir Cohen, a challenge that earned the midfielder a booking.

Muamba then squandered a great chance of extending Bolton's lead in the 60th minute. He latched on to a loose ball after Lee had been blocked by Sylvinho as the home side launched a swift counter attack. Muamba scuffed his effort wide of the post from a good position to let City off the hook.

However City were reduced to ten men in the 64th minute when Bellamy was wrongly sent off for simulation by over eager referee Mark Clattenburg. The match took another dramatic turn in the 77th minute when ten-man City again pegged back Bolton's lead. Ireland won the ball 20 yards out and released Tevez, who fired a shot into the corner for his second goal of the game.

Substitute Robinho then went close for City in the 88th minute, his effort going the wrong side of Jaaskelainen's post as a thrilling match finished all-square.

Teams:

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Lee,Muamba (Mark Davies 80), Cohen, Taylor, Kevin Davies,Klasnic (Elmander 72).

Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Samuel, Ricketts, Basham,

Andrew O'Brien.

Booked: Klasnic, Kevin Davies, Cohen.

Goals: Klasnic 11, Cahill 43, Klasnic 53.

Man City Given, Richards, Toure, Lescott, Sylvinho,Wright-Phillips (Ireland 20), Kompany (Robinho 72), Barry,Bellamy, Adebayor (Santa Cruz 83), Tevez.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Onuoha, Zabaleta, Petrov.

Sent Off: Bellamy (65).

Booked: Bellamy, Sylvinho, Bellamy.

Goals: Tevez 28, Richards 45, Tevez 77.

Att: 22,735

Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).
 

Manchester City 2 Chelsea 1         City Tame the Leaders
Saturday 5th December 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

City were good value for their victory, secured by goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez, but Mark Hughes and the record attendance must have feared the worst 10 minutes from the end, when Nedum Onuoha brought down Didier Drogba and Howard Webb pointed to the spot. Up stepped Frank Lampard, normally deadly from 12 yards, but this time he shot too close to Shay Given, who plunged low to his right to rescue his team's winning position.

Drogba should have equalised at the death, when he shot wide from six yards, but justice was served by the result. The richest club in the world have lift off at last. City have now managed one clean sheet in their past 11 league matches, and the shortcomings, both individual and collective, of Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge have been such that Drogba and Nicolas Anelka must have arrived licking their lips in predatory anticipation. Small wonder Hughes tried to sign John Terry during the summer.

City and their 'Blue Moonies' were heartened by their midweek victory over Arsenal reserves, but the Carling Cup is small beer to the top teams – witness the below-strength Chelsea line-up that went out to Blackburn. This, in contrast, was very much the real thing. Chelsea were not about to give anything less than 100% commitment after Manchester United's impressive win at West Ham earlier in the day. City were without Craig Bellamy, who sustained a knee injury in the Arsenal game. Chelsea preferred Michael Essien to John Obi Mikel in the screening role in front of their back four.

A promising start by City saw Tevez embarrass Terry for pace with a sprint and cross from the right, and Nigel de Jong threaten with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. They were full of vim and vigour, but for more than half an hour they struggled to translate promising possession into worthwhile goal attempts.

Chelsea were more economical. Drogba might have scored after five minutes when his shot from the 18-yard line brought a top-notch save from Given. City's reprieve was brief. In the eighth minute they conceded yet another of those daft goals that continue to undermine them. Given saved from Branislav Ivanovic and again from Anelka in a pinball sequence, but the goalkeeper was unable to hold the second shot and the ball bounced out to Adebayor and in off the striker's back.

Kolo Touré, venturing forward from his defensive station tried his luck from 20 yards, but located nothing more useful that Petr Cech's midriff, and when Gareth Barry got away from Ricardo Carvalho to cross from the left, Adebayor made a horrible hash of his shot close in at the near post. For a long time that was the way of it.

Oblivious to the rain, Hughes prowled his technical area like a caged tiger. Looking for a handshake? More like someone to throttle. Out on the pitch, his team were looking to make optimum use of Shaun Wright-Phillips' pace, but Ashley Cole is no slouch and minimised the threat. City pressed, but tried their manager's patience in front of goal. Typically, Barry's shot from 20 yards was deflected wide by Essien and when Cech came off his line and failed to collect the ball, Adebayor's goalbound header was cleared off the line by Carvalho.

One had the sense that a goal was coming, however, and it finally arrived after 37 minutes, when Cech punched a corner out only as far as Wright-Phillips, whose shot from 20 yards hit Richards and flew to Adebayor, who scored at the second attempt.

Chelsea were tantalisingly close to regaining the lead at the end of a pulsating first half when Drogba was only inches wide with a curling free-kick.

City undoubtedly deserved parity at half-time, but could they keep it up? They have had a habit of throwing away promising positions. Certainly Chelsea were worried. Drogba's demeanour is a barometer of such things, and he was bleating in overdrive. Cech, under pressure from Adebayor, booted the ball nervily into touch and Carvalho was booked for a rash challenge that was the product of City's pressure. Wright‑Phillips got away from Cole for once to create a shooting chance for Adebayor, who was thwarted by Ivanovic's last-ditch clearance.

Then, after 56 minutes it happened. City were ahead. A free-kick from inside the D by Tevez went low, through Chelsea's defensive wall, leaving Cech unsighted and embarrassed as the ball flew past him on the ground. Cue celebratory songs of "Fergie, Fergie sign him up."

Drogba climbing above Touré, headed wide at close range, fuelling the impression that it was not Chelsea's day. Carlo Ancelotti sent on Juliano Belletti and Mikel to rescue a point, at least, but City were in no mood to oblige. Ivanovic headed over from six yards from a Deco corner. Suddenly it was Chelsea who were wasting scoring opportunities

Man City: Given, Richards (Onuoha 69), Toure, Lescott, Bridge (Kompany 76), De Jong, Barry, Wright-Phillips, Tevez, Robinho (Zabaleta 90), Adebayor. Subs Not Used: Taylor, Johnson, Santa Cruz, Petrov.

Booked: Barry.

Goals: Adebayor 37, Tevez 56.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Carvalho (Belletti 63), Terry (Malouda 88), Ashley Cole, Essien, Ballack (Mikel 64), Lampard, Deco, Drogba, Anelka. Subs Not Used: Hilario, Joe Cole, Zhirkov, Paulo Ferreira.

Booked: Terry, Carvalho, Belletti, Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Deco.

Goals: Adebayor 8 og.

Att: 47,348

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).
 

Manchester City 3 Arsenal 0        A kick up the Arse
Wednesday 2nd December 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

Manchester City revelled in the sort of victory that may see a renewed confidence spill over into the Premier League. In the closing moment the substitute Vladimir Weiss was even able to add a third goal from Craig Bellamy's pass. The victors capered happily into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and an encounter with Manchester United. Arsenal had never pinned their hopes on reaching that stage of the tournament but must have been downcast by the margin of the defeat.

It would be absurd to pretend that this was a further trauma for Arsène Wenger to follow the 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at the Emirates. His selection was the usual makeshift assortment of youths and the few marginal figures he normally employs in this competition. In contrast to other sides confronted by a precocious Arsenal, City, however, were unrelenting in making their experience and talent tell.

Wenger's team had no fun whatsoever at their expense. Following seven successive draws in the Premier League, City struck form that would have shaken off most adversaries. The encounter was, in practice, settled by the goal with which the irresistible Shaun Wright-Phillips sent his side into a 2-0 lead after 69 minutes. There was a swagger to the winger as he all but ignored Armand Traoré while slipping past him to the edge of the area and firing a shot that flew across Lukasz Fabianski and high into the top corner.

No one can really pretend that even this sorry outcome is another element in a syndrome of anti-climax at Arsenal. The side chosen had only two men, Traoré and Alex Song, who had started against Chelsea. A loss rankles all the same. "I am free to shake hands with whom I want," said Wenger when accused by Mark Hughes of being unsportsmanlike at the end.

The emphasis put on the occasion by City's manager had its risks. A disappointment for his best line-up would have been no preparation at all for confronting Chelsea at this ground in the league on Saturday. As it is, there should be a reward in replenished self-belief now. City will believe that their wait for a league victory may be approaching its end.

Whatever else is said about the side, no one could have depicted them last night as well-heeled footballers whose main ambition is to keep on collecting their wages. The home crowd certainly did not confine itself to a token interest. If City lacked anything in the first half it was the precision needed to lay on a really inviting chance.

Wright-Phillips was the most ebullient performer and he earned the corner from which the former Arsenal attacker Emmanuel Adebayor headed much too close to Fabianski. With 19 minutes gone, the winger forced his way clear of a dilatory Mikaël Silvestre to set up Bellamy but the finish was wide and hapless.

Traoré and Craig Eastmond had both been cautioned for fouls on the winger before the interval. Arsenal had some sprightly moments in attack but the sustained liveliness was City's. With so much yet to be achieved by the club, there was an appetite even for a comparatively modest tournament.

Wright-Phillips embodied that best but there was hunger in many of the players' efforts. The glaring problem was the lack of presence in the goalmouth, even if Adebayor is an extremely tall man. According to Hughes, injury disrupted his season just when he was scoring freely. Whether he has merely to regain full form or was ill at ease against his old club, he was not having sufficient impact at that stage.

The occasion itself lacked little. The attendance and atmosphere confirmed that supporters can be in earnest about the Carling Cup. In the previous round, Arsenal had beaten Liverpool in an enjoyable and absorbing encounter. This tournament sometimes seems to strike a balance between entertainment and competitiveness that is difficult to find elsewhere.

Carlos Tevez was fully in earnest when putting City ahead five minutes after the interval. Tomas Rosicky, under pressure from Bellamy and the Argentinian, weakly surrendered possession on the Arsenal left and Tevez broke into the area, avoided Song and struck a drive across the goalkeeper and high into the net.

The appetite of an excited crowd was getting keener by the moment, even if the referee, Chris Foy, refused to sate it and showed a yellow card to Silvestre instead of dismissing him for a foul on Adebayor. By the close the City fans would still have departed with the feeling that, for once, their every wish had been granted.  

Teams:

Man City Given, Richards, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (Weiss 77), Ireland, Barry, Bellamy,Tevez (Kompany 74), Adebayor.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Onuoha, Johnson, Robinho, Santa Cruz.

Booked: Kompany, Bellamy.

Goals: Tevez 50, Wright-Phillips 69, Weiss 89.

Arsenal Fabianski, Eboue, Song Billong, Silvestre, Traore, Eastmond (Watt 68), Merida, Ramsey, Rosicky, Wilshere, Vela.

Subs Not Used: Mannone, Bartley, Coquelin, Frimpong, Gilbert,

Randall.

Booked: Traore, Eastmond, Silvestre, Wilshere, Song Billong, Ramsey.

Att: 46,015

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).