Manchester City 3 West Ham 1       West Hammered
Monday 28th September 2009 : Dan Taylor for GYKO at the COMSTAD


Manchester City's sublime start to the season continued on Monday night with Carlos Tevez doing the damage against former club West Ham. City's fifth win out of their opening six games represented their best start since 1961, but it is the here and now that Blues supporters are more interested in. Two Tevez goals and a first-half free-kick from Martin Petrov scarcely did justice to their dominance. 

West Ham were totally outclassed, even though Carlton Cole did score an equaliser, and on this evidence they will not be the last as City seem to have found an irresistible mix of brilliant attacking play and solid defending.

After finding one set of former supporters no longer regard him with any affection at Old Trafford last week, Tevez knew he was on safer ground with the Hammers who, for all the controversy, will always be grateful for the goals that kept them up. The respect is mutual and as Tevez raced in front of them after scoring the opening goal, he raised an almost apologetic hand of acknowledgement before being besieged by ecstatic team-mates. It was a pretty significant goal for Tevez given Sir Alex Ferguson's doubts over his goalscoring prowess, and Petrov's assist was arguably even more noteworthy.

Brought to the club two years ago by Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Bulgarian's direct running endeared him to the City faithful. However, as other noteworthy Eriksson buys were doing little to impress Mark Hughes in his first season at the club, Petrov had little chance to impress once he had ruptured his cruciate on international duty. Petrov felt he had no future at the club and made his disappointment known when a deadline-day move to Tottenham failed to materialise. Yet he remains a big danger and a worthwhile asset and was afforded his first start when Stephen Ireland was ruled out through illness. He clearly intended to make the most of it and, after presenting Tevez with a tap-in following his forceful left-wing burst, was soon celebrating a goal too.

There may have been an element of good fortune about the free-kick City were awarded for Luis Jimenez's minor shove on Nigel de Jong, but the finish was pretty emphatic. Petrov drilled it into the bottom corner before edging towards Hughes in his dug-out and pulling the back of his shirt to emphasise his name. Had the goal been City's fourth or fifth, West Ham could not have complained.

Attack after attack washed over them, with Tevez, Petrov, strike partner Craig Bellamy and Joleon Lescott all going close. Staggeringly though, Petrov had actually put City back in front for, on their first attack, the Hammers had equalised when Cole turned home Radoslav Kovac's volley. In fact, the Hammers would have been in front but for the generosity of referee Chris Foy, who ruled Cole had fouled Lescott before teeing up Scott Parker when contact had been very minimal. Gianfranco Zola did not need that to prove it was going to be another bad night for his team. A simple offside manoeuvre proved beyond the Hammers defence when Bellamy floated over a free-kick just after the hour mark.

As the visitors raced out, three City men were left to queue up to score, Tevez nodding home from six yards.
It was the end of the goals, but not the chances. Barry went close with a thunderous effort before Roque Santa Cruz made his debut after spending all the time since his £17million summer move from Blackburn recovering from knee surgery. It was a move West Ham could only dream of. Indeed, neither Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool nor Manchester United could presently make such a show of strength.

Forget about giving City time. Their rivals have every reason to be worried right now.

Teams:

Man City Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (Santa Cruz 80), De Jong, Barry (Johnson 89), Petrov, Tevez, Bellamy.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Richards, Garrido, Sylvinho, Weiss.

Booked: Bridge.

Goals: Tevez 5, Petrov 32, Tevez 61.

West Ham Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Ilunga, Diamanti, Kovac (Stanislas 71), Parker, Noble, Jimenez (Hines 71), Cole.

Subs Not Used: Kurucz, Spector, Nouble, Payne, N'Gala.

Booked: Diamanti.

Goals: Cole 24.

Att: 42,745

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
 

Manchester City 2 Fulham 1    Toure to the Rescue
Wednesday 23rd September 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

Manchester City captain Kolo Toure banished the club's derby blues by scoring the winner in extra-time at Eastlands to take them into the fourth round of the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win over Fulham. It was his first goal since he arrived from Arsenal in the summer and a welcome one at that.

City found it hard going against Fulham after losing in stoppage time against Manchester United on Sunday but Toure found the target in the 111th minute to take Mark Hughes' men into the last 16.
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson named a completely different starting XI to the one that lost to Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday and the west Londoners opened the scoring with a wonder goal from Zoltan Gera, only for Gareth Barry to pull City level.

City had the majority of possession in regulation time and surged forward in the eighth minute. Craig Bellamy, who scored twice against Manchester United in the epic 4-3 defeat at Old Trafford, skipped to the byline only to see his cross blocked. A minute later Bellamy again made space on the left but from his delivery Barry's header was cleanly taken by goalkeeper David Stockdale.

Fulham found themselves on the back foot in the 20th minute when Stephen Ireland clipped the ball forward but Stockdale got there ahead of Carlos Tevez to mop up.

City kept up the pressure and Bellamy released Tevez, only for the Argentina striker to drill his shot wide of the post. However they were left stunned in the 34th minute when Fulham took the lead with a goal out of nothing.

Gera picked up a loose ball 30 yards out and smashed a marvellous half-volley beyond Shay Given.

City responded in the 41st minute and Stockdale did well to punch away Bellamy's inswinging free-kick from the edge of the area.

Then Chris Smalling did well to block a shot from Tevez from close range before Shaun Wright-Phillips saw his effort saved by Stockdale.

City started the second half brightly and Tevez got on the end of a cross from Nigel de Jong after 46 minutes, only to head wide. Barry then saw his shot blocked before Stockdale used his fists to clear Bellamy's corner.
City drew level in the 52nd minute when the Fulham goalkeeper lost his bearings as Bellamy delivered another corner and Barry scored with a header at the back post. This was a difficult spell for Hodgson's side and Barry tested Stockdale with a header following a cross from Pablo Zabaleta three minutes later.

City kept the momentum going and Barry saw his shot deflected wide in the 73rd minute after Bellamy had set up the opening.

Fulham launched a swift counter-attack five minutes later and Given reacted instinctively to push away a fine effort from Seol Ki-hyeon.

Barry then got into a good position on the edge of the area with a minute to go but his effort went wide and the match went into extra-time. City carved out a good chance in the 98th minute when Joleon Lescott launched the ball long and Bellamy was on it in a flash only to send his effort over the crossbar. A clever back-heel from Bellamy released substitute Vladimir Weiss a minute later but his header cleared the crossbar as did Tevez's shortly afterwards.

Bjorn Helge Riise almost put Fulham ahead in the 109th minute, his angled drive going narrowly past the post but two minutes later Toure scored the winner when he got on the end of a corner from Martin Petrov to head the ball powerfully into the net.

Teams:

Man City Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, De Jong (Weiss 91), Barry, Ireland (Petrov 75), Tevez, Bellamy.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Garrido, Sylvinho, Vidal, Ball.

Goals: Barry 52, Toure 111.

Fulham Stockdale, Stoor, Baird, Smalling, Kelly, Davies (Dikgacoi 71), Greening, Riise, Gera (Anderson 120),Seol, Eddie Johnson (Elm 91).

Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Watts, Saunders, Smith.

Booked: Dikgacoi, Kelly.

Goals: Gera 34.

After Extra Time

Att: 24,507

Ref: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).
 

Stretford United 4 Manchester City 3    City lose out on time
Sunday 20th September 2009 : Rod Partington for GYKO at Stretford Swamp

Michael Owen stole the show in a derby for the ages as Manchester United demonstrated why the team from Old Trafford remain the city's dominant force by beating Manchester City 4-3. In the fifth minute of stoppage-time, when England's fourth highest scorer had been shunted so far down the list of talking points he was not even worth a mention, the substitute strode onto Ryan Giggs' precise pass, looked up and calmly found the bottom right corner. Sir Alex Ferguson danced, Mark Hughes looked punch drunk. One of the most eagerly awaited Manchester derbies had become one of the most dramatic.

Hughes was sick, angrily asking how referee Martin Atkinson had managed to come up with so much additional time. He, more than anyone, knows what United can do with it.

For the record, United led three times but on each occasion were pegged back thanks to their own idiotic mistakes. Carlos Tevez left the field laughing. But only because Anderson was winding him up.

Sir Alex Ferguson has put forward a rather disparaging assessment of Tevez's time at Old Trafford, highlighting why he did not feel the Argentina star was worth the £25million United eventually offered to pay.
Yet the Scot's assessment centred around Tevez's goals output. No-one could ever quibble at his work-rate. It was one of the reasons that made him such a hero among the Old Trafford faithful and why the City fans were so quick to acknowledge talent beyond the obvious humour of signing a player Ferguson was urged time and again last season to sign up. That knowledge left Ben Foster with no excuse for the truly abysmal error of judgement that gifted City their equaliser.

Even Joleon Lescott turned away in disappointment as his long pass bounced into no man's land. Foster clearly felt it would eventually run into the area, which was a debatable point in itself. Eventually, Foster realised more urgent action was required as Tevez stormed in, just as he should have expected. Any chance of redemption disappeared as Tevez nicked the ball away from Foster's grasp as he tried to reach the safety of his area, and slipped a pass to Gareth Barry which the England midfielder gleefully swept home.

The mistake was made worse by the knowledge Foster had already received one warning, when he got his wires crossed with Nemanja Vidic and allowed Tevez to half-block a long punt downfield. Foster might have genuine hopes of becoming United's number one goalkeeper and going to the World Cup. In one moment of madness, he might have blown them.

An errant Wayne Rooney backheel might not have been of the same magnitude but its consequences were almost equally dire for United. Kolo Toure strode onto the loose ball and fed Tevez for the opportunity to score a goal that would have left Ferguson distraught and humiliated in equal measure. Tevez thought his shot was going in. To his frustration - and Ferguson's relief, it bounced to safety off the post.

But it was United who made a bright start, with Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov looking particularly threatening, when Shaun Wright-Phillips let Patrice Evra run free at a quickly-taken Ryan Giggs throw-in. Evra fed Rooney, who had the strength to wriggle past Toure and Nigel de Jong before prodding home from close range. At that point, the noise was deafening. If anything, the volume had gone even further up the scale at the end of an awesome first seven minutes of the second half as United got their noses in front, only to be pegged back once more. Fletcher did the damage for Ferguson's team, rising above Barry to power home a Giggs' curling cross.

Yet, just as the hosts looked set to take control, with Park Ji-sung and Giggs going close, Craig Bellamy thundered home an equaliser. Bellamy had been buzzing around in his inimitable manner, but there was no doubting the stamp of class on his 20-yard strike as he collected Tevez's short pass, cut inside John O'Shea and drilled into the top right corner. This time Foster was blameless. But there was so much drama still to come.

Fletcher thought he had won it as he powered home a second header, again from a Giggs cross, 10 minutes from time. Yet the suicidal tendencies in United ranks had not gone away. Rio Ferdinand attempted an idle chip a minute from time, but found Barry instead. Barry released Bellamy, who ran 60 yards before tucking past Foster. It seemed City had come through their biggest test yet. Sadly the referee had other ideas as he chose to add on the usual extra time needed for United to snatch an undeserved winner.

Teams:

Man Utd Foster, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra,Park (Valencia 62), Anderson (Carrick 90), Fletcher, Giggs,Berbatov (Owen 78), Rooney.

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Neville, Nani, Jonathan Evans.

Booked: Anderson, Vidic.

Goals: Rooney 2, Fletcher 49, 80, Owen 90.

Man City Given, Richards, Lescott, Toure, Bridge,Wright-Phillips, Barry, De Jong (Petrov 83), Ireland, Bellamy,Tevez.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Zabaleta, Garrido, Weiss, Ball, Sylvinho.

Booked: Tevez, Bellamy.

Goals: Barry 16, Bellamy 52, 90.

Att: 75,066

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Manchester City 4  Arsenal 2     Adebayor Stuns Gunners
Saturday 12th September 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

Arsène Wenger once accused Mark Hughes of "rearing" a Blackburn side "with an appetite for aggression" and he doubtless now suspects Manchester City's manager of having swiftly exerted a malign influence on Emmanuel Adebayor.

A striker as gangly as the former Arsenal forward is always liable to inadvertently catch an opponent with a flailing limb but, nonetheless, Adebayor appeared somewhat fortunate not to be sent off after appearing to stamp on the prone Robin van Persie's face at a moment when Mark Clattenburg was looking elsewhere. If the referee confirms he did not see the incident, City's influential striker could yet face an FA ban based on video evidence.

Whatever the level of intent – and replays suggested Adebayor knew what he was doing, although he may have been aiming for his former team-mate's out-stretched hand – there was clearly contact close to the Dutchman's eye. Moreover the furious reaction of Wenger's players might just have distracted them sufficiently to turn City's then slim lead into a resounding victory.

Coming over all diplomatic, Wenger said he had "not seen" the altercation and preferred instead to dwell on his free-flowing side's failure to convert prolonged periods of possession into goals, while also failing to bolt the backdoor. Arsenal's inability to extinguish what their manager terms as "Adebayor's fire" suggests they could miss the imposingly effective Kolo Touré almost as much as his fellow African.

Not content with helping create his new team's second goal for Craig Bellamy, Adebayor headed their third (pictured above) and immediately whipped up another storm. Yet once the furore created by his  decision to sprint 100 yards to gesture provocatively at the Arsenal fans – for which he later apologised – had abated, the realisation dawned that rivals should patronise Hughes's ensemble at their peril.

After this, City have to be taken seriously as Champions League contenders and it is legitimate to wonder whether they might make the top four at Arsenal's expense. Granted Wenger's men were bigger on artistic merit, but a once frail City creditably refused to fold while playing some eminently decent stuff of their own.

"Who knows how significant this result will be," said Hughes, whose decision to replace Stephen Ireland with Martin Petrov during the second half proved inspired. "But there was some fantastic football from both sides and Emmanuel was outstanding.

"I haven't seen the incident with Van Persie but we don't want it to cast a shadow over what has been a marvellous game. He's an emotional guy and he's apologised very quickly for running to the fans." A slightly more tart Wenger merely commented: "Adebayor's attitude and behaviour are beyond my control now."

It had all began in deceptively low-key mode. We had some gloriously fluid passing moves, positional inter-changing and a few exhilarating dribbles but, during the first half, goalmouth action was surprisingly mundane. At the business end of things, routine set pieces, awkward bounces and the sort of sheer bad luck neither multi-millions nor exquisite talent can ever totally insulate against had initially prevailed.

Arsenal – and the best of the flowing, kaleidoscopic stuff belonged to them – set the tone with the afternoon's first chance, namely a Van Persie corner headed over the bar by William Gallas. Then, after Bacary Sagna had shot wildly into the stand at the end of a breathtaking attack, another dead ball prefaced Hughes's side taking the lead.

While Bellamy and Shaun Wright-Phillips repeatedly ran at defenders and Adebayor's hold-up play proved superb, it took a Gareth Barry free-kick followed by an ungainly twist to break the deadlock. The England midfielder's delivery was headed goalwards by Micah Richards only for Manuel Almunia to punch it weakly on to a post. So far, so straightforward but the ball then rebounded on to the back of the Spanish keeper's head before dropping into the back of the net.

Cue a Wenger half-time homily and Alexandre Song and Cesc Fábregas assuming ascendancy in a midfield duel in which Nigel de Jong, City's enforcer for the day, had hitherto had quite a say. Suddenly City were barely touching the ball and eventually a home defence that had yet to concede this season was finally breached. The returning Tomas Rosicky, newly on for Denílson, slipped a clever pass through to Van Persie, who had lost Joleon Lescott. Swivelling superbly, the Dutchman momentarily used the ensuing sliver of space to direct a shot into the bottom corner with his supposedly weaker right foot.

Undaunted Bellamy, typically, had a clever riposte. When Adebayor adroitly played in Richards, the right-back slid the ball to the Welshman whose first-time strike flashed past Almunia and arced on into the top corner.

After that it was all Adebayor, all stamps, deserved celebrations and, in between, a goal headed home after connecting with Shaun Wright-Phillips's excellent deep cross.

There was still time for Wright-Phillips to advance unchecked and score himself with a deft chip. But the shot Rosicky slipped past Shay Given after a pass from the – for once – thoroughly upstaged Fábregas proved the smallest of footnotes.

Teams:

Man City Given, Richards, Toure, Lescott, Bridge,Wright-Phillips, Ireland (Petrov 73), Barry, De Jong, Adebayor,Bellamy.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Onuoha, Zabaleta, Sylvinho, Vidal, Weiss.

Booked: Lescott, Adebayor, De Jong.

Goals: Almunia 20 og, Bellamy 74, Adebayor 80,

Wright-Phillips 84.

Arsenal Almunia, Sagna (Eboue 77), Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy,Bendtner, Song Billong (Eduardo 77), Fabregas,Denilson (Rosicky 52), Diaby, van Persie.

Subs Not Used: Mannone, Ramsey, Silvestre, Gibbs.

Booked: Sagna, Song Billong.

Goals: van Persie 62, Rosicky 88.

Att: 47,339  Stadium Record

Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).