Manchester City 1 Sunderland 0    Just enough
Sunday 22nd March 2009 : Mel Collins for GYKO at the COMSTAD

On the day Robinho swapped Madrid for Manchester, Pele suggested that what he required was not a change of club but a psychiatrist. If you can judge a footballer's mental state by his performances on the pitch, then the Premier League's most expensive footballer is a mess.

Sunderland were already down to 10 men when, in the 18th minute, Steed Malbranque upended the afternoon's outstanding performer, Micah Richards. As the cliché goes, you can pluck a Brazilian off any street from Belo Horizonte to Sao Paulo, put a ball at their feet and see them score from 12 yards. But not the one whose transfer fee of £32m means he will always be judged by the most unforgiving standards.

There have been no goals since December and yesterday he jogged up to take the penalty and stopped momentarily for Marlon Fulop to commit himself. The goalkeeper, however, stood his ground and Robinho virtually passed the ball into his arms.

In the context of a game that saw Manchester City labour to their seventh successive victory at Eastlands, Robinho's miss was not decisive. However, it presented more ammunition to those who believe he will not remain in Manchester beyond the summer.

Not so long ago, confidence had visibly drained from Richards. The central defensive partnership with Richard Dunne was not working, his fitness was questionable and so was his self-belief. His manager, Mark Hughes, responded by returning him to right-back and from the moment Sunderland saw their left-back, George McCartney, dismissed, Richards exploited a freedom to make some driving, muscular runs.

His first won the penalty but there were others that inflicted almost as much damage on an overstretched Sunderland defence, which although succumbing to an eighth successive defeat to Manchester City showed rather more resilience than might have been expected.

In one beautifully constructed move, he pulled the ball back for Elano, who skipped past his marker but steered his shot a few desperate inches wide. Moments later, Elano, whose commitment to Manchester City once seemed as clouded as Robinho's, forced a wonderful save from Fulop.

Richards' goal, however, was rather more straightforward – an Elano free-kick that found Anton Ferdinand the wrong side of the man he was supposedly marking. It was a free header and, although Robinho tried to bundle it over the line, it was already a goal before he made contact.

"Everyone seems to forget he is very young," Hughes said of Richards. "He has not been allowed to shine brightly this season and there was perhaps a need to take him out of the firing line. His form, along with others, has fluctuated and I have not been able to give him the rest he possibly needed."

Crawling along just above the relegation zone, Sunderland hoped to exploit any latent weariness in a City side that returned from its penalty shoot-out victory over Aalborg in the small hours of Friday morning.

In fact, the home side, led by Shaun Wright-Phillips, began at a high tempo, one that Sunderland were unable to match, and 14 minutes into the game, Wright-Phillips burst through and had his shirt pulled by McCartney on the edge of the area. After a long consultation with his assistant, the referee, Steve Tanner, decided the Ulsterman had denied Wright-Phillips a clear goalscoring opportunity and showed him a straight red card.

"I am not so sure it was a sending-off," the Sunderland manager, Ricky Sbragia, remarked. "He has made some sort of contact but our goalkeeper almost had the ball in his hands when it happened – so was it a goalscoring opportunity?"

Thereafter, Sunderland played reasonably well, harrying and frustrating a side whose European exertions slowly began to take their toll. There were changes – Valeri Bojinov, one of the surprisingly successful array of players whom Sven-Goran Eriksson bought in the frantic summer of 2007 – made only his second start. It lasted longer than the first which saw him carried off after less than 10 minutes of the Manchester derby but the result, a 1–0 victory, was the same.

Man City: Given, Richards (Garrido 83), Onuoha, Dunne, Zabaleta, Wright-Phillips, Elano, De Jong, Kompany (Fernandes 84), Robinho, Bojinov (Bellamy 65).
Subs Not Used: Hart, Evans, Etuhu, Berti.#

Booked: Bojinov, Fernandes, Wright-Phillips.

Goals: Richards 56.

Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Collins, Ferdinand, McCartney, Edwards, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Murphy (Davenport 16), Malbranque (Reid 72), Jones (Cisse 72).
Subs Not Used: Gordon, Yorke, Healy, McShane.

Sent Off: McCartney (15).

Booked: Bardsley, Davenport, Leadbitter, Ferdinand, Reid.

Att: 43,017

Ref: Steve Tanner (Somerset).

Aalborg 2 Manchester City 0   City wake up in time for pens
Thursday 19th March 2009 : Ryan Etherington for GYKO in Denmak

Shay Given saved two penalties as Manchester City snatched a place in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals despite a dramatic late collapse in Aalborg. Protecting a 2-0 lead from the first leg, City were five minutes from progressing in normal time when the Danes staged a late fightback and took the game to extra-time thanks to goals from Luton Shelton and Michael Jakobsen.

It was left to Given to spare City's blushes and he delivered by keeping out spot-kicks from Thomas Augustinussen and former Sheffield United forward Shelton. It was the second time in the competition City had been taken to penalties by Danish opposition after a dramatic win over Midtjylland in the second qualifying round in August. The win kept alive City's hopes, as the last remaining English side in the event, of winning a first major piece of silverware since 1976.

Yet, on a bitterly cold night at the Energi Nord Arena, City were almost made to pay for their failure to kill off a tie they had dominated. Robinho was again below par away from home and was taken off in extra-time, although the Brazilian almost put City through when he hit the crossbar after 83 minutes.

Aalborg, despite needing to chase the game, opted for a safety-first approach in the first half out of fear of conceding an away goal. Only after the break did they begin to show any urgency but the tactic paid off dramatically as they turned the tie on its head in a frantic finale.

Until then City, despite playing cautiously themselves, made most of the early running in a contest that lacked bite. Robinho, fit to feature after concerns over an ankle injury, looked to create an opening after collecting a crossfield ball from Wright-Phillips but his shot was blocked. Ched Evans also shaped to shoot after a Wayne Bridge cross ran through the box but his first touch was heavy and the opportunity passed.
Stephen Ireland, the game's most industrious player early on, got in the first clear shot at goal with 16 minutes gone but his effort flew over.

Aalborg offered little until Kasper Bogelund found space on the right but his tame cross was gathered by Shay Given. Anders Due then sent a more dangerous cross into the City box but Nedum Onuoha was alert and beat Shelton to the ball at the expense of a corner. Jamaica international Shelton was also thwarted by Onuoha as he tried to cross after finding room on the right.

Robinho jinked his way to the byline as City pushed late in the first half but goalkeeper Karim Zaza stopped his ambitious shot with his foot. Pablo Zabaleta curled in a shot after the ball broke to him from the resulting corner but it drifted wide.

Aalborg had the first of several penalty appeals early in the second half when Kasper Risgard went down under Vincent Kompany's challenge as Jakobsen floated in a cross. French referee Stephane Lannoy was unimpressed and City almost caught Aalborg on the break as Ireland set up Evans but the Welshman somehow managed to clear the stand from 10 yards.

City then survived a scare as Shelton nodded down to Caca but the Brazilian's low drilled shot just went wide of Given's left-hand post. Aalborg had stronger and more vociferous penalty claims turned down on the hour when substitute Javier Garrido felled former Wigan player Andreas Johansson in a 50-50 challenge. Lannoy was immediately surrounded by home players but City were reprieved.

Aalborg finally began to up the tempo and a low ball beat all in the City box but the visitors managed to clear. Michael Beauchamp tried to win another penalty but was booked for diving, Johansson had a shot deflected for a corner and Shelton forced Given to save one-handed.

City's attacks were becoming rarer but Robinho went close to settling the tie seven minutes from time when he hit the woodwork after Ireland reached the byline. City then paid the price for failing to kill off Aalborg as the Danes remarkably broke through twice in the dying moments. First Shelton blasted home from close range as the ball bounced up invitingly inside the area from a right-wing cross. That set up a nervy finale and City were unable to hang on as Evans handled a Jakobsen header in the last minute.

This time the referee did point to the spot - at the fourth time of asking - and Jakobsen stepped up to smash into the top of the net from the spot. The visitors looked tired but neither side could create a meaningful opportunity in the additional period.

It came down to penalties and City comfortably tucked away all four of theirs while Given saved from Augustinussen and Shelton.

Teams

AaB Zaza, Bogelund, Lasse Nielsen, Jakobsen, Beauchamp,Due (Nomvethe 46), Johansson, Augustinussen,Caca (Kristensen 106), Risgaard (Tracy 77), Shelton.

Subs Not Used: Kenneth Nielsen, Sorensen, Ronnie Nielsen, Dalsgaard.

Booked: Risgaard, Beauchamp.  Goals: Shelton 85, Jakobsen 90 pen.

Man City Given, Richards, Dunne, Onuoha, Bridge (Garrido 55),Wright-Phillips, Zabaleta, Kompany (Elano 107), Ireland,Robinho (Caicedo 96), Evans.

Subs Not Used: Hart, Berti, Fernandes, Etuhu.

Booked: Kompany, Wright-Phillips.

Agg (2-2) Man City win 4-3 on penalties

Att: 10,734

Ref: Stephane Lannoy (France).
 

Chelsea 1 Manchester City 0         Same old Same old
Sunday 15th March 2009 : Peter Porter for GYKO at Stamford Bridge

The contest for the Premier League title may have acquired a little more life, but there was no drama in Chelsea's advance to within four points of the leaders Manchester United, who have a game in hand. Their opponents seemed to expect little of themselves. That attitude does, of course, contain its measure of realism. Manchester City have won just a single away game in the League this season.

Chelsea, on the other hand, are gathering momentum under Guus Hiddink. The Dutchman has arrived at rather a good time. Here, he had Michael Essien ready to start his first League game since August 31. There was no indication that the dynamic midfielder even remembers the knee ligament trouble that sidelined him for so long.

His impact, though, will linger in City minds. The Ghanaian's goal was taken with his shin, but the true untidiness was in the visitor's defending after 18 minutes. Frank Lampard had no trouble finding Essien with a free-kick struck from the middle of the pitch. The midfielder connected first-time and the ball flew past the left hand of Shay Given.

That contact contained its element of luck, but there was nothing haphazard about Essien influence overall. If he has been absent for much of the campaign, that at least makes him a footballer whose dynamism may make a deep impression on wearying rivals. City had certainly lost sight of him when he headed off target from a Frank Lampard delivery in the 39th minute.

Earlier Lampard had been at the heart of an exquisite move that Ballack started and then attempted to finish. Stepping onto the backheel by Drogba the German shot wide. There was an abundance of opportunities and Chelsea will be reproached for spurning them. City did at least persist and Richard Dunne, for instance, kicked clear an effort by the substitute Florent Malouda with three minutes remaining.

A lack of ruthlessness spared Mark Hughes's squad deep embarrassment. Still, damage limitation cannot satisfy a club of such means. The crowd jeered the eventual substitution of the ineffectual Robinho. Had Chelsea succeeded on signing him before City stepped in he would have been idolised here. For the moment, there are few heroes in the ranks of Hughes' squad, who are within six points of the relegation zone.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingway, Terry (c), Carvalho, Cole, Deco (Belletti 41), Essien, Lampard, Ballack, Drogba (Malouda 71), Anelka.

 Unused subs:  Hilario, Mikel, Quaresma, Kalou, Alex.

City: Given, Richards, Dunne (c), Onuoha, Bridge, Zabaleta, Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Elano (Etuhu 66), Robinho (Bojinov 82), Caicedo (Evans 55).

 Unused subs: Hart, Garrido, Berti, Fernandes.

Goals: 1-0 (Essien 18)

Bookings: City: Elano (29), Evans (74)

Att: 41,810

Referee: M Riley

Manchester City 2 Aalborg 0         UEFA a step closer
Thursday 12th March 2009 : Les Jones for GYKO at the COMSTAD

What price both Manchester clubs playing in a European final at the end of May? United are already safely ensconced in the Champions League quarter-finals but City also have aspirations of an open-top bus parade and, if Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stephen Ireland can maintain this level of excellence, maybe this could be the season when they shed their reputation as a club that always conspires to mess things up.

There is a long way to go before then, of course, and the lesson of history is that it is never wise to look too far ahead when it comes to City. On this form, however, it is difficult to imagine them forfeiting their place in the last eight of the Uefa Cup by surrendering their two-goal advantage in Denmark next Thursday.

It was a stylish performance, full of attacking invention and slick passing, and Mark Hughes was entitled to feel it deserved a more handsome winning margin than that conjured up by Felipe Caicedo's and Wright-Phillips's first-half goals.

"We had good chances to score more but the order of the day was to get a positive result and keep a clean sheet, so in that respect we are really pleased," said Hughes.

"Ideally we would have put the tie to bed because it is still there for both teams but we have shown tonight that we always have a goal threat and I think we will have chances to score in Aalborg. We're in really good shape and I think the players really sense an opportunity to win it [the competition] now.

"We still have to get into the next round but once you get into the quarter-finals and the semi-finals you really do sense it might be an opportunity to do something great."

Certainly when Hughes's men pass the ball as elegantly as this it can seem like a trick of the mind that they dropped into the Premier League's relegation places over Christmas.

Aalborg might not be a particularly glamorous side but they have taken points off Manchester United and Celtic in the Champions League this season, and scored six times in their two legs against Deportivo la Coruña in the previous round.

It is just a pity for City that Robinho struggles to reach this level of performance away from their home stadium. The Brazilian was a constant menace, at one point doing six step-overs in succession inside the penalty area before one of the Aalborg defenders, Michael Beauchamp, chopped him down.

How the referee, Luxembourg's Alain Hamer, did not award a penalty was a mystery, although Hughes had his own theory.

"I think Robbie's feet were too quick for him," he said. "The referee was mesmerised and forgot to look for the tackle."

Robinho also began the move that led to the opening goal, gliding in from the left and playing the ball into Caicedo's feet on the edge of the area.

Thereafter, it was all about the Ecuadorian's body strength. Caicedo is built like a backstreet bouncer and, having received the ball with his back to goal, he shrugged aside his marker, Michael Jakobsen, before prodding the ball past the goalkeeper Karim Zaza.

The second goal was even more impressive – a classic Wright-Phillips run, starting on the right before darting inside, twisting and turning into space to find a shooting opportunity. Patrick Kristensen, Aalborg's left-back, was left trailing and Wright-Phillips struck his shot with the outside of his right boot so that it curled away from Zaza into the top corner of the net.

The disappointing part was the amount of empty seats. The supporters who did bother turning up were certainly unimpressed and, in a humorous sideshow, there were almost as many derogatory chants about the people "watching on telly" as there were about their reviled neighbours from Old Trafford. "Where are all our fans?" the crowd bellowed.

The attendance was 24,596, which meant the stadium was little more than half full. When it was read out there were loud boos.

It was generally light-hearted, though, on a night when City recorded a sixth straight win at home and Aalborg, fifth in Denmark's Superliga, seldom threatened Shay Given's goal. Caca, a Brazilian striker, forced a good save after 21 minutes and Thomas Augustinussen wastefully missed the target just after the half-hour.

That apart, however, it was a night of almost unremitting pressure from the home side. Ireland, in particular, seemed determined not to be outdone by Robinho. Wright-Phillips has reinvented himself and, crucially, the defenders Micah Richards and Richard Dunne appear to have rebuilt their confidence after some abysmal performances earlier in the season.

It was 1976 when City last won a trophy and, as Hughes said, that is "too long".

Man City: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (Etuhu 87), Zabaleta, Ireland, Elano, Robinho, Caicedo (Evans 63).
Subs Not Used: Hart, Vassell, Garrido, Fernandes, Berti.

Booked: Elano.

Goals: Caicedo 8, Wright-Phillips 30.

AaB: Zaza, Bogelund, Beauchamp, Jakobsen (Lasse Nielsen 86), Kristensen, Augustinussen, Caca, Johansson, Enevoldsen (Risgaard 76), Due (Curth 66), Shelton.
Subs Not Used: Kenneth Nielsen, Nomvethe, Tracy, Christensen.

Booked: Enevoldsen.

Att: 24,502

Ref: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg).

Manchester City 2 Aston Villa 0        Sweep sinks Villa
Wednesday 4th March 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

They no longer make so many cars in Birmingham but they still recognise the sound of an engine seizing up. This was the sixth successive match Aston Villa have failed to win and, if Martin O'Neill imagined that exits from the FA and Uefa Cups might concentrate his players' minds on the greater prize of the Champions League, he is disillusioned. The lead over Arsenal in fifth is down to three points.

Not since Arsène Wenger's first season have Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League and now the suggestions will be that a combination of their experience and Villa's nerves will ensure the familiar cartel endures. "The same four sides qualify consistently and, yes, they will have more know-how but that should not stop us relishing the challenge," said O'Neill. "Our players have never been in this position before but I don't believe they are beset by nerves - there is genuine excitement there. You cannot win the games we have done away from home without being able to conquer your nerves."

O'Neill suggested that next season both these clubs will be going head to head for a Champions League place, although they will adopt different tactics to get there. Mark Hughes, you suspect, would prefer Villa's strategy of patient team-building rather than oversee the football equivalent of a millionaire's trolley dash through Fortnum & Mason - which is what Manchester City will be doing in the transfer markets this summer.

However, much of this display suggested that City do not require the marquee names of Europe to flourish. Some might cynically say it was no coincidence that their most expensive players were elsewhere - Robinho and Craig Bellamy nursing injuries, Jo with Everton at Ewood Park.

All you can do is report that a club that traditionally responds as well to adversity as a cheesecake left out in a thunderstorm girded its loins and fought and played magnificently.

And though the headlines will go to Shaun Wright-Phillips, Richard Dunne, at the heart of defence, ensured the lead would not be lost as O'Neill deployed three strikers in an attempt to atone for a dreadful first-half display.

For the first time since surrendering inexplicably at Newcastle on 3 November, Aston Villa returned to the Midlands without a league win, having encountered a side that counter-attacked more incisively than they did and who, in Wright-Phillips, possessed the night's outstanding figure, typified by the gorgeous one-two with Stephen Ireland that finished with him sliding the ball home in the closing moments.

He was the catalyst from the kick-off, attacking the Villa back-four with a remorseless combination of pace and invention and won the penalty that gave City an advantage they rarely looked like losing.

Just before being tripped by James Milner, he and Ireland had combined beautifully to give Wright-Phillips perhaps an easier opportunity than the one he converted. Eastlands rose to its feet to greet the goal, only to find the shot had somehow gone the other side of the post. Wright-Phillips put the end of his shirt in his mouth and bit down in frustration.

However, Manchester City kept passing, Wright-Phillips kept menacing and moments later he was brought down. There was probably nobody Hughes would have trusted less to take the penalty than Elano, who had criticised his manager publicly and seemed to be at the centre of every allegation of disruption at the club.

As he went up to take the penalty, he stopped and you looked for the ball in the mass of fans behind Brad Friedel's net. They saw instead the Brazilian's first goal since October.

Aston Villa, by contrast, looked anaemic until the physical presence of John Carew was introduced after the break, although it was the 70th minute before Shay Given was forced to actually make a save. But by pressing forward, Villa exposed themselves to counter-punches and but for Friedel's brilliance at full stretch, Elano would have settled matters a quarter of an hour before Wright-Phillips did.

The absence of cup football means Aston Villa will fly out to Dubai to recuperate before their next fixture against Tottenham, a club who might dearly love them to finish above Arsenal but who know how the final weeks of a season can snatch the Champions League away.

Man City Given, Zabaleta, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge,Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Kompany, De Jong (Fernandes 47),Elano (Bojinov 83), Caicedo (Evans 74).

Subs Not Used: Hart, Vassell, Garrido, Berti.

Booked: Caicedo.

Goals: Elano 24 pen, Wright-Phillips 89.

Aston Villa Friedel, Cuellar (Gardner 88), Davies (Carew 46),Knight, Luke Young, Milner, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young,Agbonlahor, Heskey.

Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Delfouneso, Reo-Coker, Shorey.

Booked: Milner, Barry.

Att: 40,137

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

West Ham Utd 1 Manchester City 0  Loadsamoney no guts
Sunday 1st March 2009 : Ken Cooper for GYKO at Upton Park

When the Abu Dhabi millions arrived at Manchester City in August the fans would have expected joy to characterise their club's prospects by March, but on the first day of the month the sense of dis­array continued. Defeat here was as deserved as it was significant with City's wretched away form now stretching to 14 matches without victory.

Injuries to Craig Bellamy, Robinho and Micah Richards will hardly have helped the mood. Bellamy will be the most sorely missed. His arrival in January, from West Ham, has yielded five goals in eight matches and a string of encouraging performances. When he was substituted with a knee injury here it brought to an end a truly awful afternoon for the Welshman. He was constantly jeered and heckled on what was the 29-year-old's first return to Upton Park since leaving on acrimonious terms during the last transfer window. Bellamy says the move was motivated by ambition, a claim the West Ham supporters not only resent but also dispute if yesterday's chant of 'You're just a short greedy bastard' is anything to go by.

But if Bellamy had a wretched day what of Robinho? City are giving serious consideration to offering the Brazilian to Chelsea in the summer as part of a swap deal for John Terry and, on the basis of this performance, are unlikely to have changed their position. The forward, the most prominent statement of the club's new found riches so far, missed two close-range shots within seven first-half minutes and hardly threatened thereafter. Even so, with 12 goals to his name, Robinho, who damaged his ankle late on, remains important for City's short-term ambitions which are increasingly taking the form of a scramble to survive in mid-table. They have dropped to 11th, six points above the relegation zone, hardly what their owner, Sheikh Mansourbin Zayed, would have envisaged when providing his fortunes at the start of the season.

"We're doing well in the Uefa Cup but our priority is to finish strongly in the Premier League, which we're struggling to do at the moment," conceded Hughes.

"That is largely down to our away form which has been a concern all year. We've performed better in recent matches, particularly at Liverpool where we played excellent, but overall we've not got many positive results. On occasions that's been because we've played like the home team and got caught on the break, which was the case again today."

Well, up to a point. City were the better side for the opening 20 minutes having had to undertake a reshuffle in their attack following the introduction of Felipe Caicedo for Richards who felt a tightening of his hamstring following a tackle from Scott Parker, but their best chances fell to Robinho who twice failed to score from inside the six-yard box, first on 14 minutes when he flicked Vincent Kompany's shot within reach of Robert Green and then when he scuffed Bellamy's cross wide of the near post. From there on City became increasingly irrelevant and it was West Ham who seized control.

Freddie Sears and David Di Michele tested Shay Given prior to the interval before Carlton Cole came close with a header early in the second half. The hosts' pressure eventually paid off on 71 minutes when Jack Collison scored with a delicate lob after Given had parried Savio Nsereko's curling drive straight to the 20-year-old. There was little threat to the lead after that – Elano came closest with a free-kick – and West Ham soon had their first victory in six games and subsequently climbed to seventh position, ahead of City.

West Ham: Green, Neill, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami (Nsereko 43), Parker, Collison, Kovac (Spector 83), Di Michele (Lopez 87), Cole.
Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Sears, Stanislas, Payne.

Booked: Parker, Kovac.

Goals: Collison 71.

Man City: Given, Richards (Caicedo 15), Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, Zabaleta, De Jong (Bojinov 89), Kompany, Ireland, Bellamy (Elano 66), Robinho.
Subs Not Used: Hart, Vassell, Garrido, Berti.

Booked: Kompany, Ireland.

Att: 34,562.

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral). .

Manchester City 2 FC Copenhagen 1   Just Enough
Thursday 26th February 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

Manchester City eased into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup by winning 2-1 at home to FC Copenhagen to complete a 4-3 aggregate victory over the Danes.

The home side made much of the early running, with Craig Bellamy and Robinho posing plenty of problems for the visitors.

However, chances were hard to come by until 20 minutes in when Bellamy scampered away down the right and his deflected cross to the far post was headed against the woodwork by Robinho.

Soon after, Robinho tricked his way clear in the area, but Jesper Christiansen made a fine block at his near post.

City continued to call the shots on a rain-soaked Eastlands pitch, but the tie remained evenly balanced.

Just past the half-hour mark Pablo Zabaleta's deflected 20-yarder was well gathered by Christiansen and the keeper then collected a long-range drive from Robinho.

Right on the stroke of half-time Bellamy got clear on the left, but his shot across Christiansen came back off the far post.

Five minutes into the second half Christiansen pushed away a 25-yard free-kick from the impressive Bellamy.

A quick break then seemed certain to bring City the breakthrough, but Shaun Wright-Phillips' ball across the face of goal was inches too far in front of Stephen Ireland.

Seventeen minutes from time City finally took the lead on the night as Bellamy raced onto a long ball out of defence from Zabaleta and drilled a low, right-foot shot under the advancing Christiansen.

Robinho missed a virtual open goal soon afterwards, as City continued to call all the shots in the driving rain.

The star duo of Robinho and Bellamy then combined to make the score 2-0 ten minutes from time, as the Brazilian skipped clear on the left and played in a perfect pass for Bellamy to rifle home from ten yards out.

Martin Vingaard slotted home a consolation for the visitors with almost the last kick of the game, but City were worthy winners on the night and in the tie overall.

Manchester City: Shay Given, Wayne Bridge, Vincent Kompany, Richard Dunne, Nedum Onuoha, Micah Richards, Pablo Zabaleta (Blumer Elano 82), Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland, Craig Bellamy, Robson de Souza Robinho,

Subs not used: Leandro Gláuber, Felipe Caicedo, Joe Hart, Ched Evans, Javier Garrido, Darius Vassell

FC Copenhagen: Christiansen, Kvist, Wendt, Jorgensen, Antonsson, Pospech, Norregaard (Vingaard 76), Hutchinson, Kristensen (Libor Sionko 45), N'Doye (Jesper Gronkjaer 59), Ailton,

Subs not used: Nordstrand, Jensen, Larsson, Coe

Booked: Wendt 62, Kristensen 36