Manchester City 1 Bolton Wanderers 0  So that's it for now
Sunday 24th May 2009 : William Ward for GYKO at the COMSTAD

The facts are that Manchester City's first season as the world's wealthiest football club saw them finish 10th, which is one place below where they ended up under Sven-Goran Eriksson. On the surface it was not much of a return for the estimated £126m spent by Abu Dhabi United, although the raw figures disguise the advances that have been made. definately

Eriksson's final game was an 8-1 humiliation at Middlesbrough and by then the Swede's fate was known. Yesterday was rather more fun. The sky was the colour of a Manchester City top, there was a funfair by the stadium and a £25m shirt sponsorship deal from the airline Etihad to celebrate. Since the Abu Dhabi government owns both club and airline, this was an example of an institution sponsoring itself, although the normal laws of economics do not operate in the Arabian desert or this corner of east Manchester.

Mark Hughes's task this summer – apart from restraining some of the wilder transfer ideas emanating from the Emirates – is to find a way to replicate City's form at Eastlands on the road. This was their 13th home win of the season, a figure only their neighbours at Old Trafford can better and it was one of the most comfortable.

When Felipe Caceido slid home Micah Richards' overhead kick, the stage seemed set for an avalanche. Instead there was only a light flurry of chances in a couple of strikes from Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Fabio Capello was obviously especially interested in Wright-Phillips' efforts, since a knee injury was supposed to have ruled him out of England's World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra, and the winger was promptly called up. Wright-Phillips played because the specialist was more optimistic than expected, though Bolton were so feeble he could have sat the afternoon out.

City's control was so complete that in the 85th minute Hughes felt able to bring on Glauber Berti, a Brazilian signed last August who had not until then been deemed worthy of a minute's senior football. He received a standing ovation but is unlikely to survive what will be frenetic summer. "It has been a hard season of change and we have to make the group more resolute," was how Hughes summed up his first season at Eastlands. "If we can get the players we are interested in, you will see more leaders out there."

Gary Megson will, compared to his counterpart, be shopping at Aldi rather than Fortnum's. "We have used 18 players this season and cannot go through another season like that," said the Bolton manager, who had just informed Sébastien Puygrenier, Ebi Smolarek and Ariza Makukula their loans would not be extended. "We are down to a squad that will be relegated if we don't improve it. There has been a hatchet job done on it and now we have to err on the side of spending."

Man City: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge (Berti 84), De Jong, Ireland (Weiss 71), Kompany (Zabaleta 82), Wright-Phillips, Caicedo, Robinho.
Subs Not Used: Hart, Bojinov, Petrov, Mwaruwari.

Goals: Caicedo 8.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Shittu (Andrew O'Brien 83), Samuel, Mark Davies, Muamba, McCann, Taylor (Basham 59), Elmander (Riga 83), Kevin Davies.
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Hunt, Puygrenier, Cohen.

Att: 47,202

Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Tottenham 2 Manchester City 1      Pain at the Lane
Saturday 16th May 2009 : Len Johnstone for GYKO at White Hart Lane

Tottenham skipper Robbie Keane grabbed a late winner against Manchester City to keep alive his side's hopes of a European place. Jermain Defoe had opened the scoring at White Hart Lane, then was involved in a clash that led to one of the assistant referees being injured and replaced at half-time.

Valeri Bojinov equalised for City but Keane scored the winner from the penalty spot, meaning the race for seventh place in the Barclays Premier League will go to the wire. By only conceding one goal, Spurs also established a new league club record for least goals conceded at home in a season - but it was the fact that they edged an action-packed encounter that really mattered. After scoring the opener, Defoe was involved in the bizarre incident with the assistant referee on the stroke of half-time. Nedum Onuoha challenged him on the touchline and as he rolled off the floor Defoe must have felt a touch. The England striker may have felt it was his opponent but it was actually assistant referee Trevor Massey, with Defoe instinctively flicking out. It did not appear deliberate but Massey still required treatment and was replaced by Stuart Attwell at the interval.

Spurs should have sealed the points by then but Shay Given single-handedly kept his side in the match. It was Keane who set up the first chance. Defoe had already had a strike ruled out for offside, then Keane slipped him the ball in the fourth minute. Defoe took a touch inside and curled an effort on target, with Given leaping to his left to keep out the effort.

Given's high standards means those type of saves are now expected of him, and he was down sharply again when Roman Pavlyuchenko tried his luck from 25 yards. The Republic of Ireland stopper pulled another save out of the top drawer when Ledley King connected with Tom Huddlestone's corner, with a reflex stop required on the line.

Given was finally beaten, just before the half-hour mark, by Defoe's impish piece of skill. Jermaine Jenas shifted the ball to Huddlestone on the right, the cross came over but was slightly behind Defoe, so the striker back-heeled on the volley beyond Given. It was his first goal since a foot injury in January kept him out for 10 weeks, and City may have been disappointed that Elano was not taken off just before the goal.

The Brazilian was struggling with an eye complaint and was taken off for Pablo Zabaleta just after the opener. There had been very little for Oasis singer Liam Gallagher to shout about from the stands, only a poked Martin Petrov effort, a finish that suggested he was a player short of confidence and a right foot.

Alan Hutton came on at the break for Jonathan Woodgate, meaning Spurs made a change as well as the officials.

Spurs had won their previous four home matches 1-0 and City were determined to break that sequence, with Micah Richards raiding down the right trying to make something happen.

Felipe Caicedo had sight of goal but his effort was sliced wildly and almost went for a throw. City boss Mark Hughes responded by introducing Benjani and Bojinov for Petrov and Caicedo, on the hour mark. Bojinov equalised in the 65th minute. Stephen Ireland chipped the ball into the penalty area, Benjani held off two defenders and Bojinov dipped his volleyed home when it broke for him.

Pavlyuchenko stabbed an effort horribly wide and was then taken off and headed straight down the tunnel, with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp appearing unimpressed with the Russian.

Spurs were awarded their penalty when Richards collided with Fraizer Campbell, with Keane tucking away the spot-kick. Benjani missed a sitter for City in the dying moments

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate (Hutton 46), King, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone, Keane, Jenas (Zokora 67), Modric, Pavlyuchenko (Campbell 75), Defoe. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Bale, Bentley, Chimbonda.

Goals: Defoe 29, Keane 86 pen.

Man City: Given, Richards, Dunne, Onuoha, Bridge, Kompany, De Jong, Ireland, Elano (Zabaleta 32), Petrov (Bojinov 61), Caicedo (Mwaruwari 61). Subs Not Used: Hart, Fernandes, Sturridge, Berti.

Booked: Zabaleta.

Goals: Bojinov 65.

Att: 36,000

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

Stretford United 2 Manchester City 0   Just Not Good Enough
Sunday May 10th 2009 : Gavin Harrison for GYKO at OT

It is never wise to count on a Manchester City side whose substance bears no relation to the expense incurred in buying several of these footballers. Manchester United must have felt they were being allowed to saunter to the title. The lead now stands at three points and they have a game in hand over Liverpool.

United now need a maximum of four points from their remaining three fixtures to be certain of retaining their Premier League title. Squad rotation may be standard practice at Old Trafford, but Sir Alex Ferguson's team selection showed that he judged the level of risk in this match to be moderate at best.

Players such as Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney were on the bench, while Rio Ferdinand, who has a calf strain, was not involved. There was sufficient zeal among those who were picked. Carlos Tevez, having complained that he feels marginalised at Old Trafford, did as much as he could to show that United should spend the £22m needed to make his signing permanent.

Long before the Argentinian's goal there was incisiveness from him. He had swept inside Nedum Onuoha from the left and struck the far post. His goal, however, came with the aid of some svelte build-up as Dimitar Berbatov tamed a steeply-dropping ball from Darren Fletcher before passing to the striker. Tevez made space for himself and fired home off the inside of the post in the 45th minute for the second goal. He was also to hit the woodwork in the dying moments.

United had assumed the lead through a Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick after 17 minutes that took a major deflection off  Nigel de Jong. The City goalkeeper, Shay Given, still appeared to have erred by taking a step to his right and then finding he could not cover the gap to his left. Ronaldo maintained an expression of petulant disbelief long after his substitution, which came with half-an-hour to go. Ferguson had not needed to make full use of the Portuguese which was probably a good job because he was well contained otherwise.

When City did rally after the interval, an otherwise muted Robinho smacked an Elano pass off-target.

Edwin van der Sar did eventually have to make a good save, from the substitute Martin Petrov who curled a lovely shot towards the top corner, but City as a club have yet to develop a sense of serios direction.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Vidic, Evans (O'Shea 71), Evra, Ronaldo (Scholes 58), Fletcher, Giggs, Park (Rooney 58), Berbatov, Tevez.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Neville, Carrick, Nani.

Booked: Fletcher.

Goals: Ronaldo 18, Tevez 45.

Man City: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, Elano, Ireland, Kompany, De Jong (Petrov 73), Robinho (Evans 89), Caicedo (Bojinov 63).
Subs Not Used: Hart, Zabaleta, Fernandes, Berti.

Booked: Ireland.

Att: 75,464

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Manchester City 3 Blackburn Rovers 1         Samba Beat
Saturday 3rd May 2009 : GYKO at the COMSTAD

Although these days nobody comes dressed as a sheikh, the season at Eastlands is ending much as it began, with blue skies, big wins and Brazilians rampaging forward. The prize might be the least appealing on offer since the BBC stopped handing out Blankety Blank chequebooks and pens, but Manchester City do have an appetite for the Europa League, which offers the winners the kind of money that would not sustain a Premier League club for a week in return for playing 17 games usually in not very full grounds.

With the oil wealth from Abu Dhabi to sustain them, Manchester City do not care much about the money. In modern times, the only way City have qualified for European football has been via the Fair Play League; qualifying by league position would signify that a step ­forward has been made in what their manager, Mark Hughes, calls "the project".

"It is not just the Brazilians who are performing, it is everybody involved," Hughes said. "We have disappointed on our travels, but we have produced some good football this year and in this ­stadium our home form has been as good as anybody's. We have gone out to ­entertain people, but if I have a wish for next season, it is to entertain less away from home."

Blackburn have spent the past month travelling the country handing out points, and anyone following them would have found it hard to imagine there are worse sides in the Premier League. This was their fourth successive defeat away from Ewood Park, lost by a collective scoreline of 12-1, although unlike at Arsenal, Liverpool and Stoke they did manage the odd shot at goal and scored when Keith Andrews drove home the rebound from El Hadji Diouf's weakly taken penalty.

Allardyce once lost 6-2 at Eastlands while managing Bolton. In patches, he must have thought he had overseen the performance of a team wallowing in complacency, believing that last ­Sunday's win over Wigan had brought them safety. "We spoke about that at the hotel before the game," he said. "We need to control our destiny by winning a game of football, not by rushing up to the television as we did this afternoon in the hope that other teams have slipped up."

As a one-time centre-half and a full-time student of eliminating the uncertainties of the game, Allardyce was horrified by Manchester City's opening goals. "It was down to the simple basics of marking at set pieces and clearing the ball correctly," he said.

Blackburn's several failed attempts to clear a straightforward corner resulted in the breakthrough. It travelled like a pinball at half speed through a ­cluttered area before being stabbed home by Felipe Caicedo, another who has come good when it matters.

Robinho's displays at the fag end of the season have belied the image of a footballer desperate to quit Manchester, and after Blackburn had made a familiar, ham-fisted attempt to clear Elano's cross, Vincent Kompany shielded the ball into the Brazilian's path and his shot travelled with mathematical precision into the corner of Paul Robinson's net. It was at this point – 2-0 down at Anfield – that Rafael Benítez had made his "game over" gesture that so infuriated Allardyce and Sir Alex Ferguson. Hughes might also have been forgiven for thinking the match was done.

Worse for Blackburn was to follow, for Robinho and Stephen Ireland marauded forward and the Irishman's attempt to pull the ball back for his team-mate was blocked by Gaël Givet's arm. Three Blackburn players were booked in the protests that followed, and their punishments were as inevitable as the result of Elano's spot-kick.

Man City: Given, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge, De Jong, Kompany, Ireland, Elano (Petrov 78), Caicedo (Bojinov 62), Robinho
Subs Not Used: Hart, Garrido, Fernandes, Evans, Berti

Booked: Caicedo, De Jong

Goals: Caicedo 27, Robinho 34, Elano 45 pen

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Nelsen, Givet, Warnock, Diouf, Grella, Kerimoglu (Doran 64), Pedersen, McCarthy (Villanueva 46), Samba (Andrews 64)
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Khizanishvili, Mokoena, Olsson.

Booked: Ooijer, Nelsen, Grella

Goals: Andrews 66

Att: 43,967

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral)