Wigan Athletic 2 Manchester City 1   Another set back
Sunday, 28 September 2008 : Richard Gayle for GYKO at the COMSTAD

Manchester City's multi-million pound revolution took another setback after Wigan claimed a narrow victory in their Barclays Premier League clash at the JJB Stadium. City struggled to break down organised Wigan, despite including the expensive talents of British record signing Robinho in their side - along with summer imports Jo and Vincent Kompany.

Brighton had knocked City out of the Carling Cup in midweek and Latics boss Steve Bruce won the tactical battle - and took the bragging rights - with his former Manchester United team-mate Mark Hughes thanks to Amr Zaki's 34th-minute penalty. Antonio Valencia had given Wigan the lead with a spectacular 16th-minute opening goal from long range.

Kompany's close-range finish from Elano's free-kick five minutes later pulled the visitors level but City were unable to find an equaliser in the second half. City boss Hughes recalled record signing Robinho as he made five changes from the team which were eliminated by Brighton.

Robinho along with Shaun Wright-Phillips, Javier Garrido, Micah Richards and Joe Hart came in for Michael Ball, Tal Ben Haim, Michael Johnson, Daniel Sturridge and Kasper Schmeichel.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce makes two changes to the side which won 4-1 at Ipswich with Kevin Kilbane and Paul Scharner replaced by Maynor Figueroa and skipper Mario Melchiot.

The hosts had the first opportunity in the 13th minute from a short corner when the ball found striker Zaki on the right edge of the penalty area - but his ambitious shot flew just over the bar. The Latics then took the lead with a spectacular strike from Valencia three minutes later.

City failed to clear the danger from a free-kick and Valencia controlled the ball 30 yards out on the right side of the area before he lashed a shot past goalkeeper Hart into the top-right corner of the net. The visitors almost equalised moments later after neat build-up play but Robinho's shot from the edge of the box went just past the post. However, Hughes' side did pull level in the 21st minute from a free-kick - after Wright-Phillips had been fouled by Figueroa. Elano whipped the dead ball into the penalty area and Belgium international Kompany was able to steer the ball home from inside the six-yard box.

Wigan were given a chance to restore their lead in the 34th minute when they were awarded a penalty by referee Steve Bennett after Javier Garrido was deemed to have fouled Wilson Palacios inside the box. The decision seemed debatable with Garrido having made minimal contact with Palacios and Bennett booked Robinho for his protests.

Zaki took the resulting spot-kick and confidently sent Hart the wrong way with a placed effort into the bottom-right corner of the net.

City were denied a penalty of their own just before half-time when Richard Dunne fell under pressure from Emile Heskey but Bennett waved away their appeals.

Wigan began the second period brightly and Titus Bramble went close with a header which drifted wide of the post from Valencia's cross five minutes after the interval. Latics boss Bruce was then forced into a change in midfield when Lee Cattermole picked up an injury and was replaced by Michael Brown.

Brazilian playmaker Elano came closer to an equaliser in the 61st minute with a long-range attempt which beat the dive of Chris Kirkland but flew past the post. Wright-Phillips forced Kirkland to make his first real save of the half when he struck a near-post shot in the 73rd minute.

The ineffective Jo was withdrawn by Hughes a minute later in favour of Ched Evans as City pressed for an equaliser - and he almost had an immediate impact. The Wigan defence struggled to deal with a long ball and Kirkland missed his kick as he came off his line - but with the ball rolling towards goal Wigan cleared.

City continued to create a series of half-chances but the Wigan defence stood firm and frequently looked dangerous on the break.

Zaki then had a late chance to add a third in the final minute of injury-time on the counter-attack but Hart tipped his shot over the bar.

Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa, Valencia, Palacios, Cattermole (Brown 53), Kapo, Heskey, Zaki.
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Scharner, Kilbane, De Ridder, Camara, Koumas.

Booked: Valencia, Brown, Melchiot.

Goals: Valencia 16, Zaki 34 pen.

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Kompany (Fernandes 90), Elano (Sturridge 84), Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Robinho, Jo (Evans 74).
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Michael Ball, Ben-Haim, Hamann.

Booked: Kompany, Robinho, Richards.

Goals: Kompany 22.

Att: 18,214

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Manchester City 2 Brighton win 5-3 on Pens
Wednesday 24th September 2008 : Stanley Goodwin for GYKO at the Withdean

Dutch goalkeeper Michel Kuipers' save from Michael Ball landed a huge shock for Coca-Cola League One Brighton against big-spending Manchester City in the Carling Cup tonight.

Albion beat City 5-3 on penalties at Withdean Stadium to reach the third round of the competition - and a home tie against Derby.

Gelson Fernandes had finally taken a chance for wasteful City in the 64th minute from Jo's pass and it looked enough to win it until Glenn Murray slotted an 89th-minute Brighton equaliser.

The shocked looked on when on-loan substitute Joe Anyinsah lashed them ahead five minutes into extra-time but Stephen Ireland's reply 10 minutes later forced the shoot-out.

Excited fans in a record home crowd of 8,729 flooded the pitch at the end after Matt Richards put away the winner from the spot.

But in this classic triumph for poor over rich Brighton's heroes were multiple with Dave Livermore, Tommy Elphick, Glenn Murray and Adam Virgo all scored in the shoot-out before Kuipers' masterful stop.

In their first public appearance since being anointed the "richest club in the world" by the £200million Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover, City sent out six players who started Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Portsmouth.

But they took a long time to impose themselves on the battling League One side, who had won only once at home this season and lost to a Walsall team reduced to nine men before half-time on Saturday.

The nearest thing to a goal in the first half came when Brighton's stand-in captain Steve Thomson, wearing the armband in the absence of injured top scorer Nicky Forster, sliced through the centre of City's defence and drilled his shot against Kasper Schmeichel's left-hand post.

Earlier it had taken 13 minutes for City to muster a shot on goal, with Jo barely testing Kuipers from 25 yards.

The Brazilian striker struggled for long periods, needed treatment after a hefty challenge by Matt Richards and was slow off the mark to a 33rd-minute through-ball which Kuipers came out to collect.

Ball was City's saviour in the 27th minute when the dangerous Thomson burst through onto a low ball which the defender had to hook away.

But City finally got going and Kuipers had to be quick off his line to deny Daniel Sturridge before the visitors wasted a golden chance to go ahead soon afterwards.

Ireland's corner from the right found Richard Dunne rising head and shoulders above all challengers but he steered his header over the crossbar.

Brighton bridged the gap in class with their commitment and work-rate, closing down smartly and preventing any real flow to the City attacks.

City, though, spurned another inviting opening four minutes before the break when Jo set up Pablo Zabaleta to lay off for Johnson but the midfielder's shot skewered wide of the target.

Swiss star Fernandes looked like he had won it when driving in Jo's unselfish assist in the 64th minute and they could have had more but for Kuipers' saves from Jo and Ched Evans before Murray came up with a stunning 89th-minute equaliser after Schmeichel could only parry Thomson's shot.

City had been warned when Schmeichel had to race off his line three minutes earlier to deny Murray.

But they were still strolling five minutes into extra time when Anyinsah fired home in style from 12 yards after great work by fellow substitute Dean Cox.

The loan signing from Preston had the chance to seal it in the first half of extra time, breaking clear only to be overhauled by a desperate Dunne.

And it could have proved costly when Ireland out-fought Elphick and Kuipers to lash home a long ball for a 109th-minute equaliser.

The glory, though, was all Brighton's in the end.

Teams

Brighton Kuipers, Whing (Cook 85), El-Abd, Thomson, Richards,Livermore, Murray, Loft (Anyinsah 68), Fraser (Cox 74), Virgo,Elphick.

Subs Not Used: Sullivan, Hart, Robinson, Wills.

Booked: Livermore, El-Abd.

Goals: Murray 89, Anyinsah 95.

Man City Schmeichel, Zabaleta, Dunne, Ben-Haim, Michael Ball,Kompany, Ireland, Johnson (Elano 102), Gelson,Sturridge (Evans 60), Jo (Caicedo 91).

Subs Not Used: Hart, Garrido, Hamann, Logan.

Goals: Gelson 64, Ireland 108.

Att: 8,729

Ref: Andy D'Urso (Essex).
 

Manchester City 6 Portsmouth 0    Ireland in the sun
Sunday 21st September 2008 : Phil Oates at the COMSTAD for GYKO

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan picked the wrong day to inject realism into his £200m takeover of Manchester City. "We are building a structure for the future, not just a team of all-stars," said the Arab billionaire on completion of the due diligence process yesterday, having heeded the scorn that greeted the transfer wish list divulged on deadline day. He may be too late, for Mark Hughes' team have already begun to indulge in fantasy.

In contrast to the new owner, City chose the perfect time to impress a gallery with global domination on the mind. Before Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who will become City's new chairman when Sheikh Mansour's takeover is formally concluded tomorrow, and Thaksin Shinawatra, the outgoing owner who will stay on as honorary president, Hughes' team excelled against Portsmouth to record their biggest Premier League win. The men from Abu Dhabi hope to establish a gulf between their new investment and the rest in years to come. But one was very evident here.

Whether it was City's magnificence or Portsmouth's appalling display that produced this mauling divided the respective managers as deeply as the goal count. "That was the best performance I've managed by a country mile," said Hughes. "We were poor. Our defensive play was abysmal," said a shell-shocked Harry Redknapp. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between and yet there was no mistaking the potent cocktail of City's Brazilian technique and home-grown strength and spirit. The result was unbridled joy for the City faithful as Robinho illuminated their afternoon with a performance of technique and no little effort, and Hughes substituted the British record signing, his compatriot Jo and the outstanding Stephen Ireland simply so all three could enjoy standing ovations.

"If ever there was a day to impress people this was the one," remarked the City manager. "We did that and more. From start to finish the desire and determination in our play, the ability to pick the right pass and to create chances was evident. It was a fantastic team performance, with some brilliant individual displays from Stephen Ireland, Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Vincent Kompany. We have set a high standard with this performance and the aim is to strive to even greater heights." Talk of Champions League qualification will not sound so fanciful if they do.

Portsmouth were 3-0 victors at Everton on their last away trip but were made to look a shambles as City comprehensively clicked for the first time since Abu Dhabi money transformed their bank balance and ambitions. Hughes's side were superior in every department, their defence immune to the errors that swiftly undermined Portsmouth's game plan, the midfield blessed with greater understanding and invention and, as befitted their billing, the Brazilian strike force of Jo and Robinho leading the visitors' rearguard on an irrepressible dance. For David James, Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin this was 90 minutes on the rack.

Robinho instigated the rout with a delightful pass that released Jo behind the visiting defence, took him around James and saw him convert into an empty net. The England goalkeeper's afternoon plummeted thereafter. James's failure to deal with an Elano corner to his near post enabled Richard Dunne to bundle in a second and the game was effectively up after only 20 minutes. The first "Olés" were heard five minutes later. Portsmouth had their chances either side of the interval, Jermain Defoe squandering a glorious invitation seconds after the restart, but they did not get the run of the ball or display any resilience. City's movement and work ethic produced an exhibition.

Ireland's tenacity and then vision produced Robinho's second successive goal at home for his new club, via Jo, before the midfielder's measured pass enabled Wright-Phillips to beat James at his near post. A backheel from Wright-Phillips gave the young substitute Ched Evans his first goal for the club and the England winger was heavily involved in City's sixth when he challenged James for Javier Garrido's left-wing cross and Gelson Fernandes converted the loose ball. The only problem for Hughes is having to tell his new employers that not every day is like this at City, although Sheikh Mansour appears to be learning fast after announcing to the world that Cristiano Ronaldo et al would be on their way in January.

The sheikh added: "We are ambitious for the club, like you, but not unreasonably so and we understand it takes time to build a team capable of sustaining a presence in the top four of the Premier League and winning European honours." It is performances and victories such as this that bring clarity to such lofty ambitions.

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Kompany, Wright-Phillips, Ireland (Gelson 77), Elano, Robinho (Sturridge 85), Jo (Evans 71).
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Michael Ball, Hamann, Ben-Haim.

Goals: Jo 13, Dunne 20, Robinho 57, Wright-Phillips 68, Evans 78, Gelson 83.

Portsmouth: James, Johnson (Pamarot 82), Distin, Campbell, Belhadj, Diarra, Davis (Diop 33), Kaboul (Utaka 46), Armand Traore, Crouch, Defoe.
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Mvuemba, Kanu.

Booked: Diarra.

Att: 40,238

Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

Omonia Nicosia 1 Manchester City 2   Jo at the Double
Thursday 18th September 2008 : Ken Gaunt for GYKO in Nicosia

With the £32.5m Robinho in their ranks, Manchester City were forced to contemplate an ignominious defeat in the first leg of their first-round Uefa Cup tie here last night when they went behind to the Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia. But two goals from Jo – his first for the club – should ensure that they reach the group stages.

The £19m summer signing from CSKA Moscow scored in the 59th and 72nd minutes after missing a string of good chances.

City almost made the breakthrough in the second minute when Robinho found space in the penalty area, but goalkeeper Antonis Giorgallides did well to parry to safety. Robinho then showed a nice bit of skill with a back-heel to Elano on the left but he failed to take advantage of the opening.

City kept up the pressure, but squandered a glorious chance of taking the lead in the 27th minute when Stephen Ireland squared the ball across the face of the penalty area and into the path of Jo. However, with the goal gaping, the Brazilian appeared to take his eye off the ball and he sliced his effort wide.

Omonia were playing with spirit, but were finding it difficult to break down City. Elano then skipped forward in the 39th minute only for Hamad Ndikumana to block his effort. A minute later, Jo came within inches of giving City the lead when his shot beat the goalkeeper but came back off the post. It was Ireland's turn to curse his luck in the 43rd minute after being set up by Jo, his effort also coming back off the woodwork. So City went in at the break all-square when they should have put the tie out of sight.

City were rocked back on their heels in the 49th minute when Omonia opened the scoring. The Albania midfielder Klodian Duro sent the home fans into a frenzy with a stunning free-kick from 18 yards. which whistled past goalkeeper Joe Hart

City roared back and Ireland's goal-bound shot was booted clear by Giorgallidis. Then Jo was again wasteful in the 55th minute after a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, his shot coming back off the crossbar.

City drew level four minutes later after cutting the Omonia defence apart with a swift counter-attack. Shaun Wright-Phillips raced to the byline and released Jo, who made no mistake with his first goal for the club. Wright-Phillips, who returned to the club from Chelsea in the transfer window, was looking lively and his pace was causing the Cypriots major problems.

City scored the winner in the 72nd minute thanks to Jo's second goal of the game which put them firmly in the driving seat. The big striker made no mistake from close range after getting on the end of a cross from Pablo Zabaleta. That gave City reward for their possession and the confidence to hold on for victory.

Omonia Nicosia: Giorgallides; Ndikumana, Wenzel, Papaioannou, Aloneftis (Niculescu, 74), Charalambous, Christofi, Duro, Kaseka, Okkas (Clayton, 81), Aguirre (Hagi, 46). Substitutes not used: Asprogenis, Alabi, Bangura, Cafu, Maris.

Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Kompany (Fernandes, 84), Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Elano (Hamann, 85), Robinho, Jo (Sturridge, 76). Substitutes not used: Schmeichel, Michael Ball, Ben-Haim, Gelson, Evans.

Referee: P Dondarini (Italy).

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 3                Party Poopers
Saturday 13th September 2008 : Get Your Kits Out at the COMSTAD

         Petr Cech is rooted to the spot as he watches Robinho's free kick sail past him for city's goal

Eastlands was ready to party. Supporters were decked in Robinho shirts and Arab head-dresses to mark the twin arrival at Manchester City of Britain's most expensive footballer and the wealth of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Then an icy blast of reality hit them.

Just because you are the planet's richest club, it does not mean you can catch up the elite overnight, and last night "Middle Eastlands" was quickly disabused of the theory that a Champions' League place will come as easily as the next million pounds. City did not flop their big entrance nor revert to calamitous type but they were comprehensively beaten by Chelsea who have a five-year start on collecting the world's best footballers.

City have just one, Robinho, and to be fair to the Brazilian you cannot expect even the most expensive player ever in British football to do much more than score on his debut. The £32.5m man did, with a first-half free-kick, but the problem was that Chelsea, who oozed the class of potential champions, got three goals through Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka. Even the late sending-off of John Terry for a cynical foul could not derail the visitors.

"It's an important three points," Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, said. "When we went 1-0 behind I saw that the team were nervous but after they equalised I think they largely controlled the game. We have some injuries and I had to change A, B and C but the players who came in did very well. I'm more happy with that than the 3-1 result."

Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, also found plusses beyond the scoreline. "We know where we are at the moment," he said. "It's very early in our development in terms of a squad and a team. Chelsea were well drilled and knew exactly what they were trying to do, and that comes as a consequence of playing winning football for the past five or six years.

"It's not going to happen overnight. We all realise that. People have got a little bit ahead of themselves and a little bit hysterical but as a squad we know the level we are at." Whether it was hysteria is a moot point but the mood around Eastlands before the game was of mounting, and pinch-me-am-I-dreaming, excitement.

Given the pressure to live up to his billing, it was not a surprise that Robinho's first two touches were misplaced passes but before the words "what a waste of money" could emanate from the Chelsea fans, the Brazilian had put City ahead after 13 minutes. Carvalho was harshly judged to have brought down Jo 22 yards out and there was a helping glance off John Obi Mikel's head but you could not fault the drama or the crispness of the shot as Robinho curled the free-kick past Petr Cech.

The place erupted, Robinho ran to the touchline and collapsed to the ground under a pile of team-mates, but Chelsea are not a side to accept a supporting role and within three minutes they had equalised. A corner was won by Terry, the ball rebounded off Joe Cole and Carvalho crashed a volley past Joe Hart.

That goal ushered sobriety into the party and Chelsea spent the rest of the match creating edifying patterns. Lampard was outstanding, Deco, Carvalho and Joe Cole were fractions behind him and City, who had the chance to train with Robinho for the first time on Friday, looked what they are: a team in search of understanding.

Florent Malouda hit the bar with a header and Lampard fired just over immediately after the interval so it had been coming when Chelsea took the lead after 53 minutes. Lampard passed to Malouda and with the home defenders distracted by Chelsea's strikers there was a yard of potential on the edge of their area. The England midfielder is a master at exploiting this space and when the ball was returned he swerved round Richard Dunne's challenge and hit a low shot into the opposite corner.

City needed something extraordinary to get back into the match and they went somewhere nearer to it in the 77th minute when Jo seized on a mistake by Deco and would have raced away had he not been brought down with a rugby tackle by Terry.

His sending-off was a rare discordant note for the visitors on a night when victory was relatively easily achieved. "We expect to make a better fist of it when we meet them again," Hughes warned.

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Michael Ball (Sturridge 84), Wright-Phillips, Hamann (Gelson 61), Kompany, Ireland, Robinho, Jo.
Subs Not Used: Schmeichel, Elano, Garrido, Evans, Ben-Haim.

Goals: Robinho 13.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Terry, Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Obi, Lampard, Deco, Joe Cole (Belletti 70), Anelka (Alex 79), Malouda (Drogba 70).
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Ivanovic, Bridge, Kalou.

Sent Off: Terry (77).

Booked: Obi.

Goals: Carvalho 16, Lampard 53, Anelka 69.

Att: 47,331

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).