Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2 (agg 3-2)

League Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Wednesday 25 January 2012, 19.45 KO

City: Hart, Richards (c), Lescott, Savic (Aguero 45), Kolarov, Zabaleta, de Jong (A Johnson 78), Barry, Nasri, Silva, Dzeko
Unused: Pantilimon, Clichy, Hargreaves, Milner, Rekik
Goals: de Jong (31), Dzeko (67)
Booked: Kolarov

Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the Match: Joe Hart

It wasn’t a great start from the visitors, who gifted the hosts a chance to get themselves further into the lead with just six minutes played. Enrique though could only find Joe Hart, who saved well with his feet to keep the scores level on the night. It was all Liverpool in the opening stages, with every time City got the ball clear it came straight back at them.

With 22 minutes on the clock, Bellamy forced a good save from Hart, who got across well to push the ball away, after the former City forward had escaped the attention of Stefan Savic. Bellamy had the ball in the City net shortly after, but it was flagged offside and City weren’t in any deeper trouble.

However, it got better for the visitors and, against the run of play, they pulled the aggregate score level and took the lead on the night. Nigel de Jong picked the ball up from 25 yards out and, despite slipping, he managed to curl it around Reina and find the corner of the net. The scores were level and Liverpool’s away goal had been cancelled out from the most unlikely of sources.

But the lead didn’t last long. Micah Richards was adjudged to have handled a fierce drive inside the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot. It was a very harsh decision – Richards blocked with his foot before the ball ricocheted up onto his arm and the ball was struck from three yards in front of him – but the referee waved away the protests and Gerrard slotted the spot kick home. Liverpool had been the better team, but City had been very hard done to at the break.

City switched to a more orthodox back four for the second half in an attempt to get more ball possession further up the pitch, but it was the hosts who had the first chance after the restart. Bellamy got in behind Lescott and crossed low for Kuyt, though Richards cleared. The rebound was struck straight back at goal and Hart could only parry, but Lescott was at the rebound first. Barry then smashed a shot straight over Reina’s bar.

A Gerrard free kick then caused Hart problems as he tried to punch, but could only put it on the foot of Martin Skrtel. The Liverpool centre-back shot at goal and the England keeper re-adjusted well to fingertip the ball over the bar. Hart was then on hand to block from Downing, after he was unmarked to volley Kuyt’s cross. City were penned in.

Kolarov then picked up a yellow card after he was on the receiving end of a late challenge from Jordan Henderson, before Bellamy once again got in behind Lescott, but Richards recovered to block the City old boy’s cross. Though, after Silva had wasted a free kick on the right flank, City re-took the lead, again against the run of play – Kolarov smashed a cross low and Dzeko got in at the back post to smash the ball home from inside the six-yard box.

But, just seven minutes later, Liverpool were back in front. A poor clearance from Lescott put the hosts back on the attack and a quick one-two between Bellamy and Johnson allowed the former City man to slide the ball past Hart, giving the England keeper no chance. City were once again behind on aggregate.

Edin Dzeko played a great ball towards Johnson to set the substitute free down the right flank with just under ten minutes to go to the whistle. Johnson, though, couldn’t get the ball onto his left foot to shoot quickly and his effort was easily collected by Reina. City were struggling to create anything and Liverpool were content to defend their aggregate lead.

With four minutes to play, Johnson found Zabaleta cutting in from the right flank and the Argentine’s low ball found Dzeko on the edge of the six-yard box. He turned and shot, but Agger blocked, with the City fans appealing for handball. The referee, though, waved away the protests. A last gasp chance from City wasn’t enough to retake the lead, as Aguero’s overhead kick from a long kick from Hart was straight at Reina.

City could feel hard done to with a fair few refereeing decisions, but they could have no complaints as to who was going to progress to the final – the visitors had given themselves far too much work to do after the defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City 3 Tottenham 2

English Premier League
Sunday 22 January 2012, 13.30 KO

City: Hart, Richards (c), Savic, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Barry, Silva, Nasri, Aguero, Dzeko (Balotelli 67)
Unused: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Onuoha, de Jong, A Johnson
Goals: Nasri (56), Lescott (59), Balotelli (pen 90+5)
Booked: Clichy, Balotelli

Referee: Howard Webb
Man of the Match: David Silva

It was a nervy opening from both sides, who spent the first few minutes probing each other, looking for the first chance of the game. It turned out to be the visitors that took the initiative, breaking away from a poor Nasri corner. Lennon, though, wasted the opportunity to cross, finding Hart’s gloves instead. Bale then drilled a low cross through the area, but it missed everybody and Clichy was able to clear.

With 25 minutes on the clock, City had livened up. Aguero fashioned a shooting chance for Silva, but the Spaniard’s shot was a yard wide of the post. Richards broke down the line and got the ball across to Aguero shortly after, but the Argentine’s shot was well saved by Friedel, after he’d skipped inside the challenge.

Lescott fouled Bale on the edge of the City box and it gave the visitors the chance to shoot at goal with the first half slowly ambling towards half time. But Kaboul smashed the kick well over the bar. Tottenham had perhaps edged the first half, but it was goalless at the break and there could have been few complaints about the scoreline from either side.

City, though, stepped up their game in the second half. Richards’s cross was blocked by Assou-Ekotto’s elbow in the area, but it would have been a very harsh penalty. Milner then pulled out a cracking tackle to deny Bale a free run on goal; it was timed perfectly to nick the ball away from the Welshman inside the City box.

With the hour mark approaching, Silva found Nasri with a brilliant through ball. The Frenchman was through on goal and, with the veteran Spurs keeper bearing down on him, the former Arsenal man smashed the ball past Friedel and into the back of the net. City’s pressure had earned them the lead.

And it got better: From a right wing corner, the ball fell to Lescott at the back post and, from no more than half a yard out, the centre-back scrambled it into the back of the net. It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but it put the hosts two up in three minutes.

Within a minute, though, the visitors pulled one back. A ball over the top wasn’t cut out by Savic and he could only flick the ball on. Defoe broke away from the line of defence and skipped around the onrushing Hart, leaving himself with an easy finish into the open goal. It handed the initiative to the away side.

It didn’t take long for Tottenham to seize that initiative, either. Bale picked up the ball from 20 yards out after City had struggled to clear their lines. His stunning effort found the top corner and Joe Hart’s best efforts couldn’t keep it out. In the space of ten minutes, City had gone two goals in front and Tottenham had pulled it back.

With 20 minutes of the match to play, the game became very stretched. Spurs survived a string of City corners, before they broke away at pace, looking to get themselves in front. But neither side could get the breakthrough, both unable to forge a clear shooting chance. Balotelli was very lucky to escape a red card for a kick out at Parker after the Italian’s shot was charged down.

As the game entered stoppage time, Tottenham should have stolen the points. A mistake by Savic in the middle of the pitch gifted the ball to Bale, who broke on Lescott with a two-on-one. The Welshman sprinted down the line and crossed for Defoe at the back post, who was unmarked, and, from a yard out, he couldn’t stretch enough and somehow put the ball wide with the goal gaping.

And it turned out to be costly. With under a minute of added time to play, a Clichy clearance bounced nicely for Balotelli to run on to into the box. There, a challenge from King brought his run to an abrupt half and the referee pointed to the spot. Balotelli stepped up and won the game for City.

Wigan 0 Manchester City 1

English Premier League
Monday 16 January 2012, 20.00 KO

City: Hart, Zabaleta (c), Savic, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Barry, Nasri (de Jong 74), Silva (Onuoha 81), Dzeko, Aguero (A Johnson 90)
Unused: Pantilimon, Kolarov, Rekik, Hargreaves
Goals: Dzeko (22)
Booked: Zabaleta, de Jong, Milner

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the Match: Sergio Aguero

The early pressure of the game was on the Wigan goal, as Dzeko looked to get free inside the box in the opening ten seconds, but the defence were able to clear, before Nasri and Zabaleta tried to combine to release Silva on the right. The hosts, though, hit back immediately, as Lescott missed the ball at the near post and Clichy flicked it away. Wigan wanted a penalty for a foul by Barry, but the referee turned away the shouts, before Milner deflected a shot from the edge of the box behind.

Dzeko and Savic both had headers on goal just over the bar, as City looked for the early goal, before Rodallega stole the ball from Lescott as the defender tried to carry the ball away and Moses fired over from the edge of the box. It was a furious start to the match, but it soon calmed down, with both sides not looking to give away too much ground.

On 21 minutes, Dzeko earned City a free kick on the left flank as Alcaraz brought him down. Silva took the resulting kick and found the big centre-forward unmarked in the box. After missing an earlier chance, he wasn’t going to miss this one and he planted his header into the corner of the net. It was his first City goal since the start of November.

McArthur looked to get the home side level just before the half hour mark, as Zabaleta nicked the ball away from a Wigan attack and the midfielder took an opportunistic strike from the edge of the box that needed both hands from Hart to stop. Dzeko then wanted a penalty at the other end, but it would have been harsh if the referee had pointed to the spot, before Barry skied a good chance.

Nasri stole the ball inside the Wigan area and pulled it back for Silva to shoot, but he couldn’t find the room to get the ball through and it was just about cleared by the defence. Moses had the chance to cross the ball when the home side had men in the box, but Barry got across well to make the tackle, before winning the ball back and completing the clearance. A Wigan free kick then needed Savic, Lescott and Barry to combine to clear.

A City breakaway saw Silva and Aguero have a two-on-two in the Wigan half and the Spaniard did enough to find the Argentine on the edge of the box. He found room for the shot and forced Al Habsi into a good save, before Savic was needed to stop the hosts getting clean through on Hart’s goal down the right flank.

Wigan started the second half brightly and were asking the referee for a penalty almost immediately, as the ball appeared to strike Zabaleta’s arm in the box. It was fired at him and his arm was by his side, so there were no surprises it wasn’t given, though the appeals were more from the fans than the players. McArthur had an effort from the edge of the box, but he didn’t get the curl he wanted and it bounced harmlessly behind.

Zabaleta stole the ball back on the edge of the Wigan box and set Nasri through to cross low to the back post. Dzeko picked the ball up and looked as if he couldn’t sort his feet out, before he found a cracking shot for the top corner. Al Habsi was able to push it away, only as far as Nasri and his pull back to Silva was well stopped. Aguero should then have doubled City’s lead as he worked his way into the six yard box, but he couldn’t find the shot and Dzeko could only find the hands of the goalkeeper.

A double deflection on a Clichy cross from Alcaraz and McCarthy almost put the ball in at the back post and on a plate for Dzeko, but Caldwell just got in the striker’s way to concede the corner. From that flag kick, the hosts had the chance to break, but a poor ball let them down and City won back possession.

With 20 minutes to play, Joe Hart pulled off a great save to spare Milner’s blushes after he’d given the ball away in midfield. It was knocked through for a one-on-one and the City stopper got his foot to the shot from McCarthy and Clichy was able to hook the rebound away to safety. Aguero found himself onside, but the ball was behind him and he couldn’t readjust. He played it to Dzeko, who took the shot, but the deflection made it easier for Al Habsi to tip it over the bar.

A good touch from Dzeko allowed him to played a great ball over to Zabaleta on the opposite side of the pitch. His first time ball to Milner was good, but Milner’s was better to send Aguero through, but the Argentine couldn’t find the target and dragged his shot well wide. It was another chance gone begging for the visitors.

A blatant handball from Figueroa to deny Aguero a free run on goal from the halfway line had the City fans calling for a late red card, but the referee decided it was only worth a yellow, before Hart needed to dive on the ball to stop the confusion in the City box as a high ball in was only half cleared. City were holding on, but they managed to see out a nervy victory.

Manchester City 0 Liverpool 1

League Cup Semi Final First Leg
Wednesday 11 January 2012, 19.45 KO

City: Hart, Richards (c), Savic, Lescott, Clichy, de Jong (Kolarov 72), Barry, Milner, A Johnson (Dzeko 66), Balotelli (Nasri 39), Aguero
Unused: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Onuoha, Hargreaves
Goals: -
Booked: Nasri

Referee: Lee Mason
Man of the Match: Micah Richards

There were similarities with how this League Cup tie started and how the Premier League fixture began last week, in that it was the visitors who were the quicker out of the blocks. It needed Hart to pull off a good save from a one-on-one with Andy Carroll, as the striker turned Savic and closed in on goal. The City keeper then needed to push Gerrard’s effort from the edge of the box away for a corner, before he got down brilliantly to react to a deflection from a shot just inside the box.

With just over ten minutes played, though, a corner for the visitors earned them a penalty. The header was missed in front of Agger and he took a touch on his chest, before being brought down by Savic. There were no questions and the referee pointed to the spot; Gerrard dispatched the kick into the bottom left corner, with Hart unlucky not to get a hand on it.

After the goal, Liverpool seemed content to let City have the ball, especially as the hosts were struggling to create anything of note. Richards had a blast from a long way out blocked, with very little on around him, before the injured Balotelli was replaced by Nasri in an attempt to boost the home side’s creativity. He did, immediately getting City’s first shot on target from the edge of the box, though it was easy for Reina.

On the stroke of half time, City should have been level: Richards did well to power past Johnson and get into the box. He pulled the ball back for Milner, arriving on the penalty spot, but the midfielder got his shot all wrong and skied it well wide and well over the bar. It was looking bleak for City, who were clearly missing the spine of the team.

The second half got into a pattern pretty quickly: City struggling to keep the ball and break down the Liverpool defence and Liverpool happy to hold on to their advantage under no real threat from the hosts. Aguero intercepted Kelly’s short backpass, but Reina did enough to close the striker down, who wasn’t able to find the target. Richards then powered a header from a corner at the Liverpool keeper, and City couldn’t force it over the line.

With the clock running down, City introduced Kolarov and Dzeko to try and muster something else at the right end of the pitch, but in the final half hour Reina was barely tested. Crosses were going behind or bouncing through the box and shooting opportunities were few and far between. City needed something and it didn’t come.

To round of the home side’s frustrations, a two-footed tackle from Glenn Johnson on Lescott – arguably worse than Kompany’s on Nani at the weekend – went totally unpunished. It didn’t merit a red card, but having seen the City skipper sent off for a lesser offence and then having seen the appeal dismissed, it left a bitter taste in the mouths of the blues in the stands.

City have it all to do at Anfield.

Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3

FA Cup Third Round
Sunday 8 January 2012, 13.00 KO

City: Pantilimon, Richards, Kompany (c), Lescott, Kolarov, de Jong, Milner, Nasri (Hargreaves 82), Silva (Savic 45), A Johnson (Zabaleta 45), Aguero
Unused: Hart, Clichy, Razak, Suarez
Goals: Kolarov (48), Aguero (64)
Booked: -
Sent Off: Kompany

Referee: Chris Foy
Man of the Match: James Milner

It was a repeat of last year’s FA Cup semi-final as the third Manchester derby of the season got underway in the rain at the Etihad Stadium. And it was the hosts who looked in full control from the kick-off, as United struggled to get out of their own half. City, though, couldn’t fashion a good shooting chance and it was the visitors who took the lead, completely against the run of play: Rooney nodded the ball into the net after a poor kick from Pantilimon set up the attack. Rooney knocked the ball wide and beat Richards in the air to the return to score off the bar.

It got worse for City almost immediately. Vincent Kompany slid in to dispossess Nani midway into his own half; he did go in with two feet, but it was more of a scissor motion and a side-foot tackle and, after what appeared to be no small encouragement from Rooney, the referee decided it was worthy of a red card. Nani – the man challenged – seemed happy to play on and Chris Foy appeared to be playing on, but suddenly changed his mind. It was a very harsh decision.

Aguero almost equalised with a curling effort almost straight away, but Lindegaard got across well to push the ball behind for a corner. The referee further annoyed the home fans by not producing yellow cards for late challenges by Giggs and Jones. And it didn’t get better for the blues fans, as Wellbeck swivelled and shot in the box, finding the bottom corner, after City couldn’t get the ball clear.

A rash tackle from Kolarov inside his own area then seemed to end the game: Rooney stepped up to take the resulting penalty and tried for the bottom right corner. Pantilimon got across to block, but he was very unlucky that his save bounced straight back to the England centre-forward, who headed the ball into the empty net. It looked all over before half time.

Step forward Roberto Mancini. Two half time changes and a switch in tactics helped City fight their way back into the game, helped by the hosts pulling a goal back almost immediately. Evra brought down Richards on the edge of the box on the right side and Kolarov stepped up to power the free kick into the corner of the net. It was just what City needed.

That changed the atmosphere. Despite having a man fewer, City were defending tightly and allowing United possession, but keeping them at arm’s length, looking to nick the ball for a breakaway. The visitors brought on the now out-of-retirement Paul Scholes and it was he who was at fault for City’s second. With 63 minutes played, Milner nicked his short pass to Evra and crossed low for Aguero. The Argentine’s first shot was saved, but he reacted first to tap into the open goal.

United tried to kill the game off with possession and City weren’t able to commit too many bodies forward to try and steal the ball. The visitors pressed, but didn’t trouble Pantilimon on that many occasions: Scholes hit one straight at the City keeper, while Rooney bobbled one wide. Kolarov then got away with a challenge in the box that should have been a second penalty.

With eight minutes to play, City were then denied a penalty as Jones appeared to handle the ball in the box in blocking a Kolarov cross. The home players and fans were adamant, but the referee only awarded the corner. Rooney got up to head away, but de Jong retrieved the ball and United were pinned in their own half by the ten men.

As the board went up for added time, Richards attempted an overhead kick but missed the ball, before Lescott was unlucky as he challenged for a Zabaleta free kick that Lindegaard got nowhere near. The United keeper then spilled a Kolarov free kick that was powered at him, but none of the players in blue in the box could get their foot on the rebound to turn it home. The visitors were hanging on.

With seconds to play, the home side won a corner and piled everybody – including the goalkeeper Pantilimon – into the box. Kolarov’s kick found the keeper’s head, but he couldn’t direct it towards the net and, as the away side cleared their lines, the final whistle blew. City came out of the game with their heads held high and with a lot of pride, but, ultimately, it was United in the fourth round draw.