Hull City 0 Manchester City 2

FA Premier League
Saturday 15 March 2014, 12.45 KO

City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany (c), Demichelis, Clichy, Garcia, Fernandinho, Toure (Lescott 71), Nasri (Navas 81), Silva (Kolarov 90), Dzeko
Unused: Pantilimon, Milner, Rodwell, Negredo
Goals: Silva (14), Dzeko (90)
Booked: Zabaleta, Hart
Sent Off: Kompany

Referee: Lee Mason
Man of the Match: Javi Garcia

Nasri takes on Figueroa.

City’s hopes of an easy afternoon following a disappointing week were always going to be a pipe dream, with a visit to Hull a potential banana skin to slip on. And it didn’t get off to the best start for the away side, who found themselves a man down after just ten minutes. Kompany was given his marching orders after Jelavic stole the ball and the captain pulled him back when clean through on goal – the Belgian felt he was fouled, but the referee disagreed and sent him to the stands.

But the visitors didn’t let the red card affect them: Four minutes later, they were in the lead. After riding pressure from the hosts, City broke down the other end of their first attack since losing a man. Toure found Silva on the edge of the box and, after cutting back inside onto his left, the Spaniard fired a delightful shot into the corner of the net, leaving McGregor with no chance.

Despite being down a man, it was the Blues who were looking the more likely to score the next goal, too. Hull had dominated possession, but hadn’t been able to test Hart, when Zabaleta unleashed a blistering shot for the top corner. It smashed into the underside of the bar and dropped down onto the line, before bouncing out.

City weren’t happy with the referee shortly after, as he showed Elmohamady a yellow card for a nasty challenge on Silva – with studs showing, he caught the midfielder on the shin – and it could easily have been a red. Hull had the ball in City’s net a moment later, after the Blues made nothing of the free kick, but there was an offside in the build-up and Meyler’s brilliant finish didn’t stand.

Silva opens the scoring.

The visitors were playing a very organised game at the back since the red card and that showed early in the second half. Time after time, the Blues held their line well on the edge of the box to catch Hull forwards offside and it helped the away side ease the early pressure.

Long stung Hart’s fingers with an effort from range, before Jelavic tried to turn a low free kick around the corner and into the net, but he couldn’t connect well enough to divert the ball. Huddlestone curled a free kick into the middle, but the goalkeeper was also there to gather.

With 70 minutes on the clock, there was more controversy. Boyd looked to go around Hart and hit the deck as the goalkeeper challenged. There was no touch and the Hull man dived, but wasn’t shown a yellow card by the referee – in the resulting altercation, Hart reacted angrily and, as the two came together, Boyd appeared to spit in the goalkeeper’s face. Somehow, it was only City’s number one who saw yellow.

A minute later, Fernandinho should have doubled City’s lead as a deflected shot fell into his path on the edge of the six-yard box. In on goal, he scuffed his effort wide – and it could have been costly as Jelavic won a header in the visitors’ box, but Hart got up well to collect it.

Three minutes from the end, Dzeko should have sealed victory. Silva played a beautiful pass inside to send the Bosnian clean through on goal – but one-on-one with the goalkeeper, his effort lacked conviction and power, and McGregor blocked well at the striker’s feet.

However, as the clock ticked to 90, Dzeko got a second chance to seal the points and this one he took. Silva was again involved as he played an even better pass to send the striker clear. This time, he passed the ball around the goalkeeper on his left foot, and, with stoppage time approaching, confirmed the victory.

It was a tough afternoon for the Blues, but they coped well – especially played a man down for 80 minutes.

Manchester City 2 Hull City 0

FA Premier League
Saturday 31 August 2013, 12.45 KO

City: Hart, Zabaleta, Nastasic, Lescott, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Toure (c), Silva (Nasri 66), Aguero (Milner 75), Dzeko (Negredo 45), Navas
Unused: Pantilimon, Clichy, Garcia, Jovetic
Goals: Negredo (65), Toure (90)
Booked: Fernandinho, Nastasic

Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the Match: Jesus Navas

Silva is strong against Huddlestone.

Just what the doctor ordered a week after losing unexpectedly to a newly promoted team: Another newly promoted team, but one who built their previous season’s success on steady 1-0 wins. A mean defence and a squad happy to press the ball. The perfect remedy for a City side a bit shaken for confidence. Your sarcasm detector might have broken already…

After a disappointing weekend, the Blues needed a quick start and to be out of the blocks with some early pressure – maybe even an early goal. But it was the visitors who were preying on the hosts’ vulnerability: Graham nearly latched on to a ball over the top, but Aluko missed the golden chance – a one-on-one with Hart, after a mix-up between Nastasic and Lescott.

The linesman’s flag was what saved City from falling behind next. A ball across the back four was missed by everybody but Graham, who slid it into the net past the despairing Hart dive. But it was offside. Just.

Tentatively, the home side responded with some chances of their own. Dzeko met a Navas corner to force McGregor to parry wide and had Lescott’s header been either side of the goalkeeper, it would likely have been the opening goal. As it was, he was able to tip it over the bar.

But after the Tigers had ridden the City reply, the game settled into a gritty pattern. The home side had a lot of the ball, but struggled to use it, while the visitors were wasteful with their passing on the break. On the stroke of half time, Yaya Toure missed a free header from inside the box – and the home side should have gone in a goal up.

Substitute Negredo got his angles all wrong when he was gifted a free header in the opening stages of the second half – a delivery from the right was met by the Spaniard, but he headed well wide.

But any fans hoping that would swing the tie City’s way would have been disappointed. Zabaleta’s miscued header fell to Graham, but his effort was well over the bar. Hart showed neat footwork to evade Aluko, as the Hull man chased him down.

Navas tries a spectacular volley.

As the hour mark approached, the home side were improving and getting closer. Navas had a volley wide, while a well-rehearsed free kick found Lescott free at the back-post, but his header across goal was deflected behind. And, as Nasri’s introduction seemed imminent, the hosts took the lead.

A breakaway, led by Navas and Aguero found Zabaleta on the right flank. He got the ball across from deep and early, allowing Negredo to leap higher than any of the visiting defence. He met it and nodded past the star jump of McGregor, straight into the net.

Navas found Nastasic from a free kick, but the Serbian could only find the gloves of McGregor, as the home side looked to put the game to bed. And it was getting nervy – as Kolarov was the wrong side of Boyd, but it took a great challenge for the left-back to recover inside his own box. Two great punches from Hart also cleared the box, as the keeper relieved some of the pressure.

The ultimate relief, though, came from the captain. Nasri was felled on the edge of the box as the game headed for stoppage time. With Toure and Kolarov over it, it was the Ivorian who curled the ball into the top corner – in off the underside of the bar, as the defender on the line could do nothing.

It was far from a classic City performance, but a win’s a win after all.

Hull City 2 Manchester City 1

Barclay’s English Premiership
Saturday 6 February, 15:00 KO

City: Given, Zabaleta, Bridge (Petrov 85), Touré (c), Boyata, de Jong, Barry, Ireland (A. Johnson 56), Bellamy (Vieira 61), Tevez, Adebayor
Unused: Taylor, Onuoha, Sylvinho, Wright-Phillips
Goals: Adebayor (59)
Booked: Touré, Boyata, Zabaleta, Vieira

Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the Match: Nigel de Jong

Hull started the game the stronger, dominating the possession inside City’s half, without really causing the visitors any problems. Though a mix-up in the defence did leave Touré playing everyone onside and he had to give away a foul just outside the area to rescue the situation, earning him a yellow card after just 3 minutes.

With 13 minutes gone, City began to find their feet. Bellamy and Barry looked to combine down the left wing, but, after some nice passing from the away side, Barry didn’t make the run and Bellamy’s excellent ball inside was left to go out of play for a goal kick.

Boyata then picked up a yellow card for a tangle with Altidore, before Vennegoor of Hesselink dragged a first time left footed volley wide of Given’s post, under pressure from Touré.

With 28 minutes on the clock, Hull made their domination pay. The ball was knocked into the feet of Vennegoor of Hesselink and he held off Boyata to tee up Altidore. The Hull man’s first time shot wasn’t blocked by Touré’s challenge and it curled around Given.

Ireland and Fagan exchanged ideas after a tangle by the corner flag, just after Bridge had lost a boot making a clearance under pressure from Hunt. With five minutes to go to the half, City were beginning to see more of the ball.

First Bridge had an effort charged down by Hunt from about 35 yards, before Bellamy skied a shot from round about the same distance. Some patient play in stoppage time forged City’s best chance of the half, as Barry, Bellamy and Bridge combined to find Ireland, who slotted the ball past Tevez and back into the path of City’s left back, who had continued his run. His shot, though, was parried by Myhill and Adebayor skied the rebound.

Ten minutes into the second half and Altidore hit the deck in the box under pressure from de Jong and Zabaleta, but the referee ruled it was a fair tackle and awarded the corner. From the kick, Boyata cleared as far as Boateng on the edge of the box and he lashed the ball back, straight past Given and into the net.

City had a mountain to climb and, with Myhill still yet to make a save, it looked like it would end badly for the visitors. But, just five minutes later, City were back within a goal of their hosts. Touré and Adebayor tried to force the ball into the net from City’s first corner of the day and it fell to the big Togo forward, who gave Myhill no chance.

With 69 minutes on the clock, Tevez had a go from the edge of the box, but it was well over, before Vieira tried to find Adebayor’s run into the area, as City pressed for the equaliser.

Despite City’s pressure, they couldn’t force another chance until a minute to go, when substitute Adam Johnson curled a cross into the box from the right wing and Myhill let it slip through his hands, nearly dropping into the net. The resulting corner came to nothing.

A minute later, an excellent move involving Touré and Barry found Tevez in the box, but he scuffed his side-footed effort and it fell straight to Myhill. Given joined the attack for a corner, but City, via Adebayor, could only prod a very tame shot at the Hull goal and a dreadful performance from the visitors got them exactly what it deserved.

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Manchester City 1 Hull City 1

Barclay’s English Premiership
Saturday 28 November 2009, 15:00 KO

City: Given, Richards, Lescott, Touré (c), Bridge, Ireland, de Jong, Robinho (Bellamy 75), Wright-Phillips, Tevez, Adebayor (Santa Cruz 67)
Unused: Taylor, Johnson, Onuoha, Kompany, Weiss,
Goals: Wright-Phillips (45+1)
Booked: de Jong

Referee: Lee Probert
Man of the Match: Wayne Bridge

City went into the game knowing that if they didn’t end their recent run of draws then it would be a club record broken, something that both the fans and the management didn’t want.

The game started with the home side the better. There was only 25 seconds on the clock when Tevez slipped Robinho in on his return and the City forward won a corner, but it came to nothing.

Hull then caused a scare in City’s box, when a ball between the defenders and the goalkeeper had everybody like statues, watching it bounce across the six yard box. The return ball in was cleared by Richards after Given wasn’t able to gather it.

On 16 minutes, Stephen Ireland was unlucky not to give City the lead, as he threw a boot to volley a Micah Richards pass from the edge of the box. It had Duke worried, but it looped just over the bar.

Three minutes later, Robinho was close to scoring on his return from injury. He cut inside from the left and, after turning McShane inside out, he fired a low effort towards the back post and it was inches wide.

Tevez then should have scored, after some neat play from Robinho, de Jong and Adebayor, but his one-on-one from the left side of the box was saved by Duke for a corner.

With half an hour gone, Wright-Phillips hit the side netting with a cracking acrobatic volley. Tevez slipped Robinho in and the Brazilian played a sublime pass to the right wing and City’s academy product had a first time hit that was just wide.

Ten minutes before the break, McShane reminded City that there were two teams playing today, flashing a header from the near post into the side netting, when he was completely unmarked.

Just as the teams were preparing for the interval, Wright-Phillips gave City the lead after an advantage played by the referee for a foul on Robinho on the edge of City’s box. He had the ball on the edge of the box and had a go with nothing much on in the box, and, via a flick off Gardner’s head, it beat Duke and found the net.

Five minutes into the second half and there was a scare for City. Garcia beat Given with his dinked shot, but Lescott was behind his goalkeeper to clear off the line, preserving his side’s lead.

Some good work from Wright-Phillips in the Hull half saw him break into the box, but his pull back was just short of Adebayor and was intercepted. Making almost the same move two minutes later, he was unlucky not to have gotten a penalty, when Hunt appeared to pull him down.

On the hour mark, Ireland collected a great defensive header from Bridge and ran the length of the pitch to feed Tevez, but the Argentinian delayed too long and couldn’t get his shot or a cross in.

With 15 minutes to go, Robinho flashed another shot past the far post, after cutting inside from the left, but it was a good yard wide and Duke had it covered. Robinho then smashed a free-kick past the far post, as if he couldn’t decide on a shot or a low cross.

On 80 minutes, Touré took the game by the scruff of the neck, bringing the ball out of defence and carrying it the length of the pitch. He, though, was unable to get a shot away as he was crowded out by the Hull defence.

Two minutes later and there was controversy. The referee indicated a penalty against Lescott for handball, when replays showed the ball didn’t touch his hand. He then indicated a foul by Touré on Vennegoor of Hesselink, but replays too showed it wasn’t a foul. Nevertheless, it was a penalty and it was duly dispatched by Bullard, despite Given’s hand.

In stoppage time, Richards then headed over unmarked from a Wright-Phillips corner, after a City free kick came to nothing from a foul on Ireland. The referee then risked the wrath of the City fans further, by not penalising Hull’s time wasting when the ball was out of play and blowing up for full time before City could take a corner.

It was City’s seventh draw on the run, a new club record, and another disappointing draw after being in a leading position. Mark Hughes and City need to end this run soon, before it does irreversible damage to City’s season. It won’t be easy though; it’s Chelsea next.

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Manchester City 5 Hull 1

Barclay’s English Premiership
Friday 26 December 2008, 15:00 KO

City: Hart, Zabaleta, Dunne (c), Richards (Onuoha 45), Ball, Kompany, Elano, Ireland (Gelson 85), Robinho, Wright-Phillips, Caicedo (Jo 45)
Unused: Schmeichel, Garrido, Vassell, Sturridge
Goals: Caicedo (15, 27), Robinho (28, 36), Ireland (82)
Booked: –
City Man of the Match: Stephen Ireland

After a desolate performance at bottom of the league West Brom, Mark Hughes recalled Elano and gave Felipe Caicedo his first Premier League start. Robinho came back from his ankle injury, also, to boost the blues’ efforts for a first win in five league matches.

City could have taken the lead inside 60 seconds, as Zayatte failed to clear the ball in his own penalty area, finding only Stephen Ireland. City’s number 7 then found Felipe Caicedo who, when perhaps the shot was a better option, squared for Robinho, and the Brazilian’s shot didn’t trouble Myhill.

Elano broke a couple of minute later and appeared to be fouled on his way to the box. But the referee said no and Hull countered, with King forcing a good save from Hart as he broke into City’s area.

Stephen Ireland fired a volley over from a corner, before a vicious shot from Robinho forced Myhill into a good save. City’s pressure was getting heavier and, on the quarter of the hour mark, the home side took the lead.

Richard Dunne stole the ball in defence and carried it 40 yards up the pitch, before finding Robinho on the left wing. City’s record signing then sent an inch-perfect pass over the top to Stephen Ireland on the right wing and the Irishman fired the ball low and hard across the box. Felipe Caicedo was on hand to smash the ball into the roof of the net, from a yard out.

Robinho dazzled the Hull defence with a series of step overs as he entered the box from the left. And his curling effort was well pushed around the post by Myhill, who looked like he was in for a busy day.

With 27 minutes on the clock, Stephen Ireland latched on to a poor clearance and broke down the right. As with the first goal, he fired the ball across the six yard box and Felipe Caicedo was, once again, in the right place to slot the ball home.

With everyone watching the replays of Caicedo’s second on the big screens, a lot of fans could have missed Robinho make it 3-0. A minute later, Stephen Ireland robbed the ball in the midfield and released Robinho. He was closed down by the Hull defence, but he cut the ball onto his right foot and bent it around Myhill into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Hull tried to catch City off guard by kicking off with half the team still celebrating, but it nearly backfired as City nicked the ball and broke, with Caicedo hammering a header into Myhill’s arms.

Hull’s chances had been isolated, but they had the opportunity to make it 3-1 through former City man Geovanni, but the Brazilian’s free kick was held by Joe Hart, low to his right.

And then, with ten minutes of the first half remaining, City extended their lead. Elano lobbed the ball over the Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right flank and his cross found Robinho in the area, with the Brazilian able to knock the ball past Myhill to stun the visiting fans.

It could have been five when Wright-Phillips forced a good save from Myhill and then the tricky England international stumbled through two challenges and into the six yard box, but the ball bobbled as he went to hit it with he less favoured left foot and it trickled wide.

The Hull manager then made his feelings known, giving his side a good talking to right in front of the visiting fans.

The second half was no contest, with Hull having a lot of possession, but failing to trouble Joe Hart. City were content to play keep-ball when they had possession, with the occasional push to the Hull goal.

With 17 minutes to go, Shaun Wright-Phillips watched a powerful drive fly just over Myhill’s bar and then, with 11 minutes to go, Myhill was left flat-footed as Elano’s free kick smacked into the Hull wall, before clipping the post.

Daniel Cousin then fired a shot across City’s goal, and Joe Hart parried. Unfortunately for City, the ball rebounded off Onuoha at speed, before landing to the feet of Fagan, who slotted home despite a last gasp challenge from Dunne and Onuoha on the line.

But it hardly mattered as, two minutes later, Stephen Ireland restored City’s four goal advantage. Ireland found Robinho on the left and the Brazilian tricked his way into the area. With everybody hoping he would get his hat-trick goal, he unselfishly squared to Ireland, who was unmarked, and he swept the ball into the net.

Ireland then received a standing ovation from the home crowd, when he was replaced by Gelson Fernandes with five minutes to go.

City leaped out of the bottom three in style and the home fans will be hoping to see more performances like that in the coming weeks to get the blues back to the right end of the table. Roll on Blackburn on Sunday.

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