%202.png)
.png)
If it didn’t sound so ridiculous, you would have thought Roberto Mancini and Sir Alex Ferguson had entered into some kind of bizarre suicide pact this season. Let’s give the opposition a goal or two headstart and keep our foot off the gas for a bit just to keep things interesting.
How else can you explain City, so impregnable these past two years, having to recover from a losing position in five of 11 Premier League games this season? United have come back to win five times in seven.
After the latest at Villa Park on Saturday, it was City’s turn to find themselves on the ropes against Tottenham. Down to a Steven Caulker header, they levelled through Sergio Aguero before Edin Dzeko once again came on to land a knockout blow.
SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS
Edin in the right direction: Dzeko came off the bench to score the winner for City
Edin in the right direction: Dzeko came off the bench to score the winner for City
MATCH FACTS
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic(Maicon 56), Clichy, Toure, Barry, Silva, Tevez(Dzeko 73), Kolarov, Aguero.
Subs: Pantilimon, Maicon, Dzeko, Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Toure, Razak.
Booked: Zabaleta
Goals: Aguero 65, Dzeko 88.
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker (Dawson 78), Gallas, Caulker, Vertonghen, Sandro, Huddlestone, Lennon (Naughton 87), Bale, Dempsey, Adebayor (Defoe 80).
Subs: Lloris, Naughton, Defoe, Dawson, Sigurdsson, Livermore, Carroll.
Booked: Walker, Adebayor.
Goal: Caulker 21.
Attendance:
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
The Bosnia striker dislikes his supersub tag, but five of his six Premier League goals have come off the bench this season, earning City an additional nine points. Another came against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.
Dzeko will deservedly take the plaudits but City’s recovery owed much to the brilliance of David Silva.
The Spaniard has looked jaded since returning from Euro 2012, his powers compromised by having to play so much football. Maybe a month out with a hamstring injury has been the best thing for him because Silva was back to his old self yesterday.
A surprise inclusion after illness ruled out Samir Nasri, those waspish runs and incisive passes gave City a threat they have been missing.
They were searching in vain for an equaliser when Silva picked up possession just over halfway and swept forward in the 65th minute.
They were searching in vain for an equaliser when Silva picked up possession just over halfway and swept forward in the 65th minute.
Kyle Walker tried to intercept his pass into Yaya Toure but succeeded only in diverting it to Aguero, who tricked his way past Caulker and rolled the ball inside Brad Friedel’s right-hand post.
If there was an element of good fortune about the first goal, Silva’s contribution to the second was sublime. There seemed little danger when Dzeko laid the ball off to his teammate two minutes from the end of normal time, but Silva spotted the opportunity and floated an exquisite chip over the Spurs defence to the exact spot where the striker had continued his run.
Level terms: Aguero slotted home the equaliser in the 65th minute
It sat up perfectly for Dzeko, who ignored Michael Dawson’s attempts to make up ground and hooked his shot beyond the despairing Friedel.
The statistics show that having Silva in the team is worth nearly a goal a game to City, and assistant boss David Platt said: ‘It’s great to have him back. We didn’t expect him to get through 90 minutes but we’re glad he did.’
For the second time in three days Platt was asked to speak to reporters on behalf of Mancini. The City boss had given television interviews but then, we were told, had to dash off to catch a flight home to Italy.
Howler: Hart allowed Caulker's header to slip through his grasp
These are testing times for Mancini even though the Premier League champions remain unbeaten and there were many positives to draw from another comeback.
At one point in the first half yesterday, the whole world seemed to be conspiring against him.
First he was let down by his usually reliable goalkeeper, Joe Hart, after Tottenham had won a free-kick wide on the right in the 21st minute, following Aguero’s sliding challenge on Aaron Lennon.
Salvation: City were made to labour for their equaliser
Tom Huddlestone swung it over and Caulker took advantage of Toure’s loss of concentration before beating Matija Nastasic to the ball with a firm header. Hart seemed to have clutched it to his chest but it squirmed free and rolled over the line almost in slow motion.
Sixty per cent of the goals conceded by City in the league this season have come from set pieces. No wonder Mancini sprang off the bench and clenched his thumb and forefinger in that classic Italian show of frustration. Up in the stands, the club’s new director of football, Txiki Begiristain, looked down sternly. Not far away sat Mario Balotelli, left out of the squad all together.
Suddenly City’s 34-game unbeaten league run was in jeopardy. Referee Michael Oliver turned down their penalty claims when Aguero’s flick caught the outstretched arm of William Gallas and again when Huddlestone blocked off Pablo Zabaleta’s run into the box.
Taking a tumble: Adebayor returned to his former club but failed to get on the scoresheet
When Silva played in Zabaleta and he failed to beat Friedel, Mancini slid down in his seat and muttered to himself, a picture of misery.
Aguero failed to control Toure’s pass when clean through early in the second half before Mancini made the tactical switch that helped change the game. It was the one that brought him criticism from Micah Richards in Amsterdam last month, opting to play three centre backs as Maicon replaced Nastastic.
The last time the Brazilian had faced Gareth Bale at White Hart Lane two years ago, they were calling a taxi for him. This time it was his team in the driving seat, though a subdued Bale did force Hart into a fine reflex save with one fierce effort.
City had their tails up and Dzeko was warming up. We were about to witness yet another comeback.
Safe to say it won’t be the last.
Safe to say it won’t be the last.
