MANCHESTER CITY 4 - 0 NEWCASTLE
UNITED
( Silva 5, Aguero 22, Toure 50, Nasri 75 )
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Monday
night saw a new era at the Etihad Stadium begin with the new Manchester City
manager Manuel Pellegrini taking charge of his first competitive game against
Newcastle United. Questions over how he would take to the English style of
football and could he adapt to the fast pace and high intensity of it. Those
questions were answered fully with a fantastic 4-0 thrashing of 10-man
Newcastle at the Etihad.
Before
the game though, Manchester City showed a nice gesture as they remembered the
Late, great German goalkeeping Legend at the Manchester club in Bert Trautmann,
who passed away last month aged 89 in Spain. City players donned goalkeeper’s
shirts for warm up with “Trautmann 1” on the back of each shirt. They also held
a minute’s applause for the City great, with both sets of fans applauding the
life of the former German P.O.W, turned goalkeeper.
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City
carried on their up tempo style of play as Navas played a great ball to
Zabeleta down the City right and a pass found Dzeko who had an effort tipped
away by Krul, as the keeper was called upon once again as he got literally
fingertips to the ball to stop the home side taking the lead.
Newcastle
then created a rare chance in the game, when Hatem Ben Arfa had a blast from
outside the area, which saw the ball sail high over Joe Hart bar.
City`s
good play eventually brought them a goal to kick start the Pellegrini era off
and running, when Edin Dzeko twisted and turned in the Newcastle penalty area
before he got to the by line and put a cross in the area that got blocked by
Steven Taylor, the deflection fell into the path of Silva was on hand to head home
to the far post and give them a 1-0 lead after 5 minutes gone.
City
controlled the match from the opening kick off, as the home side played a
possession type of game and frustrated the visitors with their pressing all
over the pitch too.
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Newcastle did find the back of the City net
with Ben Arfa putting a through ball to Yoan Gouffran, who rifled it past Joe
Hart in the City net. Sadly for him and the geordie army inside the Etihad, it didn`t count as he was a couple of yards
offside.
The
home side had a penalty claim turned down by Match official Andre Marriner,
after Yaya Toure was knocked over when he ran onto a little pass by Edin Dzeko
inside the Newcastle penalty area, the official`s gave nothing and waved it off.
Lescott
then made a great tackle on Ben Arfa, as the Defender made a well timed tackle
as stuck a leg out to stop the ball dead and bring it away for a City attack
and made up for his earlier mistake.
Edin
Dzeko then dragged a shot wide for City, as the Bosnian striker was looking far
more menacing than we have seen of him in the premier league, since his arrival
from Wolfsburg a couple of seasons ago.
Sergio
Aguero then doubled the home side lead on 21 minutes on the board, when good
build up play from the back was started off by City Captain Vincent Kompany, he
broke up a Newcastle attack in the City half and the Belgian defender then went
on a mini run before passing straight up field to Dzeko, whose back heel flick
found Aguero and the Argentine ace found the inside of the back post with a
terrific goal to beat a despairing Tim Krul who had no chance at all at
stopping it.
After
the second goal went in, Newcastle seemed to wake up a bit more, Newcastle boss
Alan Pardew saw his team have a bit of possession, but they didn`t really do
much with it at all.
Dzeko
and Yanga-Mbiwa had a little disagreement in the corner, which resulted in them
both receiving yellow cards by the referee in a little hangbags. Yanga-Mbiwa
had brought down Dzeko and after the foul gave him a little knee to the back to
which Dzeko didn`t appreciate and saw both of them argue.
Fernandinho
then went into the referee’s book for a cynical foul, with the Brazilian
midfielder brigning down Gouffran, then Sissoko went in for Newcastle as he got
frustrated by the quick feet of Sergio Aguero and seen him lashed out in
frustration.
The
resulting free kick from their new £14.9m summer signing from Seville, saw his
ball whipped in from the free kick, with Dzeko just able to reach it as it went
out of play.
City
used good ball retention in their play, as they made their opponents at times
look foolish as they carved them up.
Newcastle
had their first real attempt in the match, with Tiote striking one from outside
the area which brought a spectacular save from Joe Hart, when it didn`t look to
be going on target.
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City
had another penalty claim turned down, when this time round the ball struck
Steve Taylor arm from an Aguero shot.
Moments
later Taylor was involved in another incident, with his swinging arm clothes
lining Aguero on the back of his head with the referee only a few yards away from
the incident and Andre Marriner had no hesitation in pulling out the red card
from his back pocket and show it to the defender.
In
the Second half City just kept a possession based game going, as they used it
to wear down their opponents with the extra man advantage counting.
Dzeko
almost got a deserved goal in the match, with Aguero`s quick feet getting him
free and then put a good cross into the box for the Bosnian striker to head
straight at Krul, who denied him a goal with a stretched out save.
Yaya
Toure then scored a fantastic free kick on 49 minutes, as the Ivorian
midfielder curled one over the wall, beating Krul in the process as extended
the lead for a 3-0 scoreline.
Fernandinho
then set up a chance for Silva, when the Brazilian chipped one down field into
the penalty area and Silva controlled it beautifully with his right foot and
quickly shot with his left foot, as Krul once again came to the rescue for
Newcastle.
Jesus
Navas was having a great game down the City right and the Spaniard almost set
up a 3rd goal for City, when he cut back a pass across goal finding Gael Clichy
free, Clichy had his effort blocked as it seems the new winger looks to have hit
the ground running already at the Etihad.
Frenchman
Samir Nasri came on for Striker Sergio Aguero halfway through the half as this
was Aguero`s first game back this season, as the Argentinian had no pre-season
at all for City as he recovered from a injury over the summer.
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City
continued the attacks on the Newcastle`s goal and they should have had a
fourth, when Toure dinked a ball in to the area that saw the defense leave Krul
alone with four blue shirts on goal all go for it and neither made contact as
Zabeleta swung his foot at the ball and did an air shot as Krul collected.
Edin
Dzeko went close once again with a fiercely low struck drive at the near post with
Tim Krul turning it round the post for a corner, another chance went begging for
him from a corner, but he couldn`t divert it on net.
Only
dampener on Pellegrini opening night was seeing his Captain Vincent Kompany get
injured when he slid in to disposess Ameobi, as he won the ball he pulled his groin
and stayed down for treatment, till eventually he walked off down the tunnel
unaided. Javi Garcia came on to replace the big Belgian defender at the heart
of the Blues defence for the final 20 minutes of the game.
City
were always threatening and when a ball was played between two Newcastle defender`s,
Samir Nasri jumped on the loose ball as the defence stood still and the
Frenchman side footed home to it make it 4-0, you really felt for Tim Krul in
the Newcastle net, with his defence hanging him out to dry and couldn`t be
blamed for any of the goals conceded, and was easily their best player on the
pitch for the black and white stripes.
Dzeko
was still searching for a goal to cap off a brilliant performance for the tall
Bosnian, but it just wouldn`t happen for him. Another good cross picked out by
Jesus Navas found the head of Dzeko but he put it over the bar.
Manuel
Pellegrini then swapped one Spanish International for another, when he decided to bring to an end David Silva
evening as the Midfield wizard made way for another signing from Sevilla, in
Alvaro Negredo. Negredo was nicknamed the "Beast" in Sevilla and the
Beast thought he`d scored on his home debut, only for the linesman to flag him
offside, when replays showed he was onside.
The
Final whistle blew and Manuel Pellegrini will have been very pleased to get his
first win under his belt and would be pleased by the link-up play through-out his side. Performances by new signings Jesus
Navas, Fernandinho and cameo appearance of Alvaro Negredo at the end of the
game, will have made the Chilean manager very happy indeed and from this
performance they will be a tougher side than last term, with the fantastic
display on opening night.
City
looked a much hungrier side too than last season as they were criticized for
their performances but this was the best they`d played since their championship
season and they also dare it say it ..looked a happier and calmer group on the
pitch too.
The
4-0 win saw City jump above their cross city rivals in Manchester United by goal
difference of 1 and is to far to early to predict anything yet, But the Blue
side of Manchester can enjoy being top of the tree after the opening game, and
will be hoping to stay there come May too.
Also
if your into your omens, the season City won the league, in their opening game
of the season they won 4-0 on a monday night game with both Aguero and Silva
scoring in the win, however a great start for the new era and they`ll hope to
replicate this performance with a tough away game down at newly promoted
Cardiff City on Sunday.
HIGHTLIGHTS via MCFCtv : http://www.mcfc.co.uk/citytv/Match-highlights/2013/August/City-v-Newcastle-Barclays-Premier-League-60-second-highlights#.Uhji7NN2zBk.blogger
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