City gain revenge on Spirited Bluebirds

MANCHESTER CITY        4   -  2       CARDIFF CITY

       Dzeko 13, Navas 33,
       Toure 76, Aguero 78                                           Noone 28, Campbell 90+4

Manchester City saw off a decent challenge by Ole Gunanr Solskjaer`s Cardiff City on Saturday, but the result seemed inevitable that the home side would eventually find a way to grind out the victory in the end for City and it was one that was hard worked for too. City were one goal shy of hitting the 100 goals barrier as it seemed it was it going to be only a matter of time but the question was whom, was going to score the 100^th for the Blues. A win for the home side would possibly have seen them move top depending on the result down at the emirates with Arsenal.  

Edin Dzeko takes plaudits for City`s 100th goal: pic: Yahoosports

The home side should have had a stonewall penalty in the opening 30 seconds of play and see the visitors down to ten men too, It all came after a suspicion of offside in the build-up which saw David Silva put a low cross at the near post of goal for Edin Dzeko to get onto and just as the Bosnian striker went to side foot it, Kevin McNaughton bundled Dzeko over in the area from behind taking the man and not the ball. The match official ignored the claims for a penalty by City and saw the ball come back to Silva and his effort was blocked for a corner.

The Blues dominated possession as you expected at home with Cardiff playing with 11 behind the ball and looking to keep the league`s top scorers out of the goal column. 

Challenges were getting a bit tasty between the sides with Cardiff certainly leaving their foot into the tackles as they let City know that they weren`t going to be pushovers for the home side.

Dzeko had the first effort in the game when Silva poked a ball forward towards Negredo and when the ball was cut out by the Cardiff defence,  Dzeko was first to the loose ball and his shot was palmed away well by David Marshall in the Bluebirds goals to keep the score goalless.

Marshall keeper was called into action soon after, with the Blues turning a quick Offside into a fast break that involved Yaya Toure passing to David Silva and his lovely weighted through ball for his Spanish team mate in Jesus Navas, saw him set off down the right wing and his cross was almost turned in by Michael Turner for own goal but Marshall got down well to turn it away for another corner.

Screen shows 1st HAWKEYE GOAL

City were piling the pressure on the visitors more and now as they were playing some nice football and you felt a goal was coming sooner than later and it did, When in the 13th minute a quick throw taken by Aleksander Kolarov went to David Silva and the midfielder seemed to accidentally brush  him on his arm as the midfielder spun round to evade a defender. Cardiff defenders stood still expecting the official to blow the whistle and for them it never came and seen the Spanish International play the ball back across goal towards Edin Dzeko and his scruffy shot went over the line to give them them lead.

The goal was historic for two reasons as well, the first being City being the first team in the Premier League era to reach 100 goals the fastest and also was the first EVER goal to be awarded via the Hawkeye system too.  

City then seemed to go to asleep a bit after scoring but they had little flashes of opportunities and shown that with Silva creating a chance for 'the Beast', with Negredo running on the dink over the defence and with the ball not coming down quick enough, the Spanish hitman improvised with a shot and saw Marshall just get a finger to it with him putting it out for a corner kick.

Noone and Campbell revel in leveller at 1-1  :BBCSPORT 

Alvaro Negredo had another chance go begging soon after, when a little ball was floated into a gap by Pablo Zabaleta for the Spanish striker and saw him move into the penalty area and with a flash of the foot saw it just move away from goal and was a poor effort by Negredo high standards. He then found himself in the book soon after with a late tackle on Gunnarsson and earned him a yellow card. 

Cardiff with their first really attack in the game scored against the run of play as Craig Noone was up in support with Jordon Mutch and his little flick on saw Noone run unchallenged in the area, before then tricking City Captain Vincent Kompany inside out and then beat Joe Hart at the near post to give the visitors an unlikely equaliser in the scheme of things on 29 minutes.

That goal seemed to wake City up a bit more from their mini slumber as three minutes later, City was back in front after a Yaya Toure pass with the outside of the foot was chased onto by Dzeko and the Bosnian striker then ran at the Cardiff defense drawing 3 players towards him before the ball was knocked away from Dzeko, but only as far as Jesus Navas who came running in and his shot went in despite Marshall save attempt for a 2-1 lead on 33 minutes.

Edin Dzeko was at the heart of another penalty appeal waved off by Swarbrick, after Michael Turner nudged Dzeko in the back, but the referee wasn`t interested in the incident and it was one of the things where if it was outside the area, then nine times out of ten it`s given as a foul.

Half time came and both sides would have been reasonably pleased, City to be leading 2-1 and Cardiff to be still in the game and only being a goal down but annoyed to give a second goal away as well.

Cardiff started the second half a bit more openly than the first half as they looked to go in search of a goal to draw level. Jordon Mutch had a shot saved by Joe Hart which seen the England number 1 having to be on his toes still. City you felt needed another goal to kill off the game and with Dzeko wasting a good chance and then Silva seeing his shot go just wide of the target after a good touch by Dzeko to give him a chance, Silva should have put the shot on target at the very least as it would have capped off a great move.

Alvaro Negredo was then replaced by fellow striker Sergio Aguero with the Blues looking to change the attack a bit and went with the ‘little and large’ combination up front.

In the 76th minute Yaya Toure then went on one of his infamous lung bursting runs from his own half and as shrugged off a challenge from the opposing defenders, he played a little one-two with Aguero before firing the ball home past David Marshall left hand side for a 3-1 lead and give the home side breathing space and take the wind out of the Cardiff sails in the process.

City then made it 4-1 in the 78th minute, when a great ball by Toure again saw the Argentine striker take the ball down and turn Caulker inside and out a few times in the box, before choosing on the far corner to give the home side 3 points and 103 goals for the season for the Blue side of Manchester.

Deep into stoppage time the former Manchester United player Fraizer Campbell gave the away side the last word in the game, after he peeled away from Martin Demichelis in the area and ghosting in behind him to prod home from the 5 yard box and see the score line flatter the visitors in truth.

Manchester City now head into their League Cup second leg encounter match down in London, with them defending a very healthy 6-0 lead from the first leg against strugglers West Ham United at Upton Park and should see them move onto the Cup Final at Wembley.