City close gap after Baggie bashing

Manchester City went into the game against West Brom with absolutely no pressure on them, with most people in the footballing world already assuming that United had won their 20th title, and to be fair they may very well have but after Wednesday nights games Sir Alex is going to have to check his rear for squeakiness!

Carlos Tevez made his first start for City in 2012 and some supporters were still undecided as to whether they had totally forgiven him as occasionally when he got the ball you could hear the slight rumblings of a boo. Personally even though I wouldn't boo him while he was in the blue shirt it doesn't mean that the last few months are all water under the bridge either.

Anyway back to the game, Silva also returned and for the first time in a long time we had Kompany, Lescott and Micah in the backline which always gives me confidence before a game takes place.

Barely five minutes on the clock and City were 1-0 up. A great, powerful run from Aguero he shrugged off Dawson and ran diagonally toward the box before unleashing a shot that beat the fully stretched Ben Foster before hitting the back of the net. 

If you thought, as I did, that the floodgates were then going to open then you would be wrong. City were comfortable in possession and played beautiful football that reminded me of the earlier season stuff, slow steady patient build up with intricate passing, albeit sometimes too intricate for their own good. 

Tevez had a wild shot after great build up play from Nasri and Silva and Micah Richards played a beautiful over the top into Silvas path but the Spaniards first touch took it away from the goal and the chance had gone. 

Richards later beat the offside trap and got onto a Tevez pass, the Argentine using the outside of his boot to get the perfect bend on the pass. Richards though only managed to hit it right at Foster and the chance was gone. City were applying the pressure but getting no second break through. As half time arrived it was still 1-0 but City were dictating the play to such a level that all West Brom could do was get bodies behind the ball. When they did clear their lines only Long and possibly Cox were available outlets and Kompany, Lescott and DeJong had the measure of those two for the most part.

Second half started as the first had finished, total City domination. Just under five minutes in and Nasri was unlucky not to score when he volleyed a cross from Silva into the side netting. 

After 54 minutes and they did finally double their lead. A Tevez lob toward Aguero was cut out by the West Brom defence but fell to first Silva and then Nasri who fed the ball through to Aguero. The 'other' Argentinian finished neatly with a side footed shot past Foster. First one power, second one placement and City 2-0 up. 

At that point there were rumblings in the crowd that United had gone behind to a Wigan goal and excitement poured onto the field of play as the realisation that the title may not yet be out of reach. The Poznan had not even got fully started before City broke again and Nasri shot just marginally wide. 

With just under half an hour left to play City broke yet again. Once again Nasri fed through Aguero, who had done well to stay onside. Sergio got to the byline and crossed the ball back, Nasri missed it and it fell to Mr Walkabout himself, Carlos Tevez. Even he wasn't going to miss this one and in April scored his first League goal of the season.  

Everyone was getting their touch back. The fans had rediscovered the Poznan, aguero had scored more than once and Carlos Tevez had also found his stride. Add to that a cheeky David Silva chip three minutes later sealed the victory and as the game continued with no more news from Wigan City fans never stopped the party, even when Dzeko came on. The three points tonight, no matter what happens in the remaining games, makes this season our best Premiership points tally ever. Last season was the previous best with a total of 71 points, before that it was 67 in 2009-10 and before that we were in the 50's where in the 1992-93 season our now fourth best total was 57!

Despite what Mancini said in his post match interviews, it is not over, not yet and now United will have to earn the Premiership trophy for probably the first time in their history.

PAcityboy

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