Excitement builds. The game begins. Football at it's most football. A sluggish start from both sides, with the home side just edging the game in the opening stages. HOWEVER, by the fifteen minute mark the game had opened up to the footballing gods, and it was the CITIZENS making lemonade. A Sunderland corner was cleared to the edge of the area, Kieran Richardson's long range effort SMASHES Yaya Toure. Toure picks up the ball and carries it quickly across the length of the play area. He has the run, he beats his man, he cleverly slides the ball across the area, the BLACK CATS GOALKEEP on his knees, praying for the miss. The ball arrives at the feet of CITIZENS man Tevez, and yes! yes!
NO! THE CHANCE IS PASSED UP! Tevez misses the GOLDEN OPEN NET STRIKE! He won't be doing that again anytime soon. That miss however sparked a spell of footballing masterclass from the Manchester men. Some nice interchange football between Yaya Toure and Tevez almost put the Argentinia striker in on the half hour mark but he was thwarted by the Sunderland goaltender Mignolet. Manchester playing WATER football. Sunderland making a pasty out of it. Chance followed by chance came from the Citizen's but no goal could be converted.
At this point the referee blows for half time. Both sides have done some good football but this match up remains a NO SCORE ZONE. Fifteen minutes later the teams returned and the second half was about to get underway. BUT WAIT! Sunderland's Michael Turner and Frazier Campbell, both of whom had received treatment in the first half, were unable to take the field. Campbell had been stretchered off before half time, and Turner limped off. No worries! Two regulation changes will solve that! Danny Welbeck and Phil Bardsley are brought on and the game continues.
As the opening stages of the second 45 minutes were played out, the home side, once again, started the brightest of the two, with new man Welbeck using a nice turn of pace and skill to combine with Malbranque as the BLACK CATS pushed for the opener. Their dominance continued, looking a whole new side in the second period, forcing City further and further out of the game. The midfield combo of Jordan Henderson and Lee Cattermole closed the space in the middle of the park, giving the visitors no sniff of footballing action. The pressure almost paid off as Bent and Welbeck played some good football together to create the chance, which Welbeck blazed over.
The Manchester manager had had enough, Changes were to be made. On came superstar striker Adebayor in place of Lescott. It was a change which almost had an immediate effect on the match score line, as the Citizens win the corner chance. The ball WHIPPED in, the chance hit home by Adebayor from SIX YARDS OUT. A GOAL, SURELY!? BUT WAIT! NO! A SUPER SOCCER STOP from the BLACK CATS GOAL TENDER Mignolet. The ball tipped over! The danger gone! What action!
The game livened up as both sides could sense the winner. It’s end to end. Box to box. Cheek to cheek. I smell a goal in the air. Chance after chance but no goal came. UNTIL!
A Sunderland break! Al Muhamaddi, who had threatened all game, picks up the ball in his own half. He runs with it. He slips passed his man! He’s away! He whips the ball in! Bent is in the box! The chance... the ball passes him by. BUT WAIT! The referee’s whistle! An infringement! Micah Richards pulls down Darren Bent! The referee points to the spot, a PENALTY STRIKE AWARDED! Bent dusts himself down, composes himself and...
YES! IT’S GOOD! SUNDERLAND MAKE THE NET BULGE! Sunderland penalty posted home via first class courtesy of Darren Bent. What a game! The match restarts but there’s no time remaining, the referee blows! FULL TIME!! Black Cats have done it! Sunderland all over City like a bad smelling rash. As for City? Money does not maketh the team.
Sunderland 1-0 Man City
(HT 0-0)
Bent (pen) 90+4
(HT 0-0)
Bent (pen) 90+4
LINE UPS
Sunderland
22 Mignolet
03 Richardson
04 Turner (Bardsley 46)
19 Bramble
29 Ferdinand
06 Cattermole
08 Malbranque
10 Henderson
27 Al-Muhammadi
09 Campbell (Welbeck 46)
11 Bent
Substitutes
24 Carson
02 Bardsley
07 Zenden
16 Riveros
25 Colback
17 Welbeck
26 Waghorn
Man City
25 Hart
02 Richards YC
04 Kompany
19 Lescott (Adebayor 75)
28 Kolo Toure YC
07 Milner
11 A Johnson (Silva 81)
18 Barry
34 De Jong YC
42 Yaya Toure
32 Tevez (Jo 90+1)
Substitutes
01 Given
05 Zabaleta
08 Wright-Phillips
21 Silva
24 Vieira
09 Adebayor
27 Jo
