Hart – Required to produce one great one-on-one save against Robbie Keane. Otherwise spent most of his time beseeching others to maintain their focus. 7
Zabaleta – Attacked the space on West Ham’s flank excellently until they moved Ba across to give Pablo something to think about. By then the damage was done with a rare goal for the Argentine. 7
Continue Reading →Edin Dzeko was the hero after coming off the bench to score the only goal with virtually his first touch against a Blackburn side who ultimately proved stronger opponents than many had anticipated. The result increases the likelihood of a Champions League place with the lead over Spurs extended to four points.
It was no surprise to see Roberto Mancini stick with the side which defeated United, and City made a point of starting the game strongly. We completely dominated possession and David Platt confirmed afterwards that the manager had wanted to avoid a repeat of the opening at Anfield.
Continue Reading →Hart – Showed great judgement and handling in dealing with Blackburn’s aerial bombardment. Distribution was another story. 7
Zabaleta – A busy evening, initially surging forward, then keeping track of the energetic Olsen as Rovers sought to hit the channels. 7
Continue Reading →After the joy of Wembley it’s back to the reality of Ewood Park and the need to pick up league points for Roberto Mancini’s heroes. With Rovers on a poor run this is possibly the best remaining chance to secure our first away win in the league since Boxing Day.
If we’re to secure a Champions League place, that’s a record which needs to be improved on. There can be no repeat of the Anfield debacle and it’s probably a good thing that the squad have had over a week to refocus on the importance of league matches.
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