City-Villa Match Thread/Live Blog

By: Thad | October 4th, 2009

Manchester City have a chance to go 3rd in the Premiership with a game still in hand by winning at Villa Park Monday night. That will be a tall order as Aston Villa have overcome opening-day stumbles to reproduce the form that carried them to a European place last season. It also will by City’s first chance to do battle with former captain and perennial club player of the year, Richard Dunne.

Right now we are planning to live-blog the game from 8 pm (UK) time. City have bounced back from the derby disappointment with two home wins over top-flight opposition, against Fulham in the League Cup and against West Ham last Monday night in an entertaining 3-1 spectacle that featured a late debut for Roque Santa Cruz as well as two goals for Carlos Tevez. Emmanuel Adebayor returns to the line-up after his suspension.
SWP
There has been some speculation that Shaun Wright-Phillips may be the odd man out on Adebayor’s return, given Tevez and Craig Bellamy’s recent form, as well as that of Nigel de Jong, who has been excellent in central midfield after being left out of the season’s early fixtures. Count me as skeptical that Mark Hughes will actually drop SWP, but certainly there’s a legitimate debate about what City’s best line-up is at the moment. My guess is in the end de Jong drops back to the bench to start this one–but we’ll see.

Kickoff minutes away!

City are wearing their black away strip as the game kicks off!

Second half about to kick off–the first half live blog has mysteriously disappeared but the story so far is Villa lead 1-0 on a Richard Dunne header off a corner. City have played quite well to date but have not been able to find the last ball to cut open Villa’s defense. City came closest to scoring on a header from Adebayor off a Barry free kick.

46th minute. City keep the same line up–Bellamy, Adebayor, Tevez, SWP, de Jong, Barry, Bridge, Lescott, Toure, Zabaleta, Given.

47th minute. Bellamy crosses from the left and it’s cleared, but then Barry’s cross almost finds Adebayor, then almost goes in the net directly! But it’s just wide for a goal kick.

48th minute. City had the lion’s share of possession in the first half and that doesn’t look like changing so far. City are playing without a classic creative midfielder but Ireland does lie in waiting on the bench. Meanwhile, Villa are given a corner…..

49th minute. Milner had a pop there but it’s blocked; Villa then work it around again and Milner has loads of space to shoot again, but it’s just wide. City escape that time.

50th minute. City move quickly to change things–Ireland is on for de Jong, who had been on a yellow card after a crunching tackle on Young in the first half. City are going for it!

52nd minute. Great tackle by Young there on Zabaleta who looked to be in the clear down the right after collecting Barry’s cross field ball.

53rd minute. Joe Royle thinks Gareth Barry has been bothered by the stream of boos from Villa supporters–I’m not so sure. Barry’s been good on set pieces and had a chance to score in the first half. Plus, this is not over yet!

54th minute. SWP got in behind there brilliantly but can’t quite get a clean strike off–Collins made a late challenge to stop SWP from scoring.

55th minute. Villa had it in the box for a moment there but City have it away. Still, the bulk of the play is with City, though you have to admire Villa’s defensive effort to this point–every time City are one pass away from a chance, a Villa foot cuts it out.

58th minute. SWP collects a yellow card and Villa have a free kick just outside the box. He fires it in and Adebayor sticks a foot out to knock it behind.

59th minute. Dunne almost scores again! Good grief. He beat Barry to the ball again but knocked it wide on the ground. To be fair, SWP was there on the post had it been on target. In case you missed, it Dunnie Monster was admirably restrained in celebrating his first half goal.

60th minute. Agbonlahor got free there and had a chance to shoot, it’s blocked behind for another Villa corner. Lescott marks Dunne this time. Collins gets in and it’s deflected behind for another corner. SWP clears that one eventually.

62nd minute. Some brilliant possession there by City including a great dummy by Ireland, but it ends poorly as Bellamy shanks his attempted cross. Goal kick. Dunne got in there to head away SWP’s cross. Vintage Dunne so far in this match.

63rd minute. Adebayor wins a corner in the corner off Dunne. Barry to take. It’s headed behind on the far side, Bellamy takes on the other side. …

64th minute. But nothing comes of it. Bridge’s long ball in the box pops out and falls to Ireland, who has a mighty pop that is deflected behind–another corner, Collins heads it out for a throw.

65th minute. More pressure from City, and it’s a throw on the right.

66th minute. City really can’t ask for more pressure than this, if City can avoid giving up another goal on the break you feel City must score at some point.

67th minute. Santa Cruz and Petrov are going to on the pitch shortly, Hughes playing his last two cards. If Tevez leaves that will be harsh on him, he was bright early in the game…but GOAL for CITY!!!!

68th minute. Bellamy scored, right footed blast, Adebayor on the assist, Ireland with the killer ball to set Adebayor up. Great play! Dunne had made a saving block on a through ball a moment before but City recovered possession. The pressure finally told.

69th minute. Santa Cruz on, Tevez off; Carew off for Heskey. Martin Petrov is held back for the moment; SWP stays on with his yellow card.

70th minute. Will City take the foot of the pedal? One hopes not, but perhaps Villa will raise their game after that equalizer.

71st minute. Santa Cruz did well to win the ball and break up a short spell of Villa possession. City set up shop again.

72nd minute. Villa have a throw on the right. Cuellar crosses it all the way across where it’s out for a throw on the other side of the pitch. Young had a chance to cross there but it’s not a good one, goal kick.

74th minute. Adebayor can’t quite get on the end of a long, ambitious through ball from Ireland. Ireland has done what he’s supposed to do since coming on.

75th minute. Bridge wastes that one, he had a chance to set Bellamy up in the left channel but hit it much too hard–goal kick.

76th minute. Legitimate chance for Villa there, Milner nods it over off Young’s cross. Milner did really well to get something on that but it didn’t come close to going in.

77th minute. Game is quite open now. Villa have it in the box, Sidwell’s shot is blocked, a follow-up shot is whiffed. Foul on the other end as Bellamy managed to clatter both Collins and Santa Cruz in one swoop!

79th minute. Free kick for City after a Villa foul for shirt-tugging. Villa have it back, Heskey can’t trap a cross from Agbonlahor and City have it again. I think Tevez has been missed since coming off, but maybe Santa Cruz can prove me wrong.

81st minute. Richard Dunne took it forward a la Kolo Toure but his pass is picked off. But he hustles back to tackle Barry, and then wins a header a moment later.

82nd minute. Reo-Coker comes in for Young.

83rd minute. Warnock got free down the left and crossed it all the way across the goal. This game has lost its fluency, which is not to City’s advantage.

84th minute. Ping-pong soccer with no one getting possession in the midfield at the moment. City need to get it and keep it to create another chance.

85th minute. Villa certainly don’t look like being beaten in the air–to get another one past Dunne and Collins will require passing on the floor.

86th minute. Bellamy bursts down the left but his cross, if that’s what it was, is caught easily by Friedel at the near post.

87th minute. Dunne stepped up to read Ireland’s pass–he might have seen that one before on the training ground. It looked like SWP got taken down there but no call. On the other end Given, has to race out off his line to collect that through ball, which he does.

88th minute. Free kick for City after RSC goes down. Bellamy will take about 30 yards from goal, probably this sholud be a cross.

89th minute. SWP commits a foul and Villa have it back. But now it’s a goal kick for City.

90th minute. Bellamy did brilliantly there to set himself up on the right and play a great ball across, but neither Adebayor or RSC can get to it. 4 minutes of injury time ahead.

91st minute. Kolo Toure is down, and the board says FIVE minutes to go! Can Toure continue?

92nd minute. It looks like he’s going to try. Milner has a dangerous cross on the restart and Given has to punch. Good control by Bellamy on the left but Ireland can’t get clear.

93rd minute. SWP had a chance to cross there but Friedel rises to catch it. Villa look content with a point to be honest.

95th minute. Villa have a throw on the left after another cross by Zab is cleared away. Richard Dunne announced as man of the match and City fans say “once a blue, always a blue.” Bad pass by Ireland gives a throw to Villa on the right. Villa have it for a spell but fortunately it doesn’t come to anything.

Full time whistle! 1-1 a fair result, no doubt. City had better possession but Villa defended terrifically, led by Dunne.

Both sides’ supporters can be satisfied with that performance. Men of the match–Dunne for Villa, Bellamy for City.

International break ahead for City, who climb back into the top four with this result.