Zabaleta First league start of the season and, like Petrov, proved why he deserves his chance. Never caught out at the back and offers more quality (if less gusto) than Richards going forward. One cross from the byline to Bellamy was of the Glen Johnson/Ashley Cole class. Fans (like me) can enjoy the vindication. 8
Touré Played well today, and looks to be settling in increasingly well. One crucial interception as he ran back in the second half, and faultless that aside for the rest of the game. 7
Lescott Another game of some promise but not exactly form fitting his fee. Lucky that Carlton Cole was judged to have fouled him in the first half, and not always comfortable under set pieces for the rest of the game. 5
Bridge A few bright sparks in attack but not as solid, defensively or in possession, as he has been in recent games. 6
de Jong Has made himself indispensable in the last few games, repeatedly shutting down West Ham with astute but ruthless tackling and prudent distribution. Looks less like a Mascherano/Makélélé tribute act and more like the real deal. 8
Barry Looked as if he enjoyed the presence of de Jong, getting forward more than usual and getting into some good attacking positions. Did not quite influence the pace of the game as much as usual, though, and even misplaced the odd pass. 6
SWP Got past Ilunga once or twice but could never quite match his run with a fitting delivery. Place at Villa Park not guaranteed, given present competition for places. 6
Bellamy No goals today but an assist and another quality performance. Led the line (with Tévez just behind), and gave his former colleagues a very difficult evening. Perfectly delivered free-kick for Tévez's second goal. 8
Tévez At last his first goals in the league, and his first at home. An easy finish from a Petrov cross and a smart header from a Bellamy free-kick but it could have been many more. Better teams will offer fewer chances. Touch of class in the non-celebration too, which makes a nice change for City this season. 7
Petrov His first start of the season and played as if he was making up for lost time. Combined all of what makes him so popular with the City fans: the greyhound pace down the left, the exocet crosses from the by-line (he set up Tévez's first goal), the opportunistic shooting and the right foot on which he cannot quite impose his will. In this fixture last season (roughly this time of year, too) he hit the post with a free-kick. He made up for this tonight. 8
Subs:
RSC Missed one decent chance and did little to otherwise influence the game. Good to see him though. 6
Johnson Only a few minutes but one or two chances which reminded why we rated him so highly back in 2007. n/a
3 comments:
"Touch of class in the non-celebration too, which makes a nice change for City this season"
Could that be because the West Ham fans are a much more honest bunch than their Arsenal counterparts? No abuse, only applause.
It's true that we are much improved when in possession but the real difference is when we don’t have the ball. Thought we were excellent last night with key personnel missing; the future’s bright!
I even saw Petrov track back once!!! :-o Sure, he gave away a foul with a useless attempt at a tackle, but it was still what we want to see from the man.
His speculative volley from the corner of the box still drove me mad, no matter how technically sweet it was. Take a touch and find a man- far more chance of leading to a goal!!
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