Match Reports

City Push For Top Spot With Another Classy Victory

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If Manchester City were indeed thinking of acquiring the services of Wayne Rooney for real star quality, well they needn`t bother. As 15 minutes at Blackpool and 70 minutes against Lech Poznan showed they have a player in a class of his own, an individual who possesses quality even Wayne Rooney would be admiring, a man named David Silva.

The Spanish artist was again at his mercurial best as he tantalised Lech Poznan. Silva even managed to steal the show from hat-trick hero Emmanuel Adebayor who eased City to a 3-1 victory and guaranteed that they topped their group in the Europa League.

Lech Poznan weren`t exactly a name that sprung to mind when we qualified for the Europa League. They don`t come with that Aura teams like Juventus have and they don`t obtain players of star quality. However, one thing that was evident with the Polish Champions was how well they were supported.

The away fans- for large parts of the match- drowned out City fans with their boisterous nature, their bizarre dancing and even louder voices. Poznan had already travelled to Juventus in their other away match and recorded a fantastic result with a 3-3 draw, so taking a team with their desire lightly wouldn`t have ended so positively for City.

Despite failing to satisfy any City fans with his recent performances, Emmanuel Adebayor was handed another start. The Togolese centre forward- who so long ago was scoring in every match for city- portrayed the quality tonight all City fans were crying out for.

After missing the chance to latch onto an Adam Johnson cross earlier in the match, Adebayor was later released by Patrick Vieira and after a quick turn the striker was bearing down on the goal, with only the keeper to beat he side-footed home to score a remarkable goal.

The game continued to be played at a pulsating pace and with Silva dazzling the crowd more goal were on the agenda. After the Spaniard found space, his perfectly weighted cross allowed Adebayor to add to his tally. The striker rose and headed home to the delight of the home fans- something to finally silence Poznan`s.

With City looking desperate to add to their tally and surge forward- something that`s quite rare under the stewardship of Mancini- they were caught cold by a goal from the visitors. Joel Tshibamba gave Poznan a life-line after slack defending from The Blues. The striker also had a chance later on but his lack of composure ensured his shot flew over.

Even with Poznan`s equaliser, City never failed to dominate. De Jong was back to his destructive best and with David Silva pulling the strings there was always going to be chances for Adebayor to net his first hat-trick for City.

After failing to score on several occasions Adebayor was finally slipped in again by Silva whose gem like cross earned purrs of appreciation. His bouncing, dipping ball was placed on a plate for Adebayor and the striker didn`t pass up this opportunity. With that goal he safely placed City as clear favourites to win their group.

City`s failure to add a fourth wasn`t important and with Silva in fine form, another Spanish gem continues to light up the world of football.

Player Ratings

Hart-7
Had no problems.

Richards-7
Was strong, quick and didn’t give Poznan an inch. Attacked well.

Boyata-6
Look comfortable for the majority with a few careless moments.

Lescott-6
Doesn’t look quite right at City, but did nothing to alarming.

Zabaleta-8
Energetic and another 100% display. Tough tackling and attacked very well.

De Jong-8
Was back to his combative best.

Vieira-7
Worked brilliantly in midfield alongside De Jong. I’ve never been Vieira’s biggest fan at City, but this was his best game by a long shot.

Wright Phillips-5
A few runs were forceful enough but without the games he didn’t look sharp.

Adam Johnson-7
His shot against the post would have been a wonder goal. Tore their left back to pieces.

Silva-9
Phenomenal. He drove City forward and his attacking play was nothing short of magical. An absolutely top player.

Adebayor-8
Despite Silva getting man of the match a lot of credit will also go to the finisher. Took his goals very well and will hopefully push on from him.

Yaya Toure-5
The usual slow moving display.

Jo-6
Had an impact on the game going forward. Has greatly improved since we sent him out on loan, but i doubt he’ll stick around for long.
A quick display.

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