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By Greg Robertson… for sport video, highlights and news
Welcome to Etihad Stadium for the match between Manchester City and Chelsea, with City desperate to try and keep pace with Manchester United with a win in the Premier League 2011-12.
The question on everyone’s lips is whether Carlos Tevez will get game time.
Don’t forget to refresh your browser occasionally as I will be adding the highlights I cut in segments onto our video player. I’ll announce ‘Video coming soon’ and then change that to ‘Video up’ when new footage is ready for viewing.
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LIVE COMMENTARY… FINAL Man City 2 Vs Chelsea 1
FULLTIME CITY win 2-1. All video up.
90+3 mins: Agero fights his way into the box and shoots - wide. This one's is in ref's time.
89 mins: Drogba away and slides the shot past the post. + 4 minutes
85 mins: Tevez feeds a charging Nasri - delightful touch - and Nasri tucks it away! 2-1 to City! Video up.
83 mins: Here comes City.... Aguero away down the right with a ton of City players in the middle - he'd like that one again.
77 mins: Penalty for CITY! Zabaleta gets one on the back post and blasts it straight into Essien's hand.... video up.... Aguero scores. Video up.
Silva off for Dzeko for City. And his first act is to win a corner.
71 mins: City starting to get desperate... but Drogba looking to come on for Chelsea... next break down.... Torres to make way, he mutters something, I think it was, "The best of Spanish luck to you my fellow teammate," but I could be wrong, he didn't look like he was in the mood to pass good luck.
65 mins: Clichy straight at Cech. No issues for the keeper. Mixed reception for Tevez as he comes onto the park. No surprises there.
60 mins: You get the feeling that Chelsea may steal this... goal Cahill! Video up. From the corner Luiz looks to nudge Barry off the ball and it falls to Cahill who strikes it and it deflects past Hart in the sticks.
Essien on for Meireles for Chelsea.
55 mins: Chances allround for City with Nasri crossing - nearly scoring - and Cech having to pad it onto the crossbar... then it's driven back in and Silva nearly turns in it... then from the corner Aguero nearly volleys it in spectacularly... net result, lots of nearly but no netting. Video up.
54 mins: David Luiz showing plenty of class and a high workrate at the back for Chelsea... he covers for a Torres msitake.
53 mins: Chelsea deciding to get a foot on it and pass it about - no doubt frustrating for the home side and we all await the Mancini wobbly take 2.
49 mins: Clever pass from Ramires finds Lampard who hooks it back but no one is on the back post.... City breaks and Nasri finds space on the edge and is found by Yaya, Nasri leaning way back on the strike and the result is the obvious.
47 mins: Aguero with a nice chest, flick and tun which forces Cech to come and push it out for a corner. Richards arrives for City but he needed a turtle neck to reach that one, just out of reach.
46 mins: Luiz forced to welly one into the crowd in a rush as Chelsea lose the ball in a dangerous part of the park. City fails to do anything with it.
Here come the teams for the second half... City has scored in the last 26 home games in a row - can they keep that record going? Balotelli off and Barry on for the home side.
HALFTIME 0-0. One shot apiece on target... five off target for City.
45+1 mins: Aguero finds Nasri on the edge, Nasri tries to find a free-ranging Zabaleta arriving on the right... the pass too strong, typical of the first half where things have just been a fraction from the plan.
+ one minute
43 mins: Aguero has the ability to turn the ball into the net when the delivery is behind him but he would have needed to have go go gadget legs to get a decent strike on that one... it balloons over the bar.
41 mins: City being very patient at the moment... their manager not so... Video up of Mancini packing a wobbly.
37 mins: Both teams guilty of poor delivery, Torres then an example wide on the right though unfair to throw it all on him as it's his first indiscretion and he's putting himself about. Chelsea will be happy for 0-0 after 45.
35 mins: Speaking of trampolines, Ramires just showing the touch of one inside the box as he treis to beat everyone twice and Torres gives him a serve, perhaps saying , "Oi, I've notched two in five months, quality, give us the ball," or words to that effect.
31 mins: Torres making a nuisance and nearly gets on the end of a loose one in the box. He's starting to read and anticipate like he hasn't done for the past five months - longer.
29 mins: Balotelli with a one-on-one, he takes it early and a little touch from Cech in goal makes sure it goes wide. Should have been City up there. Video up.
27 mins: Nasri with a blast from 147 yards... maybe 187 yards... skud missile just over. Chelsea will be happy if they shoot from there all night though. Video up.
25 mins: Little period of Chelsea show, winning corners and all... but not really committing a ton of players forward, three in the box for the Mata corner.
21 mins: City almost trying to be a little too clinical and when their attack breaks down Torres shows he's got some gas down the right resulting in a corner being won. Hart with good hands a little later then it goes end-to-end with Yaya winning a corner.
19 mins: Wheels in spades from Ramires down the right flank makes a silk purse from a sow's ear... top defence from the tag-team of Clichy and Toure. Ivanovic gone, Boswinga on.
18 mins: City again start the build up from the back and blast through midfield like there is no one there at all... Toure flies down the left and loses balance, penalty asked for but Frank Lampard didn't touch him.
16 mins: If you've got money on City by three you'll be well pleased at the confident start. Ivanovic struggling for Chelsea and the signal has gone out to get the bench warm.
14 mins: Ball falls for Balotelli about 30 yards out, changes through the gears and partly through the defence but his final touch lets him down and it trampolines for a goalkick.
12 mins: Things breaking down for Chelsea in the middle of the park... Toure picks up the ball and drags in David Luiz and lays it off outside him only for the low ball driven in to be cleared by Luiz. Space galore of City... Toure is finding holes for buses.
8 mins: Nasri brilliant on the chest and fires it first time over Cech and ohhh it hits the crossbar. Video up. This one is beginning to bubble. What a ball that was from Yaya Toure.
7 mins: Early advantage with the home side... Chelsea not yet been in the top third. Here we go as Torres does well and lays off to Mata who follows Silva's suit and puts a good chance over the top. Video up.
5 mins: Poor defence on Chelsea's back post allows Zabaleta to lay off to Silva who strikes over. Should have had that one on target. Video up.
2 mins: Both teams weakened in the centre of defence through injury... will that play a part? Slick from City as Balotelli gets away down the righ and wins the first corner of the match. Ohh... inviting chance for Zabaleta from the edge and rebound. Video up.
Chelsea to roll off... we're underway.
Packed stadium for a prestige game... Fernando Torres has sent thoughts to Fabrice Muamba... Tevez coming about miles after the rest six months to the day since last playing for the club. Huge applause from Muamba from the crowd.
City in the tunnel... no sign of Chelsea... last minute di Matteo instruction?
Starting lineups...
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Toure, Clichy, Silva, Toure Yaya, De Jong, Nasri, Aguero, Balotelli. Subs: Pantilimon, Milner, Dzeko, Kolarov, Savic, Barry, Tevez.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Cole, Mikel, Meireles, Ramires, Lampard, Mata, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Essien, Drogba, Malouda, Bosingwa, Kalou, Sturridge.
We have our live pictures and I will bring you the starting line ups soon... Torres gets the nod ahead of Drogba. Tevez on bench for City.
Kick off is not far away so in the meantime watch Fernando Torres finally score a goal for Chelsea after hours and hours of football (not enough fingers and toes to count).
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Possible teams:
Manchester City (Probable, 4-5-1): Hart; Richards, Savic, K Toure, Clichy; Silva, Y Toure, De Jong, Barry, Nasri; Balotelli.
Chelsea (Probable, 4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole; Meireles, Mikel; Ramires, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba.
Referee: Mike Dean
Pregame banter
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini urged twice-yearly medical screenings of English Premier League players, in light of the collapse of Fabrice Muamba.
The Bolton Wanderers midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest at Tottenham Hotspur on - and remains seriously ill in hospital.
Looking ahead to the home league match against Chelsea, Mancini also said that controversial Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez could play for City for the first time in six months after a fall-out with the coach.
Here’s what Mancini had to say on Chelsea, Tevez and Premier League medical standards following Fabrice Muamba collapsing at White Hart Lane.
"Maybe when you have a new manager, the team and the manager need more time to improve as a team. But when you change manager it's clear that the players maybe can get more. But Chelsea was always a fantastic team."
"There is this possibility, this chance - yes, it's possible." QUESTION: Do you think you will definitely use him on the field of play in your remaining 10 games? "Yeah, yeah." QUESTION: And can he be the difference between City winning the title and not, potentially? "We'll win the title. We'll win... or we'll do everything to win the title. 10 games, one point, it's nothing." (City will be one point behind leaders Manchester United in the English Premier League if they win their game in hand).
(On medical standards in English football following the collapse of Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba due to a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie on Saturday – images of the incident and information streaming around the world). "Here in England, that is the best championship in the world - everything is fantastic. But we need to improve our medical (checks) for the players. We need to screen players often, maybe two times a year, and more accurately, more accurately, because we don't do this. And when I saw our medical (set-up at Manchester City) I was really worried, two years ago - and I said 'we need to do better in medical'."
3 News
source: newshub archive
