Scunthorpe 2 Manchester City 4:IF, AS LOOKS likely, this is going to be the last game Robinho starts for Manchester City, he can at least reflect he went out on a high of sorts. The Brazilian's late goal that finally saw off the side fourth from bottom of the Championship can be described as some kind of farewell gift – providing, that is, he gets his wish to leave England.
What happens next for the most expensive player in the history of the English game is surrounded in confusion given Roberto Mancini’s comments after the match he did not want him to leave the club, despite the player making it clear on Brazilian radio he was desperate to rejoin his former club Santos, and with Benfica also registering an interest.
His first goal of a disappointing season for him came at a good time for his employers – a point in the match at which they were looking vulnerable to Scunthorpe coming back from 3-1 down to force a replay that had seemed improbable when Sylvinho stylishly lashed in City’s third goal from 30 yards.
Nigel Adkins’s side came back valiantly, subjecting their opponents to near-unremitting pressure once Dedryck Boyata, the young City centre-half, had turned Cliff Byrne’s shot past his own goalkeeper, Stuart Taylor, to make it 3-2. Scunthorpe will also reflect on a number of other close misses.
Mancini will feel he was justified in resting Carlos Tevez, Shay Given and a few others ahead of the second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Manchester United on Wednesday. He also withdrew Nigel de Jong at half-time, bringing on 18-year-old Greg Cunningham for his first appearance in a side featuring 19-year-old Boyata and another 18-year-old debutant, Abdisalam Ibrahim.
City could not have had a better start, Martin Petrov advancing through the inside-left channel and suddenly finding a gap appearing in front of him, striking a stunning left-foot drive beyond Joe Murphy in the home goal.
The equaliser, courtesy of Paul Hayes’s volley just before the half-hour, was merited, even if the striker was a yard offside before he latched on to Martyn Woolford’s flick to fire past Taylor, Given’s replacement for the day.
City re-established the lead just before half-time when Stephen Ireland’s clever pass picked out Nedum Onuoha and the right-back slipped the ball past Murphy.
When Sylvinho extended the lead after 57 minutes it looked briefly as if City would run away with the match but Murphy saved twice from Robinho to earn a begrudging handshake from the Brazilian and there was a genuine sense that the game could be salvaged once Boyata inadvertently turned the ball past Taylor. Instead Robinho finished off a flowing passing move.
SCUNTHORPE: Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Jones (Milne 82), Williams, Thompson, Togwell, McCann (Josh Wright 88), Woolford, Hayes (Forte 88), Hooper. Subs Not Used: Lillis, Sparrow, May, Crosby.
MAN CITY: Taylor, Onuoha, Boyata, Kompany, Sylvinho, Ibrahim, De Jong (Cunningham 46), Ireland (Zabaleta 66), Mwaruwari, Robinho (Bellamy 85), Petrov. Subs Not Used: Nielsen, Richards, Wright-Phillips, Barry. Booked: Cunningham.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).
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