Premier League review:A new Manchester City star was born in winger Adam Johnson as the Blues nudged up towards the top four with victory over Bolton. Strike duo Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor might have scored the goals that leave City trailing fourth-placed Liverpool on goal difference, but there was no doubt Johnson was the real star.
Signed for €9 million from Middlesbrough on deadline day, the 22-year-old left to a standing ovation six minutes from time after providing most of the thrills on a chilly evening.
It was Johnson who won the penalty that Tevez converted to put City ahead. And although fellow new-boy Patrick Vieira set up Adebayor to seal victory, it was Johnson who kept Bolton on the back foot and ensured there was no second away point of the season for Owen Coyle, whose only other one came on this ground in November when he was still at Burnley.
It is a run that must end quickly given Bolton could easily find themselves in the drop zone after tomorrow night’s games, and facing Coyle with a massive job to prove it was not a mistake to bring him in to replace Gary Megson.
There was late drama at Fratton Park as 10-man Portsmouthequalised deep into stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw against nine-man Sunderland.
A controversial early penalty from Darren Bent had looked to have secured all three points for the Wearsiders and heaped further misery on the bottom club.
Bent netted early on from the penalty spot after Ricardo Rocha was adjudged to have brought him down, with the Pompey defender eventually sent off after
Hassan Yebda was initially mistakenly dismissed.
But the numbers were evened up nine minutes into the second half when Black Cats midfielder Lee Cattermole was sent off for a second bookable offence and the visitors were further depleted three minutes from time when David Meyler saw red just moments after coming on for clattering into Steve Finnan.
Aruna Dindane then headed home Jamie O’Hara’s cross to provide something to cheer for Pompey fans, with the club facing a winding-up petition in the High Court tomorrow.
Fulhamclimbed to ninth and left Burnleystill looking for their first away win of the season by triumphing 3-0 over the Clarets at Craven Cottage.
First-half goals from Danny Murphy and David Elm poured on the agony for Brian Laws’ side as the visitors found themselves outplayed from the start.
Bobby Zamora ended any hopes Burnley had of producing a comeback by notching his side’s third goal from a free-kick nine minutes after the interval.
In tonight's other match, Wiganand Stokebattled out a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium.
Paul Scharner’s early header put Roberto Martinez’s Latics in the ascendancy but an equally fine second-half header from Tuncay Sanli secured the Potters a share of the spoils.