ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester City 5 Sunderland 0:MANCHESTER CITY have climbed above Chelsea into third position in the Premier League and, in the process, they will have given Alex Ferguson plenty to ponder. The Manchester United manager had crossed this divided city to see his team's FA Cup semi-final opponents and it coincided with a confident, vibrant display from a City side registering their most emphatic win of the season.
Roberto Mancini’s team were superior in every department. They had a touch of class that made it an ordeal for their opponents. The pressure on the Sunderland goal was unrelenting and there was a sorry look about Steve Bruce’s team. They have taken only one point out of the past 21 and, tellingly, have won only once since Darren Bent’s defection to Aston Villa in January.
They have also failed to score in their past four games and their performance at the City of Manchester Stadium was encapsulated by the moment of tragicomedy that led to City’s fifth goal when Lee Cattermole, from a position on the left touchline, played the ball into his own penalty area for Yaya Toure to run clear and clip his shot past the goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet. It was a goal wrapped in red and white ribbons.
By that point the game had become an exercise in damage limitation for Sunderland. It had probably been that way by the time we reached the opening quarter of an hour, with City already 2-0 ahead courtesy of Adam Johnson’s adroit finish and a Carlos Tevez penalty for his 22nd goal of the season.
The second half was an even more chastening experience for Sunderland. David Silva turned in the third before the substitute Patrick Vieira made it 4-0, an alert linesman correctly ruling he had prodded Aleksandar Kolarov’s low centre just over the line. An already embarrassing day for Sunderland was then exacerbated by Cattermole’s ignominious part in Toure’s goal.
By the end there was a deep sense of irony about the home crowd’s chorus of “Boring, Boring City”. There have been many times this season when Mancini has stood accused of conservatism but, when he lets the handbrake off, this is a team that can attack from all directions.
City have now scored nine more league goals than the Tottenham Hotspur side lauded for their attacking qualities and Harry Redknapp’s sense of adventure.
Sunderland, in contrast, look desperate. No other Premier League side has gone four consecutive games without scoring this season and, in total, they have managed only 37 goals in 34 league and cup games. They were a dishevelled side.
Cattermole’s error will linger in the memory but he was far from alone. Jordan Henderson was substituted after a laboured display. Phil Bardsley lasted until half-time, though he was playing with a knee injury, and Bruce was unsparing in his criticisms. “We had two or three players who performed okay,” he said. “The rest, I have no excuses for. From start to finish, it was brutal.”
Bardsley had been guilty of giving away the penalty from which Tevez scored his first goal in eight games and was “found out”, to quote Bruce, for the opening goal as well, Johnson exchanging passes with Toure before driving his shot past Mignolet.
It was a triumph in attacking and with the chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, visiting from Abu Dhabi. “He’s happy,” Mancini said. “It’s been an important weekend.” There was also plenty for Mancini to admire in terms of Mario Balotelli’s performance. The Italian was prominently involved, his blocked shot allowing Silva to score the third from the rebound, and the equally pleasing aspect was his demeanour.
Guardian Service
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