Etuhu turns things around for Eriksson

Manchester City 4 Bolton Wanderers 2:Players wore short sleeves and gloves. Nothing ever adds up with Manchester City - except their home points at present. On a bitter day they extended their 100 per cent record to a ninth game. Last season they went eight at the end without a goal.

At half-time, when City were deservedly 2-1 down, a tub could have done with thumping. "I told them they looked like losers," said Sven-Goran Eriksson mildly later, adding without a hint of self-congratulation: "We showed very good morale in the second half."

Eriksson also made a bold substitution - something that eluded him in charge of England - bringing on Kelvin Etuhu for Gelson Fernandes. The 19-year-old's run and cross led to an instant equaliser. His thrust turned the tide. In injury-time he confirmed the win with his first goal.

City had taken an early lead. Ricardo Gardner could not cut out a through-ball inside him, even with his tempted hands, and Darius Vassell, having failed to capitalise directly, regathered and fed Michael Johnson, who slipped the ball to the even better-placed Rolando Bianchi, warm in muffler.

Gary Megson looked a startling choice when appointed in late October to replace Sammy Lee at Bolton. But he has both restored order and relaxed the joyless strings attached to Sam Allardyce's regime. It is turning out both good and bad; and the good soon followed the early setback.

With Ivan Campo patrolling in front of the back four and the young Danny Guthrie joining Kevin Nolan busily in the middle, Kevin Davies and El Hadji Diouf were released to give Nicolas Anelka strong and skilful support.

After Anelka burst through to hit a post, Diouf, from the left, started and finished a flowing move that started with Davies on the right.

Then Dietmar Hamann sliced a high clearance, Vedran Corluka let Gardner get the better of him and Hamann, trying to make amends, deflected the cross for Nolan to score.

Hamann, like Gardner, soon redeemed himself, firing the shot that Lubomir Michalik deflected into his net for 2-2.

With 20 minutes to go the wheels came off for Bolton.

Johnson grazed a post before Bianchi cleverly released Martin Petrov, and the cross was squeezed in by Vassell.

Bolton's response was instant, aerial and all Allardyce, a bombardment that now found Richard Dunne and Micah Richards more set on authority than earlier. Three times City broke with men to spare. The third time Etuhu made sure.