Source: Man_City
Mancini pledges to make up for heartache
Roberto Mancini has promised Manchester City fans an end-of-season present to make up for their derby heartache. For the third time this season the Blues were left on their knees thanks to a last-gasp Manchester United winner. This time it was old stager Paul Scholes inflicting the wound, rising to head home Patrice Evra's left-wing cross 20 seconds before the end. With Tottenham maximising the damage by beating Chelsea at White Hart Lane five hours later, City have slipped to fifth place, two points adrift of Harry Redknapp's men with four games remaining. As one of those matches pitches the two teams in direct competition at Eastlands on May 5, there looks likely to be a few twists yet before the saga is complete. However, when the lucrative prize is decided, Mancini is adamant his team will be the ones cheering. "I am sorry for the supporters," said the Italian. "But at the end of the season we will have a good gift for them because I think we will get the fourth position." City's quest will continue at Arsenal on Saturday evening. The Blues have not beaten the Gunners on their own patch since 1975 and now they have been brought back into the title race once more, Arsene Wenger's men are unlikely to be in forgiving mood. No-one needs any reminding about the bad feeling which scarred the first meeting between the sides, Emmanuel Adebayor scoring but then getting himself banned for three matches after raking his studs down the side of Robin van Persie's face. The Dutchman claimed it was a deliberate act and the memories will bring an extra edge to proceedings. After that City play Aston Villa, Tottenham and finally West Ham. "This result has affected us in terms of getting into fourth place," Mancini added. "But I still think we will do it. "We have four games left and the crucial one will probably be the Tottenham one here."| Submit Comments| Comments (90)| PrintWhat's this? Emaildel.icio.usDiggredditFacebookStumbleUponNewsvineGoogle BookmarksNetscapeTechnoratiWindows LiveYahoo! MyWebMa.gnolia
