Source: Daily_Mail
Stoke 1 Man City 1: Gareth Barry pounces late on to punish Potters
Patrick Viera says he has missed the gladiatorialcombat of English football and last night he got exactly what he wanted.[LNB]A full-blooded battle in the bearpit of the Britannia Stadium brought out the snarling best in Manchester City's veteran midfielder asRoberto Mancini's side claimed a top-four place the manager promiseswill be theirs at the end of the season. [LNB]Mancini, like Vieira, was brought over from Italy to make a success of the City project, and he will not rejoice at his team's failing to beat 10-man Stoke here for the second season in a row. [LNB]Heading fourth: Gareth Barry is first to react and send City up the table after Emmanuel Adebayor's header bounces off the post[LNB]For him, this was two points dropped rather than one gained.Mancini should have been satisfiedthat City came through one of the toughest tests the Premier League has to offer with a point after Gareth Barry's scrambled effort in the 86th-minute cancelled out the opener from former City trainee Glenn Whelan.[LNB]Even more so after referee Alan Wiley who had sent off AbdoulayeFaye just seven minutes into the second half ruled out an apparently legitimate late goal by Ryan Shawcross. [LNB]But he wasn't. [LNB]'After five minutes of the second half we had a fantastic chance to win,' said Mancini. [LNB]You're off! Stoke's Abdoulaye Faye brings down Adebayor resulting in red card[LNB]'We played against 10 men for 40 minutes and we have to play better than that. We have to be more aggressive.' [LNB]Mancini sent out a team ready for battle and they certainly got one. Wayne Bridge may have been rested, but Micah Richards was back in defence, Vieira restored alongside Nigel de Jong in the middle,and Roque Santa Cruz alongsideEmmanuel Adebayor in attack. [LNB]Vieira led the way and was involved in a running battle with Whelan throughout. That he did not follow Faye off the pitch is testament to Wiley's leniency in refusing to punishhim for sinking his studs angrily into Whelan's midriff after being bundled over early on. [LNB]It was a lucky escape for Vieira, whose every touch was met with boos after that, and one that clearly infuriated Stoke manager Tony Pulis.[LNB]'I hope the referee will show it to the FA,' said Pulis. [LNB]'We've had playersdo things off the ball, the referee doesn't see it, but the FA looks at it and bans them,' said Pulis. [LNB]'All we ask for his parity and I don't think we've got that.' [LNB]Asked if he was referring to Vieira, Pulis turned on his heels and walked out. It was of little consolation that the former Arsenal player was eventuallybooked for the second of two robust challenges on Mamady Sidibe in the second half. [LNB]Moments later Wiley was reaching for his top pocket again, this time to show Faye a straight red card. [LNB]Adebayor nicked the ball away from the Senegal defender and looked set to race clear on goal, and although Faye appeared to get a foot to the ball as he lunged in, he also had a handful of the striker's shirt. [LNB]Early shower: Alan Wiley shows Abdoulaye Faye red card[LNB]Wiley initally waved play on but changed his mind when alerted by his assistant. Having weathered a bombardment of set pieces in the first half, City must have thought the game was there for the taking, but it was Stoke who struck first in the 72nd minute. [LNB]Adam Johnson's scuffed clearance only went as far as Whelan and his low shot from 25 yards flew through Joleon Lescott's legs and past Given.But City levelled four minutes from time. [LNB]MATCH STATS STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen 6;Huth6, Faye 6, Shawcross 6, Higginbotham 6 (Collins 46min, 6); Lawrence 7(Diao 60, 6), Whelan 7, Whitehead 6, Delap 7; Fuller 7 (Beattie 80),Sidibe 6. Booked: Whelan, Diao, Fuller. Sent off: Faye.[LNB]MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2):Given 7; Richards 7 (Zabaleta 80), Lescott 6, Toure 6, Garrido 5(Wright-Phillips 60, 6); Johnson 6 (Petrov 86), Vieira 7, De Jong 6,Barry 6; Santa Cruz 5, Adebayor 6.Booked: Vieira, De Jong, Barry.Man of the match: Patrick Vieira.Referee: Alan Wiley.[LNB]Adebayor headed on from Johnson's free-kick and Barry lunged to flick the ball beyond ThomasSorensen and against the post. Fortunately for the England man it rebounded straight to him and he was able to prod out a leg and divert it back into the unguarded goal. [LNB]There was still time for more controversyin the fifth minute of stoppagetime. Inevitably the danger came from another Rory Delap throw, and Ryan Shawcross rose above Given to head in, only to see Wiley harshly rule it out for a foul.[LNB]Pulis fumed: 'You look at Kolo Toure's reaction he had his head in his hands because he knew it was a good goal. We're very disappointed the referee disallowed it.' [LNB]Although Mancini claimed he was too far away to see the incident, he still insisted his side had missed out on a chance to go three points clear of top-four rivals Liverpool ahead of Sunday's clash at Eastlands. [LNB]Then it is back to the Britannia and a third meeting in the space of 11 days with Stoke in the fifth round of the FA Cup. On this evidence, it will be one not to miss.[LNB][LNB] Aston Villa boss O'Neill throws weight behind Champions League play-offs Mancini: Man City must combat Delap to topple Stoke and gatecrash top four Stoke winger Matthew Etherington could make speedy return after scan reveals knee damage not seriousManchester City new boy Vieira: I've missed playing teams like Stoke [LNB]
