Source: Daily_Mail
Wolves 0 Manchester City 3: Roberto Mancini is sprinkling stardust all over City
There was no stardust at Molineux last night only freezing fog but whatever Roberto Mancini is sprinkling over his Manchester City players seems to be taking effect.[LNB]A debut Boxing Day victory over Stoke City for the new Manchester City manager may have been somewhat regulation, but the true test of any team comes away from their own comfortable surroundings.[LNB]And Mancini took to his task at Molineux as you would expect a three-time winner of the Scudetto with Inter Milan would take to any challenge even one as tough as managing Manchester City.[LNB] Doubling up: Tevez scores his eighth in seven games to make it 3-0[LNB]Mancini began the evening with a five-man midfield but decided it wasn't working soon after the half hour and, hey presto, they never looked back.[LNB]Carlos Tevez scored his seventh goal in as many games to put the immaculately turned-out Italian on his way to a second victory in two games and his new club to their first win on their travels since defeating Portsmouth in August.[LNB]Although victory over a newly promoted club is not sufficient toleave them performing cartwheels in Manchester, it's a start Wolves areby no means an easy touch on their own patch and they worked devilishlyhard.[LNB]But the fact is, had Craig Bellamy revelled in the front-runningrole that was perversely often denied him by Mark Hughes, this gamewould have been over within five minutes of the second-half starting.[LNB] In form: Tevez notches his first of the night[LNB]As it was, Wolves kept at it. Kevin Doyle and Chris Iwelumo causedmore than momentary panic in front of Shay Given before Javier Garridosettled the issue midway through the second-half.[LNB]The Spanish substitute, brought on for Stephen Ireland in the second half, benefited from Michael Mancienne's clumsy barge into Gareth Barry as he curled a left-foot free-kick.[LNB]Tevez rounded off a comfortable victory three minutes from time withhis second goal of the night, firing home left-footed from the edge ofthe penalty area as Wolves goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann was slow toreact.[LNB]Mancini, as would be expected for a man who carries such loftyexpectations on his shoulders, did not take long to act on thedeficiencies at the City of Manchester Stadium just two days earlier.[LNB] Some distance: Garrido curls his free kick around the Wolves wall[LNB]Robinho was relegated to the substitutes' bench with Micah Richardscoming in for Sylvinho. Given what has happened in the past fortnight,the Wolves side sent out by Mick McCarthy was almost as much of a story.[LNB]There were five changes from the team who put up a decent fight for an hour at Liverpool before falling to defeat.[LNB]It was clear, though, once the sides lined up that Mancini wastaking a more pragmatic approach to the problems that dogged formermanager Mark Hughes away from Manchester.[LNB]The statistic that is routinely trotted out in the Welshman's favouris that City lost just two League matches all season. But, for a teamwho cost so much to have won just once on their travels prior to lastnight's final away fixture of the year was clearly not good enough.[LNB]With a treatment room containing Roque Santa Cruz and EmmanuelAdebayor, Mancini decided Tevez should be used as a lone striker, withBellamy and Martin Petrov either side of him. It was a tactic that, forthe opening quarter of an hour, looked ill conceived.[LNB]Former Wolves full back Kevin Muscat almost ended Bellamy's careerat Molineux before it had got under way over a decade ago during theWelshman's early days at Norwich City.[LNB] No wonder he's smiling: Mancini oversaw his second win as as many games[LNB]So enraged was Norwich's then boss, Bruce Rioch, that he had to be stopped from confronting the Australian on the pitch.[LNB]Football fans don't forget and Muscat's name rolled down the stands from the South Bank with the game but five minutes old.[LNB]It was however, in front of the goal protected by Given where thefirst excitement of the evening was produced. City's Republic ofIreland goalkeeper needed to get his body behind Karl Henry'sgrass-cutter as it headed for the bottom corner of the net.[LNB]Bellamy squandered a fantastic opportunity to silence the vastmajority of the crowd on the half-hour. Petrov's over-hit cross had tobe collected by Tevez, whose fleet of foot bamboozled Wolves left backGeorge Elokobi. The Argentine's low cross bounced rather fortunatelyfor Bellamy, but the striker blazed over from just five yards out.[LNB]The hoots of derision had barely died down when Bellamy fashioned Tevez's 11th goal of the season after 33 minutes.[LNB] Crunch time: Berra takes a tumble - he was subbed soon after - after an aerial challenge with Bellamy[LNB] [LNB]A neat step-over left Wolves defender Jody Craddock for dead andenabled Bellamy to pull the ball back. Tevez took the shot first-time,and it ricocheted off the diving Christophe Berra's body and bouncedpast Hahnemann into the net.[LNB]Mancini decided his five-man midfield wasn't working and Bellamy waspushed into a role just behind Tevez, with Petrov patrolling the leftand Ireland pushed up on the right.[LNB]It looked a system better suited to the visitors and, apart from oneElokobi header that bounced over, saw out the half without too muchtrouble.[LNB]The game should have been all over three minutes after the intervalas the ball was helped inside by Tevez and Petrov's first-time touchhad the in-form forward streaking clear. But his control was foundwanting and the angle became too tight. Bellamy committed to Manchester City as striker backs new manager ManciniManchester City close in on Cordoba after Inter star's spat with MourinhoWolves 0 Manchester City 3: How the drama from Molneux unfoldedWOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS FC
