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  • Bianchi (7), Michalik (48 og), Vassell (77)
  • Diouf (31), Nolan (40)
  • Date:2007-12-15
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:City of Manchester Stadium
  • Attendance:40506
  • Referee:Walton, P

Live Commentary

90mins

The final whistle goes and City win in a great open game of football where both sides contributed. Bolton did well to have the lead by the break, but City showed all their class to maintain their 100% home record.

90mins

Kelvin Etuhu scores! City broke after Bolton were caight short at the back after throwing everything forward, and Kelvin Etuhu hits a good strike to seal the game.

90mins

There's a scramble in the City box and somehow the ball is cleared, much to the relief of the home fans.

90mins

And it cleared off the line by Bolton! And Wanderers seem to be hanging on a bit here.

90mins

There will be 3 minutes of stoppage time.

89mins

Jussi Jaaskelainen makes a great save from Emile Lokonda Mpenza, and he should have done better with the effort, and Bolton are still in it.

89mins

The game is slowly slipping away from Bolton and this is a very anxious final few minutes at Eastlands.

87mins

The introduction of stelios and McCann show that Megson has shown his hand and gone for broke in the fina 5 minutes.

86mins

Emile Lokonda Mpenza replaces Rolando Bianchi, who gets a standing ovation from the home fans.

86mins

Ramos Ivan Campo is replaced by Stelios Giannakopoulos

85mins

Into the final 5 minutes and home fans are still anxious about getting all 3 points here as Bolton look to throw everything forward.

84mins

Gavin McCann comes on to replace Nicky Hunt.

83mins

Martin Petrov is replaced by Javier Garrido.

81mins

The game has been end-to-end, and very open, and both sides have been competing in a very good game of football, which at the moment, will be going in City's favour.

79mins

Vassell makes a great run down the wing, but the eventual cross from Petrov is a poor one.

77mins

Darius Vassell scores! Petrov crosses the ball from left and some slack defending leaves Vassell free at the back post to put City ahead.

75mins

Nolan is booked for a late tackle.

72mins

Michael Johnson has a great shot on goal and it hits the post! and two great chances within minutes of each other there.

71mins

Andreas Isaksson makes a fantastic save from an Anelka shot, but questions need to be asked about whether or not Anelka was offside or not.

67mins

There is a stoppage in play as Nolan stays down after a tackle.

64mins

Andreas Isaksson does well to reclaim a loose ball in the box after he let the ball slip from his arms.

61mins

Lubomir Michalik has been credited with an own goal for Man City's equaliser.

61mins

City are building possession and edging towards the Bolton goal, Vedran Corluka tries his hand from long range but the effort is very high over the bar.

58mins

The game is still being played at a good tempo, and this game is very open and could still go either way.

54mins

Diouf heads towards goal from 12 yards, but his effort goes wide, and Bolton certainly haven't let the equaliser pull them back.

51mins

City will be delighted with such an early comeback, and the home fans will feel that this game is there's once again.

48mins

Hamann scores! Etuhu supplies the pass to Hamann, who takes a shot on goal, but it takes a big deflection before it hits the back of the net, and its all level.

45mins

Kelvin Etuhu replaces Gleson in a tatical change.

45mins

The game restarts with City looking to re-establish their home dominance over Bolton.

45mins

The game goes into the break with Bolton having made a great first half comeback, they went behind early on but have played some good attacking football to be 2-1 up after 45 minutes.

45mins

The game goes into stoppage time.

42mins

Hamann loses the ball in the middle and Bolton attack, but it comes to nothing as a weak shot on goal goes comfortably wide.

40mins

Kevin Nolan scores! Bolton do what they do best and hit City on the counter attack, Gardner makes ammends for earlier and pulls the ball back for Nolan to finish.

36mins

The pace from the Bolton attack does seem to catching the City defence out every now and then, and Megson will be pleased with that.

33mins

Some people may say that that goal was certainly comming, Bolton had been playing well and had also hit the post, so City can have no complaints about that.

31mins

El Hadji Diouf scores! A good move from Bolton, and Davies seems to hit a shot come cross that finds Diouf, who finishes well to level the scores.

30mins

Good move from Bolton, and Davies knocks the ball down for Anelka, who shoots wide.

29mins

The game has been played at a relatively consistent upbeat tempo, and this will be encouraging for Bolton, who will still think they have a great chance of getting back in this game.

27mins

Anelka hits the inside of the post from a cracking shot, and City have a lucky escape.

24mins

Vassell has a great header on goal at the far post, but it goes just over, a good effort from City there.

21mins

Bolton have players in the box, but the cross in is a bad one and keeper Andreas Isaksson catches well.

19mins

Bianchi receives the ball in a dangerous attack but he is flagged offside, and the game has slowed in tempo in the last few minutes.

16mins

Davies and Campo are both making their 150th start for Bolton today, and its also a landmark day for Nolan, who makes his 250th start for the Wanderers.

13mins

Bolton are still playing well in the opening of this game, and despite that early goal, The Wanderers are still playing some good attacking football.

10mins

Bolton wont be happy with how they conceded that goal, and with City having the home record they do, Bolton will have a hard task ahead of them.

7mins

Rolando Bianchi scores! Gardner makes a denfensive error, and Vassell runs through and shoots, but his shot is saved by Jasskelainen, but he parries it, and vassell finds Bianchi who finishes from 12 yards.

3mins

An upbeat start to this game as City start on the front foot against a Bolton side who haven't won away all season.

0mins

Perter Walton gets the game underway as City look to keep their 100% home record, the only one in left in the country.

0mins

Bolton starting line-up: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Nicky Hunt, Abdoulaye Meite ,Lubomir Michalik, Ricardo Gardner, Kevin Nolan, Campo, Danny Guthrie, El Hadji Diouf, Kevin Davies, Nicolas Anelka

0mins

City starting line-up: Isaksson,Vedran Corluka, Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Michael Ball, Gelson, Dietmar Hamann, Michael Johnson, Rolando Bianchi, Martin Petrov, Darius Vassell

0mins

Andy O'Brien is dropped from the squad but Megson is able to name an unchanged side from the one that beat Wigan 4-1.

0mins

Elano doesn't recover from a hamstring injury however Hamann returns from suspension and starts for Man City.

Match Preview

Manchester City will have to contain a much-improved Bolton Wanderers side this Saturday as they look to rebound from last weekend's 2-1 loss to Spurs.

This is a fixture in which City have struggled recently, losing four of the last six games between the two clubs, although they at least claimed a win six weeks ago when a late Elano penalty knocked Bolton out of the Carling Cup.

The mercurial Brazilian, so important in City's early season performances, should be back to face the Trotters having recovered from a hamstring strain.

The City midfield has failed to plug the gap left by Elano, with Geovanni, Michael Johnson and Kelvin Etuhu being used to limited effect against Spurs and Wigan.

Having picked up just one point and two goals from the two games Elano has missed, City will be both delighted to have him back and concerned at their reliance upon the 26-year-old playmaker.

City could also have Valeri Bojinov back from his long-term knee injury in the next few weeks, while fellow striker Emile Mpenza is also due to return from a thigh strain.

They will face a challenge from Rolando Bianchi for a place in City's attacking line, after the Italian hit his third goal of the season against Spurs.

That performance earned praise from boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who said: "He's there in the right place at the right moment and in the box. He's very physical and strong."

City will also be cursing the latest controversy to surround midfielder Stephen Ireland, as the Republic of Ireland international's sending off against Spurs leaves him banned for the next three games.

Elano could take his place in midfield, leaving Johnson, Geovanni, Etuhu and Dietmar Hamann to fight for a spot alongside Gelson Fernandes and Martin Petrov.

Bolton have Joey O'Brien, Heidar Helguson and Ricardo Vaz Te back in training after injuries, though none are expected to feature against City.

Strikers Helguson and Vaz Te could struggle to return to the first team as Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka have impressed in recent weeks.


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Match Report

Manchester City produced a searing second-half recovery to beat Bolton and preserve their 100 per cent home League record.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's side displayed grit, determination and a never-say-die spirit as they made it nine straight wins at Eastlands.

City had found themselves 2-1 down at half-time, the first time this season they had conceded two League goals at home.

But in the second period they scored three times as Bolton defender Lubomir Michalik put through his own goal and then Darius Vassell and Kelvin Etuhu found the net to complete a remarkable comeback.

Bolton had earlier taken an interval lead through goals from El Hadji Diouf and Kevin Nolan and they looked set to record their first away win of the season to ease their relegation worries.

City made a perfect start, taking a seventh-minute lead through recalled striker Rolando Bianchi.

Vassell seized on an error from Ricardo Gardner and, with the help of Michael Johnson, set up Bianchi, who slotted home his fourth goal of the season.

After a nervous opening, Bolton came alive and City old boy Nicolas Anelka struck the upright. It was no surprise when the visitors equalised just after the half-hour mark.

A delightful passing move ended with Kevin Davies crossing from the right for Diouf to score his first League goal of the season.

There was another shock in store for City when they fell behind five minutes before the break.

Gardner dispossessed Vedran Corluka and cut the ball back for Nolan to shoot low past keeper Andreas Isaksson for his third goal of the season.

Eriksson threw on teenager Etuhu at the break and it proved an inspired substitution, as within three minutes of coming on, he helped set up City's second goal when Dietmar Hamann's shot was headed past his own keeper by defender Michalik.

City were indebted to Isaksson for keeping them on level terms as he pulled off an instinctive save to keep out a point-blank shot from Anelka. Moments later City almost snatched the lead when Johnson's shot struck the upright with Jussi Jaaskelainen beaten.

City completed a remarkable recovery when Vassell squeezed home a shot past Gardner and Jaaskelainen in the 77th minute, following a break by Martin Petrov on the left.

There was icing on the cake for the home fans with an stoppage time fourth goal from Etuhu after he had been set up following a breakaway by man-of-the-match Vassell.

Manchester City

Bolton Wanderers

Corners

64

Fouls

1212

Goal attempts

159

Shots off target

46

Offsides

63

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