• Date: Sun 20 January 2008
  • Venue: City of Manchester Stadium
  • Ref: Dowd, P
  • Attendance: 39,042
Manchester City

Manchester City

Vassell (16)

1 - 1

Manchester City vs West Ham United

Team Lineups

Manchester City

Joe Hart
Vedran Corluka
Michael Ball
Richard Dunne
Micah Richards
Dietmar Hamann
Blumer Elano (Javier Garrido, 78)
Stephen Ireland (Deiberson Geovanni, 68)
Martin Petrov
Darius Vassell (Gelson Fernandes, 58)
Rolando Bianchi

West Ham United

Robert Green
Matthew Upson
Anton Ferdinand
Lucas Neill
George McCartney
Lee Bowyer (Jonathan Spector, 90)
Mark Noble
Freddie Ljungberg
Hayden Mullins
Luis Boa Morte (Julien Faubert, 71)
Carlton Cole


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

It's finished 1-1, West Ham probably deserved more after Vassell's goal levelled matters following Cole's superb opener early on.

90

Cole's header from Faubert's cross is tipped over the bar - a great late chance gone

90
Substitution
 

Into injury time but Bowyer goes off in place of Jonathan Spector

88

Ljungberg's shot is also into the side-netting - another chance goes begging

87

The free-kick comes to nothing in the end - time almost up now

86
Yellow Card
 

Noble decides to take it upon himself to pace out the 10 yards for the free-kick and is booked

85
Yellow Card
 

Bowyer reacts to it and is rightly booked as well

85
Yellow Card
 

Geovanni is booked for a foul on Lee Bowyer

83

Ljungberg does well to find some space to work a shot but it's into the side-netting

82

Eight minutes or so left and time running out for a winner

80

Petrov's free-kick is headed goalwards by Bianchi but it's easy for Green again

78
Substitution
 

A disappointing Elano goes off to be replaced by Javier Garrido

77

City mount a quick counter-attack and Elano heads over from a good position

77

Noble almost makes it 2-1, but Hart saves very well after a lovely move from the visitors

76

The decision looked harsh to disallow that 'goal' and West Ham remain the better side

74

Faubert nearly makes an instant impact as he taps the ball home but the ref says he had pushed a City defender beforehand

72
Substitution
 

Julien Faubert replaces the ineffective Boa Morte for West Ham

71

Petrov's free-kick is poor and never troubling Green

71

Boa Morte hauls down Hamann and is lucky not to escape a second booking

69
Substitution
 

Ireland goes off now for City - Geovanni comes on

68

Bianchi fires a half-volley at goal but Green claims the ball well

66

Elano's free-kick from around 30 yards is way off target and the ball flies over

65

Mullins shoots after a couple of West Ham corners but it's off target

62

It's still the visitors who are on top and look the more likely to score next

60

Hayden Mullins fires in a shot that Hart has to touch behind for a corner from which West Ham want a penalty but the referee says no

59
Substitution
 

Gelson Fernandes comes on in place of Vassell for City

58

Petrov breaks forward and it looks dangerous but he can't make the most of the chance

57

West Ham go up the other end though and win a corner but no player can get on the end of it and another opening goes begging

57

The home side earn a second corner in quick succession but the visitors defend well again

56

City win a corner after Anton Ferdinand does well at the back for West Ham

55

It's been a rather scrappy start to the second half at Eastlands

53

Hart gathers the ball as a Hammers attack breaks down again

51
Yellow Card
 

Boa Morte is the third man to be booked for a lunge on Vassell

49

Noble gets a decent sight of goal but wastefully lifts his shot over the bar

47

No changes by either manager at half time as Cole is rather harshly judged to have fouled Richards

Second half
 

The second period begins with City hoping for a better performance after the break

Half time
 

Level at the break after a lively half, Vassell's tap-in cancelling out Cole's early effort for an impressive West Ham, City, though, have been disappointing

45

Dunne has to divert the ball behind for another Hammers corner but it comes to nothing

44

Cole is involved in another attack but Micah Richards does well to hussle him off the ball and the chance goes begging

42

Boa Morte over-runs the ball with Ljungberg in a great position ahead of him

41

West Ham win another corner but City defend well and Dietmar Hamann releases Bianchi but that move breaks down

39

Neill's cross is well claimed by Hart again - the visitors continue to push for a second goal

37

Cole breaks forward but decides to play in Ljungberg when a shot himself looked the better option - the Swedish star is offside though

36

Apart from the two goals, there's been very few clear chances but West Ham are still the better side as City clear a corner

34
Yellow Card
 

Richard Dunne's challenge on Boa Morte is poor and that's a West Ham free-kick and the City man a booking

31

Ljungberg's cross is poor and easy for Hart

30

Stephen Ireland's shot is straight into the arms of Robert Green

27
Yellow Card
 

Lucas Neill is late on Petrov and he picks up the first booking of the game

25

It's been a decent opening 25 minutes, with West Ham just edging the game so far

22

Rolando Bianchi does well and fires a shot in but it's well off target - an awful attempt in the end

20

The goal has buoyed City after a poor start from them

18

Vassell looked offiside as the first cross came over but City don't care and they're level - a lively start at Eastlands

17
Goal
 

Darius Vassell pokes home the equaliser from close-range after West Ham fail to deal with a corner

15

City have struggled so far and the crowd are very quiet at the moment as Hart easily gathers a free-kick

13

Ljungberg breaks forward again as West Ham continue to dominate early on here

11

Martin Petrov's free-kick is deflected behind for a corner

10

A great start for the visitors here, a great strike from Cole

8
Goal
 

Carlton Cole puts the Hammers in front with a superb overhead kick

6

Noble goes down but that's not a foul and West Ham can break and Luis Boa Morte wins a corner

3

Joe Hart slides out to claim the ball with Freddie Ljungberg advancing for the visitors

2

A quiet first couple of minutes with no early chances to report

Kickoff
 

These two sides go head to head again - the third time in recent weeks, as the action begins at Eastlands

Awaiting Kickoff
 

City make one change with Rolando Bianchi coming in for Nery Castillo up front, Hammers boss Alan Curbishley replaces Dean Ashton with Carlton Cole in attack and Hayden Mullins comes in for Matthew Etherington in midfield.