MX23RW : Friday, November 22 22:33:07| >> :120:9841:9841:
[monks data]
Manchester City logo
Premier League
Jan 18, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Cardiff City logo

4-2

Dzeko (14'), Navas (33'), Toure (76'), Aguero (79')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Noone (29'), Campbell (90')

Match Analysis: Manchester City 4-2 Cardiff City

Sports Mole analyses Manchester City's 4-2 win over Cardiff City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City made it seven Premier League wins in a row and 11 straight at the Etihad Stadium with a 4-2 victory over Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.

In the first half Edin Dzeko opened the scoring before Craig Noone levelled with a fine individual effort. However, three minutes later Jesus Navas tapped in to put his side back ahead.

As Cardiff looked like they might get something from the game, City scored two more goals before a late Fraizer Campbell tap-in added a consolation for Cardiff.

Here, Sports Mole analyses the result to see if the right team won.

Match statistics

Man City
Shots: 24
On target: 9
Possession: 62%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 6

Cardiff
Shots: 7
On target: 6
Possession: 38%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 5

Was the result fair?

Absolutely. At 4-1 it was perhaps a little bit harsh on the visitors, who battled and kept themselves rigid, but there is no doubt that the hosts deserved the win. At times they were unplayable, which in the end meant that they had more than enough for Cardiff, who have slipped to the bottom of the table.

Man City's performance

Manager Manuel Pellegrini will be concerned with his side's defending at times, but equally they overran Cardiff for long periods in the midfield. Edin Dzeko combined brilliantly with the midfield in the first half and when Sergio Aguero came on, he posed a completely different threat. Overall they were just far too strong for Cardiff.

Cardiff's performance

In the first half in particular Cardiff played to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's game plan very well. They kept things very tight at the back and closed down not so high up the pitch. In the end, however, they were outplayed for large spells and did not have the answers. There was no faulting the way they played and it was just that the side with far more quality came through in the end.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Yaya Toure: The big Ivorian had a slightly slow start to the game, but the more it went on the more he had an influence on proceedings. What was important was that when his side were under a bit of pressure at 2-1 up he turned it on. His driving run for the third goal was as only he can do, before he set up the fourth with a defence-splitting through-ball.

Biggest gaffe

There was not a lot done in a game full of quality from both sides. However, although it didn't prove costly in the end, Vincent Kompany's defending for the Cardiff equaliser left a lot to be desired. He was turned far too easily by Noone and is fortunate that his side have so much attacking threat to get him out of the hole he might otherwise have been in.

Referee performance

Neil Swarbrick had a good game. There was perhaps a bit of controversy over the opening goal as David Silva might have handled the ball in the build-up, but it probably would have been a harsh decision. Other than that he let the game flow and only went to his pocket when absolutely necessary.

What next?

Man City: Tonight's hosts take a break from league action with the away leg of their League Cup tie with West Ham United. Expect a host of changes again.

Cardiff: Cardiff may as well stay in Manchester as they take on United a week on Tuesday after an FA Cup game with Bolton Wanderers on the Saturday.

ID:131247: cacheID:131247:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5546:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Jesus Navas celebrates after scoring his teams second goal during the English Premier League football match against Cardiff City on January 18, 2014
Read Next:
City cruise past Cardiff
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Steelers
19-24
Browns
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!