The Manchester City (The Citizens) | Special Thread

Goal! Everton 1-0 Manchester City (Barkley 10)
WHAT. A. GOAL. Out of nothing!

Goal! Everton 1-1 Manchester City (Aguero 22)
And it's all square. City fans go nuts! Martin Tyler has to clarify to the viewers that they are in fact City fans.
5.52pm BST
20 min: Eventually City's midfield pushes up and Howard launches it downfield. Coleman running from deep, picks up the second ball and wastes a useful position.
5.50pm BST
18 min: City's pressing is equally week, Everton must have put about 40 passes together. Cries of 'Olay' ring out with each pass. It's just Aguero and Dzeko chasing shadows at the moment.

Sat 3 May 2014
5.58pm BST
24 min: Aguero has got a problem. Geoff Shreeves is on hand to reliably inform us that he's pulled both his groin and his hammy. How he's got that info god knows. Aguero collapses in the centre circle and eventually is replaced by Fernandinho. City now have five in that midfield with Dzeko leading the line.
5.55pm BST
22 min: Toure finds some space 'between the lines' and finds Aguero. He's got Alcaraz in front of him, but the little man still seems to float toward the goal, feinting and jinking before lashing a hard low shot in at Howard's near post. Normally you might say goalkeepers shouldn't be beaten at the near post but that was un-saveable.

City mbili

Dk 42 man city 2- eva 1

6.11pm BST
37 min: Javi Garcia is booked, pulling back Lukaku. That's his third or fourth and deserved. He'll be expected to cover Zabaleta and Clichy as they get forward today, but not sure if he's got the legs.
6.09pm BST
'Howard seems well off his best for the past couple of games' writes M Erdie. 'As an American, its worrying watching him left stonefooted for Toure's shot that went over the top, Aguero's goal, and the ball across the box at about 30' Its okay to be assured as a goalkeeper, but he seems to have bought into his own hype too much.'
I found it quite strange that he was the centre-piece (along with Ronaldo) of Nike's new advert.
6.06pm BST
34 min: More shuffling from Nasri and co on Everton's edge. A shot flies harmlessly over, but we've all seen the Frenchman curl a beaut in from there. The defence should push up, especially now Aguero's pace isn't a factor and that Dzeko is the furthest forward
6.04pm BST
32 min: Naismith is finding pockets of space in midfield. He's played so well this year but strikes me as a player that won't get a look in next season, if Martinez strengthens in the summer.
6.03pm BST
30 min: Close! Toure is running this show at the moment. Picking up a short pass from Zabaleta before driving to the byline. Barkley can't get within a yard of the ball to get a challenge in, such is the mass and momentum of the man. Another low cross flashes across goal, but there's nobody there, and Stones does well not to score an own goal. Where was Dzeko there again?
6.01pm BST
28 min: Lukaku is playing off the right and cutting in nicely on that left of him. He's too strong for Clichy.
6.00pm BST
Question to City fans: assuming Aguero sustained that injury in the process of scoring that goal, is it worth it? Losing your best player for the rest of the game/season but getting your team back on level terms? I'd assume yes. Let me know

Half time eva 1-2 city

m ago18:19
Half time: Everton 1-2 Manchester City

City have turned this one round. They are half-way there.

4m ago18:19

45 min: Barkley has looked Everton's chief threat. Roy Hodgson is in the crowd and he's be impressed. Barkley feeds Stones on the right flank who cuts back to a swiveling Lukaku but the Belgian blazes over. That was on his right, could have been a different story on the other side.

7m ago18:15

43 min: And I was just about to tear into him! City are having a lot of joy down the flanks, Dzeko getting to the byline but took too long to get his ball across. The ball was cleared by only as far as Milner, who delivers a pacy cross. Dzeko, who was not picked up from his first run has a free run at the cross and leaps like a salmon to nod it past Howard. That was a good 12 yards out!

9m ago18:13
Goal! Everton 1-2 Manchester City (Dzeko 43)

What a header from Dzeko!

10m ago18:12

41 min: Everton haven't really offered much this half, save Barkley's brilliance. Naismith ghosts past Garcia (again) but his shot from 30 yards is well wide.

Second half ndo inaanza sasa!

Hivi huyu ndetichia anayewanga kwenye nyuzi za watu...mbona kwao hayupo?

Dk47 eva1-3 city

Yaani sasa kombe la City

Sat 3 May 2014
6.31pm BST
Yet again, an Oasis song fills the airwaves at Goodison - this time Masterplan. Noel Gallagher is the crowd not doing kareoke. Very strange choice. Sack the DJ?
6.27pm BST
Maybe I was being a little harsh on Naismith. After re-watching Barkley's goal at half-time, I have to say that it was his set which allowed Barkley to strike the ball so sweetly. Very deft from the Scot.
6.24pm BST
Eagle-eyed Rit Nanda chimes in:
'I am not really the superstitious kind but, as a Liverpool fan, I have been seeing omens all over the place this season. Since our loss last weekend, most of them have been bad. And now, it has just flashed on boards by the pitch-side at Goodison, "In Cinemas Now... BAD NEIGHBOURS"! Please tell me Everton will not be the bad neighbours for us in this match?'
6.23pm BST
Magnificent, from Dave Hill
'He's not American, but everyone in America has heard heard of Andres Cantor (he's done an ad for car insurance), and back in the dark ages of American Football, you needed to watch on Mexican TV'
The lungs on this man ....

My colleague Niall McVeigh sees this fella as more of a Ken Doherty.

2m ago18:43

51 min: I can't quite make it out, but City fans are chanting something about Gerrard. If anyone knows it, do let me know. Another lay-off to Barkley, another long-range effort but it deflects off Kompany for an Everton corner.

3m ago18:41

49 min: The game is very open now, not a lot of defending going on at either end. Toure is looking particularly menacing on this right, and on one of his buccaneering runs, curls a ball between Everton's defence and keeper. Alas, to no avail.

5m ago18:39

47 min: Simple enough from City. Fernandinho clips a ball over the head of Stones to Nasri to shimmies before firing a low cross across goal. Dzeko taps in and just for a brief moment, Pellegrini loses his shit on the touchline. That's the cush.

47s ago18:38
Goal! Everton 1-3 Manchester City (Dzeko 47)

This time Dzeko gets himself on the end of one of those low crosses!

2m ago18:37

46 min: No time to catch your breath. Barkley picks the ball up just outside his own box and drives. Beelines right up the middle of the pitch, before slipping in Naismith. Garcia can't touch him, too slow and on a booking. Naismith is one-on-one with Hart but the England No1 makes a magnificent save down low to his left.

4m ago18:35

Peep! And we're off again!

8m

Lukakuuu

Najua mwaka huu tumeharibu, but bora kombe libaki kwenye jiji la Manchester kuliko Liverpool na Maureen wachukue.

Toure nje eva 2-3 city

Dk67 eva 2-3 city

50s ago18:54
Goal! Everton 2-3 Manchester City (Lukaku 64)

Post and in!

1m ago18:53
Chinese whispers

A couple of suggestions for that Gerrard chant:

Apparently it's "Ste Gerrard Gerrard, his passes are 40 yards, he slipped on his ----ing arse, Ste Gerrard Gerrard", says Dan Lucas.

Much more likely though is this from Mark Turner.

"We're bemused that you've never been in a league winning team and wish you the best of British good fortune for next season" To the theme tune from Brookside.

3m ago18:51

59 min: Quietly and with no shortage of assurance, Kompany had made sure Lukaku has kept his back to goal this match. Again the Belgian striker is unable to control the ball with his compatriot right up his arse. City throw in.

6m ago18:48

57 min: Nearly a disaster for Alcaraz. Completely unchallenged under the high ball, he nearly heads the ball right into the path of Dzeko, who would have had a free run at goal for his hat-trick.

1m ago18:47

55 min: The game has finally settle down. Fernandinho and Toure dictating the pace from City's point of view. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I can't help feeling that City's goals have been the result of confusion in the full-back area for Everton. Whether it's five or three at the back, Stones and Alcaraz are being stretched into wide areas. Baines and Coleman haven't really been in the game.

41s ago18:57

There was a suspicion of offside there. City's players surround the ref, and Kompany in particular can't believe it! Looking at the replays, it was touch and go.

52s ago18:56

64 min: What was I saying about Baines. And then he pops up with a lovely cross, even if he was given far too much room by Zabaleta. Lukaku, completely unmarked, stoops to head the ball against the post which creeps just over the line and into the side netting on the opposite side. Joe Hart didn't move.