ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester City 2 Bolton Wanderers 0:IT SEEMED somehow appropriate that a scruffy Carlos Tevez penalty and a superlative Emmanuel Adebyaor volley sealed victory for a sometimes struggling, sometimes sublime Manchester City.
As erratic as ever, Roberto Mancini’s still evolving team made heavy weather of overcoming an improving Bolton while also managing to treat everyone to moments of individual brilliance.
If City’s manager will be satisfied with a win which keeps hopes of Champions League qualification burning bright, Mancini must have been delighted with Adam Johnson’s vibrant display. The team’s new winger deservedly departed to a standing ovation and the man-of-the-match award after creating the opener for Tevez.
Perhaps he was trying to send Mancini some sort of menacing subliminal message but Owen Coyle’s overly macho decision to prowl the technical area dressed in only shorts and a thin sweatshirt seemed simply bizarre.
Well rugged up in a wool overcoat and his hallmark scarf, Mancini was far more suitably attired for one of the coldest nights of the year and the Italian manager looked askance at his under-dressed Bolton counterpart.
If Mancini, still smarting from last Saturday’s unscheduled defeat at Hull, felt a chill shiver as Bolton’s Johan Elmander spotted a sizeable chink in City’s defensive armour and sent a left-foot shot from the edge of the area swerving just past an upright, he must have been warmed by Johnson’s Eastlands debut.
Gone was the Italian’s previously cherished 4-4-2 formation to be replaced by a much more fluid ensemble which saw the former Middlesbrough winger play in the hole behind Tevez and Adebayor.
This 4-3-1-2 system also allowed Patrick Vieira – also starting a game here for the first time – and Gareth Barry to occupy fairly central midfield positions either side of Nigel de Jong.
Whenever Johnson drifted right, Paul Robinson, Coyle’s left back, struggled to cope and it was no surprise when Robinson – who became horribly accustomed to the indignity of Johnson going past him on the outside – conceded a penalty after clumsily extending a leg and bringing the winger down just inside the box.
Tevez stepped forward to take the kick but the Argentinian’s long run-up did not produce the greatest execution and Jussi Jääskelainen may have been surprised the ball came directly at him down the centre, deflecting off the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner.
Within minutes Bolton had a penalty shout of their own but Mike Jones, the referee, waved away Elmander’s legitimate enough looking claim to have been hauled over by Kolo Toure.
With Vieira frequently seeming half a yard off the pace, City were living dangerously at times and when Johnson attempted too much fancy footwork at the wrong end of the pitch, Vieira proved too ponderous to rescue him.
As the second half developed Wayne Bridge, playing his second game at left back after a spell out with knee trouble, became much more occupied with endeavouring, sometimes unsuccessfully, to contain Lee Chung-yong.
Although Tevez struck the top of the crossbar with a free-kick, City were struggling to retain possession. Mancini replaced Toure with Joleon Lescott and took his first look at a centre half injured since Mark Hughes’s sacking.
City’s second goal arrived on 73 minutes when after the visitors failed to keep tabs on Adebayor, the striker ran onto Vieira’s elegant chipped through ball. A chest control and crisp, volleyed finish came straight out of the textbook and Adebayor raced away to celebrate.
GuardianService
MANCHESTER CITY: Given, Zabaleta, Toure (Lescott 55), Kompany, Bridge (Wright-Phillips 68), De Jong, Vieira, Barry, Adam Johnson (Sylvinho 84), Tevez, Adebayor. Subs not used: Taylor, Onuoha, Ireland, Petrov.
BOLTON WANDERERS: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Knight, Ricketts, Robinson, Kevin Davies, Cohen (Mark Davies 74), Muamba, Wilshere (Taylor 78), Lee, Elmander. Subs not used: Al Habsi, Samuel, Gardner, Basham, Andrew O'Brien. Booked: Muamba, Robinson.
Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire).
