Burnley blitzed at Turf Moor

Burnley 1
(Fletcher 71st)

Man City 6
(Adebayor 4,45,Bellamy 5,Tevez 7,Vieira 20,Kompany 58)





Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice as Manchester City closed in on a Champions League slot with a 6-1 demolition of Burnley.Roberto Mancini's side displayed their credentials in the first half by racing into a 5-0 lead by the break, with three of the goals coming in the first six minutes.
Adebayor started the ball rolling in the fourth minute and added his second on the stroke of half-time.

In between Craig Bellamy, Carlos Tevez and Patrick Vieira, with his first for the club, also found the target.

Vincent Kompany added a sixth in the 58th minute before Steven Fletcher got a goal back for Burnley, who are facing a swift return to the second tier.

City went above Tottenham, who lost to Sunderland, and into that coveted fourth spot with six games remaining.

Adam Johnson saw a shot take a deflection off a defender and rattle the post before the visitors made the breakthrough in the fourth minute.

Burnley were guilty of slack marking when Johnson delivered a corner from the left and Adebayor took advantage to rifle in a shot that seemed to take a deflection on the way in.

A minute later it got even worse for the home side when Bellamy latched on to a through ball from Tevez and guided it past Brian Jensen.

The Burnley goalkeeper conceded a third in the seventh minute after making a basic error.

He spilled Adebayor's weak shot and Tevez was on hand for his 26th goal of the season.


Burnley hit back, however, with Robbie Blake dragging a shot narrowly wide.

City extended their lead in the 20th minute with Vieira's first goal for the club. He powered home a header following a corner from Johnson.

Burnley were refusing to lie down and Graham Alexander whipped in a shot from the edge of the area in the 27th minute that went narrowly over the crossbar.

This was a spirited response by the home side and six minutes later Fletcher dragged a shot wide of the post.

David Nugent then saw a header blocked by City goalkeeper Shay Given before Jensen found himself in difficulty again.

He pushed away a shot from Adebayor but Vieira found himself crowded out as he prepared to latched on to the rebound.

Jensen looked out of his sorts and he was beaten again in the 44th minute only for Tevez's effort to come back off the post after being released by Bellamy.

City did not have long to wait for another goal, however, with Adebayor extending their lead with a clinical finish after being released by Tevez.

Burnley almost pulled a goal back in the 51st minute when Nugent showed a good turn of pace only to find the wrong side of the post with his effort.

However seven minutes later the home side failed to deal with another Johnson corner and Kompany headed home for his first goal of the season.

Tevez hat-trick ignites European hopes

Manchester City 3
Carlos Tevez (72),(74),(84)

Wigan Athletic 0


Carlos Tevez raised Manchester City's hopes of a Champions League slot with a quick fire hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over 10-man Wigan.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute of this Premier League match when Gary Caldwell was handed a straight red card for a challenge on Tevez.

The Argentinian striker took advantage to score his treble in the space of 13 minutes to take City above Liverpool and into fifth place.

Emmanuel Adebayor, back in the team after a four-match suspension, got into a good position in the 10th minute, only for Titus Bramble to block his effort.

City kept up the pressure and almost went ahead a minute later when Shaun Wright-Phillips delivered the ball into the path of Tevez.

The Argentinian striker whipped in a shot but Vladimir Stojkovic made a stunning point-blank save and Bramble swept the ball to safety.

Wigan launched a swift counter attack in the 27th minute when Hugo Rodallega skipped past Kolo Toure with ease.

The striker was closed down by Wright-Phillips but rattled in a shot that Given turned around the post.

Back came City and Tevez raced past Mario Melchiot only to see his delicate chip from an acute angle go inches wide.

Wigan, however, continued to look dangerous going forward and Given pushed Paul Scharner's shot to safety after a free-kick from Marcelo Moreno had been deflected off the wall.

Scharner, who was covering a lot of ground, then cleared the bar with his effort in the 41st minute after good link up play between Rodallega and Moreno.

A minute later Tevez made a vain appeal for Caldwell to be punished for a challenge when little contact appeared to be made.

Mancini made one change at half-time in an attempt to break the deadlock, bringing on Craig Bellamy for Wright-Phillips.

Adebayor did find the net in the 47th minute but his effort was ruled out for offside after Stojkovic spilled Tevez's shot.

City had a claim for a penalty dismissed in the 52nd minute when Caldwell appeared to handle under pressure from Bellamy.


Play switched back down the other end and Rodallega squandered a great chance for Wigan.

He dragged a shot wide of the post after the ball had spun off the back of Pablo Zabaleta and Toure found himself out of position.

Wigan were reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute with former Celtic defender Caldwell handed a straight red card as he tried to win the ball off Tevez.

The visitors were furious with referee Stuart Attwell but they pulled themselves together and almost went ahead.

Moreno got the better of Toure and cut inside but his effort went marginally wide.

Tevez then made another unsuccessful appeal for a penalty following a challenge by Scharner.

City made the breakthrough in the 72nd minute after a mix up between Scharner and Stojkovic allowed Adebayor to get the slightest of touches in the penalty area.

That was enough to free Tevez, who made Wigan pay for their error with a clinical finish.

Adebayor should have added a second but Scharner made up ground before Tevez added a second in the 75th minute.

He scored at the back post after Vincent Kompany had flicked on a cross from Adam Johnson and completed his hat-trick in the 85th minute.

He skipped away from a tiring Scharner and Bramble to chip into the corner.

Tevez Fires City to Fifth

Fulham 1
(Danny Murphy 76 pen)

Man City 2
(Santa Cruz 7,Tevez 36)


Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez earned victory at Craven Cottage to maintain his side's Champions League Hopes and give Fulham a European Hangover.


The host still had their famous victory against Juventus fresh in the mind when they found themselves behind to a Roque Santa Cruz's opening goal in the 7th min, with Tevez then extending the lead before the break in the Premier League Clash.

With Liverpool defeated at Old Trafford,City now move above Rafael Benitez's side and know their destiny is in their own hands-if they win the rest of their games they will be in the Top four.

Vieira charged by FA

The FA has charged Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira with violent conduct.
The charge relates to an incident involving Stoke City player Glenn Whelan during the first half of the match at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday, February 16.

Vieira has until 6pm on Thursday, February 18 to respond to the charge. A Regulatory Commission will hear the charge on Friday, February 19.

Bellamy in the mix for Sunday,says Boss

Craig Bellamy will be available for selection for Sunday’s crunch game against Liverpool if his good progress coming back from a knee injury continues.
At his Friday morning press conference, Blues manager Roberto Mancini stated that the striker had been working with physios at Carrington since Wednesday and that if his early Friday morning session was a success he would join the main group for training.

Mancini also moved swiftly to scotch stories in some newspapers of an argument between himself and Bellamy.

“I read that I have a problem with him, that I shouted at him. Craig trained on Wednesday, yesterday and he will train today. I have spoken to him, face to face, but as a manager speaks to a player," he stressed.

"I have not shouted at him, never. I am happy to resolve things, face to face, in a room but I do not have a problem with him. If his knee is OK today and tomorrow, he will be available for Sunday.


“I did not tell him to go away for three months, that is false. He is here training today, he worked with the physio for the first time on Wednesday for the first time in 12 days.

"He worked with the physio on Thursday when the other players were off, he did so again today and if he is alright after he will be with us for training.”

The Manager will be hoping to have Bellamy as an option for the game which pits City against the team immediately below them and vying for that coveted fourth place in the Barclays Premier League table.

The Welshman could prove vital, especially with Mancini revealing that Martin Petrov has a knee injury of his own that will keep him sidelined for three to four weeks.

Also out of contention for Sunday is Patrick Vieira, who starts a three match ban at the weekend.

Mancini confirmed that he had not yet spoken the French legend about the incident and the ban.

Stoke City 1-1 Man City (EPL)

Gareth Barry’s late equaliser moved City into the coveted fourth Champions League spot on a night that seemed to be turning sour for Roberto Mancini’s men.

With the hosts reduced to ten men for most of the second half, Glenn Whelan agonisingly fired Tony Pulis’ side into an unlikely lead and even after Barry’s leveller, the Potters thought they’d won the game with almost the last kick of the match.

With five changes from the FA Cup line-up at the weekend, there was more height and muscle to the starting XI Mancini selected for the trip to the Britannia Stadium.

Out went Wayne Bridge, Stephen Ireland, Pablo Zabaleta, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Martin Petrov and in came Micah Richards, Adam Johnson, Javier Garrido, Patrick Vieira and Roque Santa Cruz.

Stoke went into the game in fine form having avoided defeat in eight league and cup matches – unbeaten in 2010 no less - and began the game with an expected aerial bombardment into the Blues' box.

In fact, the Potters should have gone ahead with barely four minutes when the unmarked Mamady Sidibe shot straight at Shay Given from six yards out. Two minutes later former City midfielder Whelan also should have done better from close range.

The packed and noisy Britannia Stadium - surely a contender with Oldham's Boundary Park for the title of 'Coldest Ground in England' - made for a hostile atmosphere for the visitors.

Delap's throw-ins were a constant threat, but as City continued to weather the early pressure without conceding, they could at least take comfort from the fact that only Portsmouth and Wolves had scored less Premier League goals this season.

City occasionally broke with purpose but Stoke's attacks carried more menace, though neither keeper was really tested in the first 45 minutes and the hosts' attacks gradually subsided.

Seven minutes after the break, the complexion of the game changed completely. Adebayor chased a long through ball with Abdoulaye Faye. Racing neck-and-neck, the Togolese striker gradually edged ahead of the Stoke skipper and Faye appeared to tug him to the ground.

Initially, referee Alan Wiley saw the challenge to be a fair one, but called a halt to play when his assistant flagged for his attention. Moments later Faye, who had been the last defender, was heading for an early bath with a stright red card shown for his misdemeanour.

Substitutions for both teams immediately followed with Liam Lawrence making way for Salif Diao and Wright-Phillips replacing Garrido as the Blues sniffed the chance of three points.

The dismissal seemed to lift Stoke more than the Blues who, despite camping in the Potters' half for 15 minutes, couldn't find a way through a packed and committed defence.

Then, on 71 minutes, a poor clearance from Johnson found Whelan who took aim and fired a low drive from 25 yards past Given to hand Stoke an unlikely lead on 71 minutes. It was typical that a side who spend so much energy on set-pieces should score with such a sublime strike from open play.

With the home fans in raptures, the Blues looked shaken and bereft of ideas. The thought of another demoralising defeat on the road seemed to consume them for the next 10 minutes or so until - at last - the breakthrough.

With four minutes remaining, substitute Pablo Zabaleta’s lofted cross found Adebayor who in turn flicked it into the path of Barry. The England midfielder's scrambled shot struck the post but he still managed to prod home the rebound to level the score.

The travelling fans now allowed themselves to think of three points rather than none, particularly when 24,000 home fans groaned at the five minutes of added time announcement

Yet there was still time for one more scare. Delap won a throw-in by the corner flag with 95 minutes on the clock. He dried the ball, stepped back and launched the ball into the box for Ryan Shawcross to head home at the far post.

With the home fans going crazy, referee Wiley stood with his arm pointing towards the centre - but not for a goal - for a foul, much to the fury of the home fans and the relief of those travelling from Manchester. Seconds later it was all over.

Man City 1-1 Stoke City (FA CUP)

Few people embrace a cup competition more warmly than Roberto Mancini and his love affair with England’s most historic version is still aglow.
It is appropriate that the next instalment of his passion should unfold on Valentine’s Day when the sixth round FA Cup draw will take place though his side will need all its heart after conceding home advantage after this less than dynamic draw.

Mancini is an avid devourer of the knockout format of the game having won the Coppa Italia no fewer than six times as a player and four as a manager but his ardour may be tested to the full in the replay.

City are no strangers to the sixth round of the FA Cup having reached the last eight in successive seasons in 2005-06, 2006-07 only to have been sent packing by West Ham United and Blackburn Rovers and they really should have been in the hat alone given the weight of possession they enjoyed.

However, there was a crucial lack of a cutting edge and Stoke were the ones celebrating at the final blast of Mark Clattenburg’s whistle.

It is said that familiarity breeds contempt and if that is the case then disregard could be the theme of the night at the Britannia Stadium in the next couple of weeks.

Tuesday will see the third meeting since Boxing Day for the two sides with the plot of this particular tale of two Cities still open to twists and turns.

Stoke were the first team to face the Mancini led Blues back at Christmas time when after just a week of working with his side, goals from Martin Petrov and Carlos Tevez gave the stylish Italian the best possible start to his reign as manager.

The home line up for this FA Cup tie was, however, quite dissimilar to the one that did duty that December day. With several injured and rested stars due back for the Premier League clash in three days time the cast list is likely to change markedly yet again.

Tevez was absent on compassionate leave for family matters in Argentina, there was no Craig Bellamy on view, Adam Johnson, the instantly successful January recruit from Middlesbrough was cup tied and with Vincent Kompany and Patrick Vieira afforded the luxury of a rest after a heavy workload a chance to grab the limelight was handed to Joleon Lescott, Martin Petrov, Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

It was a timely return for Wright-Phillips as England boss Fabio Capello turned up to see the four men in Blue who may yet make his World Cup squad.

Gareth Barry and Wayne Bridge were both busy and impressive enough but it was SWP who caught the eye in the 11th minute scoring what it in the end turned out to be one of the simplest goals of his career.

Ireland’s through ball from the half way line sent Wright-Phillips hurtling towards the penalty area where he chipped over the advancing Thomas Sorensen. Ryan Shawcross was odds on to clear the danger in a little versus large foot race but the defender slipped under the ball then inexplicably nodded it back into the path of the City man who said thank you very much and rolled it home from a yard.

Thereafter his confidence high, Wright-Phillips gave Andy Wilkinson a torrid time to the point where the full back was booked for one bad tackle too many.

Bridge then showed his worth to the England coach blocking superbly from substitute Liam Lawrence who looked poised to score at the far post just before the half hour mark.

Five previous FA Cup ties between these two sides have been settled by a one goal margin and without recourse to a replay but this was not destined to be another.

The home side dominated possession but were hit with a sucker punch in 56th minute when football’s worst kept secret, a Rory Delap throw in, came hurtling into the box and Ricardo Fuller nodded in a simple equaliser.

It was nip and tuck thereafter with Mancini’s men coming closest to a winner when Barry’s 78th minute header brought a fine save from Sorensen.

Toure expected to make Cup match

Manchester City v Stoke City (Preview)



Roberto Mancini expects to have skipper Kolo Toure available for Manchester City's FA Cup fifth round tie against Stoke.
Toure limped out of Tuesday's win over Bolton with a knee injury but has now recovered and is expected to partner £22million summer arrival Joleon Lescott in central defence because Vincent Kompany (groin) is out.

Craig Bellamy (knee) is also sidelined, while new signing Adam Johnson is cup-tied, having played against City for Middlesbrough earlier in the competition.

City swooped to land Johnson in an £8million deal with Middlesbrough on deadline day and already the 22-year-old has made a massive impression at Eastlands.

The England Under-21 star followed up his eye-catching debut at Hull by collecting man-of-the-match honours in the midweek win over Bolton.

"Johnson is a great player,'' Mancini said.

"If he continues like he is at the moment he could get into the national team.

"I remember Ryan Giggs when he was young and the way he moved. Johnson is the same player.

"If he keeps working hard he has a good chance for the future.''

"Maybe the FA Cup is more important to me than it is for Arsene Wenger.''

Given how close City got to reaching the Carling Cup final before they eventually succumbed to neighbours Manchester United, there is almost a desperation about the Blue camp to reach a Wembley showpiece for the first time since 1981.

And, although he qualified his comment, the City boss is more keen to beat Stoke this weekend than when the pair do battle again with points at stake.

"The FA Cup match against them is the most important one because it is the next one,'' stated Mancini.

"We want to get to Wembley and to achieve this we need to win, but it would also help put us in a good mood for next week.''

City are aiming to reach the last eight for the third time in recent years and will start heavy favourites to overcome a Stoke outfit they defeated easily as recently as Boxing Day in what was Mancini's first game in charge.

However, the Italian's knowledge extends beyond the result to the searching examination Stoke provided before Petrov opened the scoring.

"I remember the game,'' he said.

"It started off being very difficult and Shay Given made a good save after about 10 minutes, otherwise the result might have been different.''

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has a few late decisions to make regarding the fitness of a number of players.

Captain Abdoulaye Faye has missed the last two matches with a back problem but may be ready to return.

Pulis said one or two other unnamed players had minor knocks which would all need to be assessed prior to the evening kick-off at Eastlands.

Ricardo Fuller, a second-half substitute in the 1-1 midweek Barclays Premier League draw at Wigan after being arrested over allegations of a nightclub assault, could return to the starting line-up at the expense of Tuncay Sanli.

Pulis will tell his players they cannot afford to be intimidated by Manchester City and must take the game to their opponents.

The Potters boss believes some of his squad still have something of an inferiority complex when it comes to tackling the bigger teams of the Barclays Premier League.

But in a cup competition all that matters is winning and Pulis intends to attack Roberto Mancini's side from the off.

"I am looking to pick a positive team and go there to have a right go,'' he said.

"It is very important we go there and be positive and the team I pick is not overawed by the occasion or the players they are playing against.

"I think we have gone to one or two grounds and been a little bit in awe still this year.

"But our away performances have been a lot better than last year and the only way to break the taboo is by winning.

"I'm sure the last thing Roberto Mancini wants - and we all want - is a draw so it's 'gloves off' because I think both sides will want a result one way or the other.''

Despite having beaten Arsenal in the last round Pulis said his side are still second favourites against City.

He feels Mancini's players will be under some pressure to win a trophy this season, having already missed out on the Carling Cup final, because of the huge financial investment made by their Abu Dhabi-based owners.

"It's going to be very difficult for us in a game against one of the richest clubs in the world,'' he said.

"But Manchester City have spent an absolute fortune on players and they will be expecting a return for that investment.

"They've got two chances to do that by winning the cup or qualifying for the Champions League so there is that pressure on them, whereas we're the underdogs and we're looking forward to it.''

LIVERPOOL NEWS

Benayoun returns to training


Rafael Benitez has revealed that Yossi Benayoun has return to first-team training with Liverpool after his broken rib.

Benayoun has not featured since the FA Cup defeat to Reading on January 13 and was ruled out for around a month, suggesting his comeback is not far behind schedule.

"Yossi was training with the team," Benitez told the club's official website. "Still we have to be careful with his rib but he was training."

Benayoun is not expected to feature in Thursday's Europa League tie at home to Unirea Urziceni but could be in the squad for their crucial Premier League match at Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Benitez hopes 19-year-old former Barcelona attacker Dani Pacheco can establish himself in the first-team in the near future.

"Dani is continuing to train with the first team," he said. "When we let (Andriy) Voronin go (to Dynamo Moscow), we immediately brought Dani into the group and every day you can see that he is progressing. His training is good.

"Every day you are thinking about when you can play, he has been on the bench a lot and sometimes you are thinking when it might be right to put him on, but you also have to think about senior players and giving time to others who need it.

"The one thing we know, though, is Dani is a player with quality. He has game intelligence and we know that he can make a difference. He is still very young but we are pleased with him and he is doing well."

He added: "Dani has no problems when he is in possession. He is clever and he always wants to try difficult things but that shows the quality that he has.

"The fact he is training with us shows what we think of him. He is with us all the time and that means he can play at any time. It depends on the game but, clearly, if he continues to keep working as he has been doing, he will definitely get his chance."

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS

Leonardo hails 'perfect' Beckham ahead of United


AC Milan boss Leonardo has praised David Beckham as being "tactically perfect" ahead of the visit of Manchester United on Tuesday, but he refused to guarantee the midfielder will start against his old club.

After starting Milan's first five league games of 2010, Beckham has been a substitute in their last two, although he did play the final 15 minutes of the 3-2 win over Udinese on Friday night.

But Leonardo discarded the notion that former United midfielder Beckham was being saved for his "special match'' next week, insisting he had and will continue to pick the team he believes is best suited for each individual game.

"We know it's a very special match for him,'' said Leonardo. "It's very special to play in the Champions League against his own team, let's say it like that. But we have got to analyse everything and we have a lot of players in good condition. We'll see how everybody is to choose the best team.''

Against Udinese, Amantino Mancini took the role Beckham has occupied since arriving at the Rossoneri in December, but he is ineligible to face the Red Devils having already appeared in the competition for his former club Inter Milan. His position will therefore be up for grabs.

Mancini was replaced by Alexandre Pato while Beckham had to wait until late on before taking the place of Ronaldinho, whose place in the team on Tuesday does not appear to be in any doubt after another inspirational performance against Udinese. But Leonardo's praise of Beckham's adaptability means the former England captain has a good chance of featuring against his former employers.

"I think he can play anywhere,'' added Leonardo. "He's smart and intelligent and tactically he's perfect. There are no problems choosing a system or a position for him. He's been doing very well this year. He arrived in December and he knows the team and how we play. I think David has nothing to prove to anybody. His career speaks for itself because what he did in football is something very big.''

Milan's game against Udinese set a precedent with the Italian Football League agreeing to bring the fixture forward 24 hours to grant the Rossoneri an extra day to prepare for Tuesday's encounter. However, United's elimination from the FA Cup means they have a free weekend and this could favour them, according to Leonardo.

"Fortunately we have played on Friday so we can rest a bit more, but Manchester played the other day so they have six days, which is two days more than us,'' he said. "The more you rest, the better and the more players you get back. Manchester also had some players out injured who may benefit from these extra days, but at least we played today and this gives us two days more (than usual), which is an advantage.''

Leonardo will be looking to establish an advantage for his side on Tuesday night and not leave them a mountain to climb in the second leg at Old Trafford.

"I think it is in our DNA that we always try to win,'' he said. "We always start the game only with the thought of victory.''