Hull gave Manchester City a fright at the KC Stadium, though ultimately succumbed to a 4-2 defeat.
Manchester City threw away a two goal lead away at Hull City on Saturday, only to seal all three points by netting twice in the second half to win 4-2. It was a thrilling encounter, and one the hosts will feel aggrieved to have thrown away after a gutsy performance.
The game got off to a frenetic start, and both sides had carved out good opportunities before Sergio Agüero gave City the lead with a scrappy goal in the 7th minute. A defensive lapse allowed Pablo Zabaleta to win a header in the Hull penalty area, with his teammate pouncing to lash the loose ball into the back of the net.
Within just four minutes, City were two ahead -- though on this occasion, there was rather less Hull could have done. Edin Džeko charged goalwards from the left, before checking back onto his right side and curling a stunning strike into the top corner from the edge of the box. Hull looked at risk of completely capitulating.
But, to their credit, they managed to steady the ship, and stayed true to their patient, defensive game. Rather than trying to force their way back into the match, they continued to make life difficult for their visitors.
Midway through the first half, they had their reward. A brilliant one-two between Ahmed Elmohamady and Liam Rosenior down the right culminated in the latter curling a lethal cross into the penalty area, which City defender Eliaquim Mangala could only divert beyond Willy Caballero and into his own net. Hull were suddenly right back in the game.
It took the Tigers just 10 minutes to complete their unlikely comeback, and they once again had some poor defending from Mangala to thank. The Frenchman's high boot caught striker Abel Hernández in the chest, which gave the Uruguayan the chance to step up and score from the penalty spot. He duly obliged, and at halftime, the momentum had firmly swung in the hosts' favour.
The second half started in a similarly pulsating fashion, though it was City midfielder Yaya Touré who went closest to finding the back of the net. Five minutes after the restart he lashed a swerving shot from distance, only to see it crack back off the woodwork.
As the game wore on, Hull began to look increasingly laboured, meaning City looked ever more threatening. Their pressure finally told with just over 20 minutes left, when Džeko found enough space in the box to squirm the ball underneath Allan McGregor and into the back of the net.
Steve Bruce responded by throwing on a couple of playmakers in Hatem Ben Arfa and Gastón Ramírez, though that just left Hull exposed at the back. City took full advantage in the 87th minute, when Zabaleta's work down the right left substitute Frank Lampard with a tap-in for 4-2.
Hull City: McGregor; Robertson (Brady 83'), Davies, Dawson, Rosenior; Livermore (Ben Arfa 73'), Huddlestone, Diamé, Elmohamady; Hernández (Ramirez 74'), Jelavić.
Goals: Mangala (o.g. 21'), Hernández (pen. 32').
Caballero; Clichy, Mangala, Kompany, Zabaleta; Silva (Demichelis 78'), Touré, Fernandinho (Navas 66'), Milner; Džeko, Agüero (Lampard 72').
Goals: Agüero (7'), Džeko (11', 68'), Lampard (87').
3 things
1. Sergio Agüero is probably the most complete striker in the league
Manchester City had one man to thank for their blistering start to this game: Sergio Agüero. When he's at full fitness -- which has been rarer than City fans would have hoped over the last year or two -- he's almost certainly the Premier League's most complete striker.
Playing alongside Edin Džeko, Agüero ran the channels, dropped into pockets of space in the attacking midfield zone, and played off the shoulder of the last defender when his Bosnian counterpart went wandering. He completely ran the show, and Hull struggled to cope. The only concern for the Citizens is quite how much they seemed to rely on their Argentine magician to create chances.
2. Few teams did better transfer business than Hull
Once again Hull's excellent transfer business shone through in this match, with three of their summer signings playing star roles. Midfielder Mohamed Diamé worked well in his usual box-to-box role, where his inventive passing was as handy as his solid defensive positioning. Ahead of him, striker Abel Hernández -- who still doesn't look completely at ease alongside Nikica Jelavić -- managed to find the back of the net, and could often be found feeding on lethal crosses from new left-back Andy Robertson. It was an ambitious summer from the Tigers, and it is paying dividends.
3. City's left side is very vulnerable
Despite eventually winning the game, Manuel Pellegrini won't look back on this match with too much fondness. His team made a catalogue of defensive errors, with their left side looking particularly vulnerable.
Up against a couple of pretty solid if unspectacular players in Ahmed Elmohamady and Liam Rosenior, you'd have expected Gaël Clichy to cope adequately at the back. However, the lack of protection he was offered by David Silva meant he struggled, especially during the first half, with the Tigers' duo ganging up on him to create a 2v1. Crosses came into the box with alarming regularity, and a shockingly poor Eliaquim Mangala struggled to defend them at the near post. If City want to win the title, they'll need to be much more solid than they were here.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1qGAHwz
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