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GAME DETAILS
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Premier League
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Attendance: 44,511
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2-1
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De Jong 10, Zabaleta 15
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Ba 33
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Zabaleta (35), Barry (67), Johnson (69)
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Gabbidon (49)
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| Managers |
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DT92 Members at this game: (you can click here to load your profile picture) |
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TonyP MCFC
92 |
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mancityinleeds
90 |
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Pompey Hotspur
87 |
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Good day out with Joycee, Oscar and Oscar Jnr. West Ham did surprisingly roll over quietly.
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goffybun
86 |
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MANCHESTER CITY v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SUNDAY 1 MAY 2011
CITY OF MANCHESTER STADIUM
KICK-OFF: 4.10PM
Final score - Manchester City 2-1 West Ham
That's it. The referee blows the final whistle and West Ham lose for the fifth straight game. The Hammers will have to bounce back at home to Blackburn Rovers next Saturday if they are to turn around a three-point deficit between them and safety.
93 mins - Time is almost up. We are deep into the final minute of the added time and Green is unable to prevent another corner. Zabaleta is off the pitch so the game should continue. He was hurt as Green went for the ball.
92 mins - City are killing time in the far corner. They win a free-kick near the corner flag which will waste valuable time. The Hammers can be proud of the way they battled back into the game and made a contest of it. However, the nerves will be jangling ahead of the final three matches of the season.
91 mins - Dzeko has a go from 20 yards but Green holds well.
90 mins - Hitzlsperger loses possession in midfield but Spector wins it back. The Hammers work the ball through to Cole and his shot is goalbound, only for Lescott to throw a leg in the way. We are playing three minutes of added time.
88 mins - David Silva is given time and space to carry the ball 40 yards before shooting over. Green was glad to see that fly high after the defence opened up in front of him.
87 mins - City have a penalty appeal waved away and the Hammers counter. Ba gets away down the left but is stopped in his tracks by Zabaleta.
85 mins - City nearly score. Green is forced to tip over from a deflected David Silva effort. Patrick Vieira is coming on for Balotelli.
84 mins - Da Costa is involved at both ends. First he pumps the ball forward for Ba but over-hits it, before tracking back to deny Balotelli.
82 mins - Dzeko shoots but Green blocks it with his body. City are trying to kill the game off.
81 mins - Ba goes for goal after the Hammers won back possession thanks to a ricochet of referee Webb. The shot is wide.
79 mins - Obinna is coming on for the tireless Boa Morte. The veteran midfielder has done well on his return to the first team.
78 mins - That was nearly it. Johnson raced to the byline and played a menacing cross into the area - only for the ball to elude everyone and race to safety.
77 mins - Gabbidon hacks clear after another City surge. Four different home players had a chance there before the ball was sent spinning across the box and the Welsh defender cleared. It looks like Victor Obinna is coming on.
76 mins - Balotelli brings down Sears in midfield. Hitzslperger plays the free-kick into the box and only just misses the head of Ba. That was close.
74 mins - Barry is making way. City are not resting on their laurels here with the arrival of another striker.
73 mins - City are about to bring on Edin Dzeko. The big-money players keep on coming.
72 mins - A superb 40-yard pass by Spector sets Cole away. The striker cannot control though and City can build again.
71 mins - Gabbidon does brilliantly to head clear after another City counter. Then Johnson gets a run from the other flank but the No11's shot is wide from 20 yards.
69 mins - Gabbidon is adjudged to have brought down Balotelli in midfield.
68 mins - Boa Morte, who has been a willing runner throughout, is again brought down in midfield. This time, Johnson goes into the book.
67 mins - Tomkins is playing Balotelli very well and averts the danger again. Boa Morte is then upended in midfield.
66 mins - Hitzlsperger wastes a free-kick chance to play a ball into the box. The set-piece is over-hit and goes harmlessly behind. Keane is coming off to be replaced by Cole.
64 mins - Good stuff West Ham, especially a dogged Boa Morte after City try and force their way through. The Hammers stood firm and would not let the home side through. The call has gone out to Cole from the bench.
63 mins - City counter and David Silva finds himself clean through with only Green to beat. The goalkeeper does brilliantly to deny the Spaniard, who has to feed Balotelli. The Italian striker has a clear shot at goal but Tomkins and then Jacobsen employ some last-ditch defending to clear.
62 mins - Well done West Ham. Some neat interplay finishes with Jacobsen winning a corner. From it, Da Costa heads for goal and only Hart's fingertip save averts the danger.
60 mins - Ba is down under a Balotelli challenge. The Italian is spoken to by referee Webb but no card follows. Hitzlsperger curls the ball into the area and Hart has to come and punch it out for a throw.
58 mins - Keane and Ba try to force an opening before Hitzlsperger picks up the ball 30 yards from goal. City stand firm and manage to avert the danger. Hitzlsperger then gets a chance 30 seconds later to pick out Keane but the ball is just too long.
57 mins - Carlton Cole and Victor Obinna are both warming up. Meanwhile, Ba spurns a great half-chance following a swift surge from Sears. The no21 took his chance from the edge of the area first-time when he could have taken a touch perhaps.
55 mins - Balotelli curls a shot against the bar with Green beaten after a swift City break. Yaya Toure collected the loose ball but was offside.
55 mins - Da Costa heads away after a sweet City move. Well done West Ham to regroup and counter quickly. They have really improved since that torrid opening spell.
53 mins - Boa Morte is penalised for a late challenge on Milner. The Portuguese is putting himself about a bit today.
52 mins - Da Costa concedes a corner as City throw men forward in numbers. Spector is alert in the area to hack it away.
51 mins - Hitzlsperger gives the ball away and City nearly punish him. The defence help out the German.
50 mins - Ba is doing very well when out wide in a defensive position. The Hammers fans are all you can hear, by the way.
49 mins - David Silva takes but Da Costa heads away. City come again but this time Spector hacks it away. Ba is then brought down as he moves the ball away and West Ham can regroup.
49 mins - Gabbidon hauls down Johnson and is promptly yellow-carded. The England man was through into the area if he had been allowed to get away.
48 mins - It has been a slow start here. Nothing has happened in the first two minutes of the second half.
46 mins - We are under way in the second half. Robert Green spent the last few minutes gee-ing up every single one of his team-mates. He looked pretty intense out there. City have made a change with James Milner on for Nigel de Jong.
Half-time - Manchester City 2-1 West Ham
48 mins - Howard Webb brings to end the first half. West Ham should be encouraged by that comeback after a devastating opening period. They will have to stand firm in the second 45 as City will no doubt get their chances. The key is if the Hammers can take the opportunities when they do come their way.
47 mins - We are playing a couple of minutes of added time. West Ham waste a superb piece of possession before City counter through Balotelli. The striker goes down as if pole-axed after a brief coming together with Da Costa.
45 mins - Da Costa heads away. The Portuguese has won everything since he has come on. The ball eventually runs to Johnson, who shoots straight down the throat of Green.
44 mins - An offside flag stops Keane as he looked to get away from Kompany. He was half-a-yard ahead but he is giving the defenders food for thought.
43 mins - De Jong gives the ball away in midfield straight to Ba. However, the move breaks down. City are not in control as they were in the opening 30 minutes, though.
41 mins - David Silva is finding so much space but Spector does well to eventually get the ball away. A brilliant West Ham counter finishes with Boa Morte wasting a superb chance by an over-hit pass. It all came about through Sears stealing the ball off a day-dreaming Kolarov.
40 mins - Outstanding from Tomkins. He read the danger and tracked Balotelli before nicking the ball away. Much better all round from the Hammers.
39 mins - Gabbidon heads behind for another corner. Kolarov takes and Da Costa and then Tomkins hack it clear.
38 mins - Jacobsen is forced to clear for a corner after Yaya Toure and David Silva combine well in the area.
37 mins - The visitors are doing so much better. Tomkins does well under pressure to clear with the help of Gabbidon. Da Costa then outmuscles Balotelli. Keep it going West Ham.
36 mins - Can the Hammers keep this going? City look dangerous every time they attack but so do the Hammers as well at the moment.
34 mins - Ba wins a free-kick on the halfway line. He has given the Hammers a lifeline and is working hard. Zabaleta was booked for the challenge.
33 mins - GOAL! - Ba scores! After a mini spell of pressure the Senegal striker reacts quickly to a loose ball that bounced down off Joleon Lescott. Well done West Ham.
32 mins - Tomkins wins another corner in an advanced position on the left. It is taken short to Boa Morte who promptly earns another corner when his cross is deflected behind.
31 mins - The Hammers have switched to a 4-3-3 with Sears and Ba flanking Keane through the middle. It almost immediately pays dividends with Spector sliding Keane through the middle. He looks certain to score but Hart does brilliantly to save. Sears then sees his effort deflected wide. So close!
30 mins - Another dangerous cross, this time from Aleksandr Kolarov but the ball sails harmlessly across the area.
28 mins - A quickk West Ham counter sees a good period of possession. Arguably it is the Hammers' best spell of the match but City prove well-organised and eventually see out the danger without even a sniff of a shot.
27 mins - Yaya Toure bursts away from Hitzlsperger and then Tomkins in midfield and gets a shot away from 25 yards. Green was not worried but it was too easy for the Ivorian.
26 mins - The captain's armband has been passed to Green.
25 mins - Da Costa is ready to come on as soon as the ball goes out of play. Boa Morte tries to feed Ba but cannot force the ball through. Play stops with a foul on Yaya Toure. Here comes Da Costa for Upson.
23 mins - It looks like there is going to be a change. Da Costa is getting ready. Maybe Upson was hurt in that challenge.
22 mins - Upson heads away another City foray forward. West Ham try and counter but the hosts are working hard and get everyone behind the ball in their own half.
21 mins - Jacobsen tries a ball over the top for Ba, who is fractionally offside. That was close and he would have been in on goal.
20 mins - David Silva nearly finds Balotelli with a ball over the top but Green is alert. Boa Morte gets a chance eventually to cross from the left but City head clear. Ba and Keane are not seeing much of the ball.
18 mins - Zabaleta forces a corner off Gabbidon. Johnson takes it and it takes the Hammers two goes to get rid. This is one-way traffic.
17 mins - West Ham need to compose themselves or else City will run riot.
15 mins - GOAL! - It is too easy for City. Zabaleta runs through from right-back and is able to slide in beyond Green, although it is Jacobsen who puts it over the line.
14 mins - Upson is back on. A poor pass by Joe Hart gives West Ham possession high up the pitch. They need to get some passing together but Hitzlsperger over-hits a pass through to Ba.
12 mins - Upson is down and needs treatment. He was hurt in a challenge with Balotelli. The Hammers have to find some answers to City's forward play here as there is a long way to go.
11 mins - GOAL! - The corner is cleared by Hitzlsperger only as far as Nigel de Jong, and the Dutchman crashes in from 20 yards. An unsighted Green could do nothing about that.
10 mins - City pour forward again with David Silva finding room on the left to cross. Lars Jacobsen does well to head behind under pressure.
9 mins - A speculative effort from Adam Johnson cutting in from the right- wing on to his favoured left. Green watches it go wide but stand-in left-back Danny Gabbidon will have to be on his toes. Up the other end and Boa Morte nearly makes something happen before the ball runs behind.
8 mins - Demba Ba wins a free-kick under a challenge by Vincent Kompany. It is in a good position 30 yards from goal out on the left wing. Hitzlsperger takes it and Upson rises. He cannot make a clean connection but the ball finds its way to James Tomkins. However, the No5 sees it too late and can only divert the ball wide.
6 mins - The game is being played mainly in West Ham's half. Can the visitors hold firm in this tricky opening spell?
5 mins - David Silva is getting a lot of room and he dances across the edge of the area before feeding Gareth Barry. The England man curls one goalwards but it is straight at Robert Green.
3 mins - City look dangerous already. Upson blocks a Yaya Toure shot before David Silva's effort is deflected wide for a corner. From it, Mario Balotelli heads wide.
2 mins - Freddie Sears won it with a good ball forward that was headed behind. Thomas Hitzlsperger takes it and the ball drops into the area but City hack clear. Danny Gabbidon picks it up on the edge of the area but lashes a wayward shot high and wide.
2 mins - The pre-match may have all been about Blue Moon and 'We're going to Wembley' but the Bubbles is ringing out loud and proud from the away end. Good block by Matt Upson after a City break sees West Ham counter and the Hammers win an early corner.
1 min - Manchester City get us under way.
KICK-OFF
Welcome to the City of Manchester Stadium for a huge match in the Hammers' season, with the visitors three points adrift of safety with four games to play. Manager Avram Grant has made several changes, with Matthew Upson returning to captain the team after missing out at Chelsea last week with a chest infection. James Tomkins is also recalled with Manu da Costa dropping to the bench and Danny Gabbidon moving to left-back in place of the ineligible Wayne Bridge.
In midfield, Luis Boa Morte gets a chance to start with Mark Noble missing because of a hernia operation. Further forward, Robbie Keane gets the nod ahead of Carlton Cole and is set to have a free role just behind Demba Ba. City are without former Hammers favourite Carlos Tevez, who is at the game and spent much of the pre-match build-up catching up with former club-mates and colleagues from his days in east London.
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Johnson, De Jong, Barry, Y Toure, D Silva, Balotelli
Subs: Taylor, Boyata, Vieira, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Jo, Dzeko
West Ham United: Green, Jacobsen, Tomkins, Upson, Gabbidon, Sears, Spector, Hitzlsperger, Boa Morte, Ba, Keane
Subs: Boffin, Reid, Da Costa, Kovac, Obinna, Piquionne, Cole
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ed73
83 |
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MERLIN1962
80 |
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West Ham didn't seem to believe they could get anything from the game. Good start by Man C though Silva missed a sitter. Liked the 'Posnan' goal celibrations.
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Neil Thorogood
66 |
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Jearpies
61 |
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Shawz
57 |
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garfresco
55 |
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njmcfc1894
52 |
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goatfood
48 |
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nicholasjackson
42 |
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DUTCH HAMMER
29 |
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Matt8105
25 |
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hammerslibrary
17 |
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L285
16 |
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jamesbartley
10 |
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bazcj44
0 |
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alexbirch04
0 |
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