SM
Bayern vs. Augsburg: 3 hrs 22 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
SL
FA Cup | Fourth Round
Jan 26, 2013 at 12.45pm UK
 
MC

0-1

Match Analysis: Stoke City 0-1 Manchester City

:Headline: Match Analysis: Stoke City 0-1 Manchester City: ID:66092: from db_amp
Sports Mole reviews Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Stoke City in the FA Cup.

Pablo Zabaleta's late strike was enough for Manchester City to book their place in round five of the FA Cup at the expense of Stoke City this afternoon.

It looked as though the two Premier League sides had cancelled each other until the Argentine full-back intervened five minutes from time.

Below, Sports Mole has looked back over the encounter to determine if the home side deserved to come out of the tie with a replay.

Match statistics:

Stoke:
Shots 9
On target 4
Possession 43%
Corners 4
Fouls 6

Man City:
Shots 15
On target 8
Possession 57%
Corners 7
Fouls 6

Was the result fair?

On paper, a 1-0 victory always gives the impression that a match was closely contested - not this one! Visiting City were the dominant force from the first whistle and probably should have been a goal or two up at the break. As it was, a late goal from Zabaleta got them through and they thoroughly deserve to be in the next round of the competition.

Stoke's performance

Tony Pulis's side have earned themselves a reputation over the last few years as a side that gets stuck into their opposition and uses their physical presence to their advantage. None of that was on show today though. Defensively they were poor and gave players like David Silva far too much space in dangerous areas of the pitch. Meanwhile, up the other end they were pretty toothless and never gave the impression that they were going to score.

Man City's performance

The main criticism of City, as harsh as it may be, was that they only won the match 1-0. During the first half they controlled the match and while after the restart their football didn't flow as freely, they eventually got the goal that their performance warranted. On that form, they are arguably favourites to go and win the trophy for a second time in three years.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Pablo Zabaleta: When Vincent Kompany limped off early in the match, Zabaleta took on the captaincy duties and put in a performance that the armband demands. He won numerous tackles and even got the better of the likes of Peter Crouch in the air! The crowning moment came when he started and finished the move that resulted in City scoring the winning goal.

Biggest gaffe

Chances were few and far between for Stoke, so when they created one, they couldn't afford to waste them. That is exactly what Cameron Jerome did as the match ticked into stoppage time when he fired well over the crossbar from 10 yards out.

Referee performance

Howard Webb is widely regarded as England's best referee and while he proved that for large parts of this tie, he failed to send off Glenn Whelan for what was a shocking two-footed tackle on Javi Garcia. It's one that the Football Association may punish come Monday morning.

What next?

Stoke: Premier League clubs are in action during the week, with Stoke City playing host to Wigan Athletic on Tuesday evening.

Man City: On the same night the champions travel to Loftus Road for a clash with struggling Queens Park Rangers.

amp_article__66092 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2013-01-26 15:28:55:
html db last update - 2013-01-26 15:28:55 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .