"I think that Norwich played very well also, closing all the ways we tried to create space. The chances we did create we missed ..."
Manuel Pellegrini, 31 October 2015.
The last eight minutes of this game would have been better accompanied by the "Yakkety Sax" theme tune from Benny Hill, rather than the "Come On City ..." chants which finally helped drive the team over the line for the winning goal.
The game had started well enough. The big team news being Iheanacho had been rewarded for his cracking midweek display, replacing Sterling for City to set up 4-4-1-1. This set up initially looked to be working creating two clear cut efforts for Bony. But as previously stated on this blog, once the opposition sets up and settles into a compact defence its difficult for the two strikers to find space to work, and chances became fewer and fewer, before Pellegrini opted to switch to 4-2-3-1 on 54', bringing on Sterling to replace Iheanacho. The breakthrough finally came on 67' with Otemendi sealing his man of the match performance as he rose unchallenged to power home a header from Debruyne's corner.
That should have been that, however, the mad finale to what had been an otherwise orthodox City performance against belligerent opposition, started on 83' with poor Joe Hart. A possible offside resulting from a cleared corner was not given, and Norwich's Robbie Brady looked to capitalise with a hopeful looping cross which actually fell straight to Joe, who then inexplicably dropped the ball to the feet of a grateful Cameron Jerome to equalise.
The positives from the play which followed were that City were galvanised into attack having previously taken the foot off the gas. Sterling in particular looked lively, and it was his shot on 89' which brought a diving save from Norwich's Martin; who not being Norwich's keeper was duly given a straight red and a penalty awarded. Hearts were in mouths as Yaya stepped up, but the power of the drive to the left of the keeper was more than powerful enough to score despite Ruddy choosing the right way to dive.
It was at this point City went to pieces, with little if any composure on the ball, except perhaps for Sterling and Kolorov. Norwich looked the more likely to score, but they didn't courtesy of luck and one worldy from Joe Hart. So when, deep into the five minutes of injury time, Sterling forced a second penalty as he jinked across the Norwich area, the relief was audible. However, not ever a player to miss a comedy opportunity, Kolorov stepped up to the spot and fired wide as the ref blew for full time.
Only the players themselves will know what prompted the collective comedy self destruct. Maybe the thoughts of Sevilla next week, maybe having finally broken the deadlock they thought the game was over and could not refocus; however as stated by Pellegrini there was character in grinding the win and keeping City top of the league.
The best show of character however was from City and Norwich fans alike, who on 35' humbled us all with their minutes applause to celebrate the life of father Chris Shaw, cruelly taken by cancer earlier this month. #CTID
@l0ngwayfr0mh0me
