Re: tonight's captain
QPR 2-3 Manchester City - mcfc.co.uk Match Report
A mark of a title winning side it one that can increase the figures in the win and points columns whilst not at their scintillating best.
City have seemingly acquired that knack and proved it again at Loftus Road.
Having strolled past Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday night with a mixture of controlled professionalism and eye-popping finishing from Yaya Toure, all eyes were on the Blues reaction in West London.
Having dropped their only points of the season so far when visiting the capital in the wake of a midweek Champions League outing, there were those looking for signs of fragility from the league leaders.
In came Micah Richards as skipper, Aleks Kolarov, Gareth Barry, Edin Dzeko, and Joleon Lescott.
Newly promoted QPR have had a Jekyll and Hyde start to their latest stint in the English top flight. They downed Chelsea in a feisty affair at home but then were overwhelmed by of all teams Fulham.
Most recently they showed both sides of their character in one outing. Insipid in the first half at Spurs where they lost 3-1 they were excellent after the break.
With former City pair Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton in their side, Rangers were always going to be up for this challenge and much of the game was spent battling for supremacy in a very crowded midfield.
That congestion and lack of width in the visiting side meant that as Bonfire Night spectaculars this was a slow burner.
The sky blue touch paper remained firmly unlit until the 43rd minute when Dzeko burst through the inside left channel on to Kolarov’s pass, cut inside and beat Kenny with a shot that zipped off the dew-sodden turf.
Until then City were second best and behind from the 28th minute when Jay Bothroyd headed them in front from a free-kick that shouldn’t have been given as he had tripped himself on the touchline. Barton delivered the erroneous award.
Snapping, busy QPR had gone close before that from other set-pieces most notably via Heidar Helguson whilst the Blues only noteworthy efforts were a Sergio Aguero effort booted away by Kenny.
...QPR 2 City 3
The period was only eight minutes old when man of the moment David Silva collected Dzeko’s cross, sold the whole defence and dummy and then slammed home with his wand of a left foot.
The lead though lasted only 17 minutes before Bothroyd’s header hit the unwitting Helguson and into the City net. Protests were in vain as Savic, who had not managed to block SWP’s initial cross was playing the QPR men onside.
Again the league leaders showed their class and were back in front five minutes later when Yaya Toure made it three in two outings with a towering header from Kolarov’s cross that gave Kenny no chance.
For those who wanted to know what would happen the first time City trailed in a Premier League game after 40 minutes the answer was writ large.
So remember, remember the 5th of November not for the Catherine Wheels, rockets, and Roman candles or even gunpowder, treason and plot but for proof positive that City have all the tools to last the distance.
Eleven games gone 39 goals scored, six Premier League wins on the trot and five points clear. That’s called starting with a BANG!
