YELLOWS TOO MELLOW
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Well, there we have it. Two weeks after our first win in the Champions League we have another one, and this time it was away from home at a ground where no other English team has won before. Admittedly, Villareal were stripped to the bare bones without their key players (something ITV made sure we didn't forget) but it was up to us not to fall flat on our faces.
There were some excellent performances tonight from players including Nigel de Jong and Samir Nasri, but James Milner was my Man of the Match. He was excellent in the middle, going forward and tackling back. He covered for de Jong, Nasri, Silva and even Balotelli at points tonight, all to geat effect. Considering that was his first ever appearance in the Champions League, he looked at home.
Villareal's fans tried their best to make it a hostile environment, by throwing paper planes and balls at Nasri and Toure, but that was never going to shake us, considering Villareal barely looked bothered tonight. Joe Hart was a spectator for large parts of the game, only being forced into one difficult save.
I thought we were calm, controlled, effective and untroubled for most of the night. We were brilliant all over, but our impressiveness was definitely aided by a desperate, weak Villareal side.
Next we face QPR. Dzeko, Aguero, Richards, Lescott and Barry were all either dropped or on the bench tonight so expect them to start in London on Saturday. Remember folks, it's a lake kick-off, with the game starting at 5:30pm.
Ratings:
Hart, 7 - Had nothing to do for the most part, but when asked to produce the goods he did to great effect.
Zabaleta, 6 - Wasn't required to do anything tonight, but did well enough at what he did.
Kompany, 7 - Like Zabaleta and Hart, he was pretty much able to watch our boys up front do the business.
Savic, 7 - Incredibly assured and looked much calmer than he did against Wolves.
Clichy, 8 - Got forward well and kept Perez in his back pocket.
de Jong, 8 - Controlled our defence and attack in his usual manner.
Milner, 9 - He continued his excellent run of performances with a very gutsy, hard-working display.
Yaya Toure, 8 - Took his goals brilliantly, did well enough to break down what little Villareal offered.
Nasri, 8 - Best game in a Blue shirt since his debut
Silva, 7 - Took a while to get going but played well when he was comfortable. Let's hope his back isn't too bad.
Balotelli, 7 - Amazing penalty, usual relaxed self for most part.
