Match report
We’re going to wrap this blog up now. City go a point clear at the top, but Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool can overtake them with a win. Boro jump a place to 14th.
Thanks for reading. Goodbye.
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City had 25 shots to Boro’s five; eight corners to two, and 71% of possession. But they seemed strangely listless in the second half: almost as though Boro had lulled them into thinking this game was finished. Well done to Boro for taking their chance right at the end, but City will be seriously narked not to have killed the game earlier.
Should Bravo have kept that goal out? That picture from our ace picture editor Steve Bloor at 90min +2 is really telling: it seemed to rather go through Bravo’s hands. De Roon got good power in his header, but I think Bravo will be disappointed.
Well, well, well. What a strange match. City were totally dominant in the first half, got the goal, and looked in absolutely no trouble – Boro were rubbish, and they didn’t have a shot. But Boro improved in the second half and City made the fatal mistake of not killing the game: at 1-0, Boro only needed one chance, and in stoppage time they took it. City backed off, Friend crossed, De Roon beat Clichy to it, and Bravo couldn’t keep it out. City drop two points, and cede the initiative to Arsenal and Liverpool.
Full-time: Manchester City 1-1 Middlesbrough
That’s it!
90 min +4 Nolito wins a corner. Surely the last chance. Nope, Nolito was offside. This will be it.
90 min +3 What a finish to this game. Guardiola can’t believe it. De Roon got great power on his header, and it just beat Bravo for pace. Football, eh? One more minute of time added on.
90 min +2 George Friend was in acres of space on the left, City sat off, and Friend put in a lovely cross to the back post, where De Roon got up really well over Clichy, and slammed a header through Claudio Bravo and into the net! Stunning.
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Middlesbrough (De Roon 90 +1)
Boro level! Amazing!
90 min Valdes and Friend got into an awful mix-up in defence, and De Bruyne tried to place it into the empty net, but he put it over! Iheanacho replaces Agüero for City’s final change.
88 min Silva is clattered by De Roon, and the Dutchman is booked. Boro running out of time.
87 min Nolito tries to pick out Agüero, who can’t control, and Boro win it back. Then Agüero has a little kick out at Forshaw, and he’s booked.
86 min Jesus Navas, who’s been very good, is replaced by Aleix Garcia.
85 min Oh, Agüero! That was the chance for two. Navas, not for the first time, did really well on the right side, and picked out his team-mate seven yards from goal: Agüero took a touch, set himself … and placed it over the bar.
82 min Boro seem to have just lost some of their energy in the past few minutes. City content to keep possession.
80 min De Bruyne goes down in the box after a slight push from George Friend, but Kevin Friend says no. Probably the right decision.
78 min Fernandinho with a dip from 25 yards. It’s well wide.
77 min Negredo gets away from Kolarov on the right side, but John Stones makes an excellent intervention in the penalty box to stop it reaching a Boro shirt. Top defending. Barragan brings down Silva as City counter-attack, and that should be a booking, really, but it isn’t.
Boro change: Downing off, Fischer on.
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75 min Guardiola looks slightly agitated on the touchline. City could do with a second goal.
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74 min Gundogan is replaced by Nolito.
72 min Boro break, and Downing shoots when he might have passed. It’s well wide, and Downing shows a grimace. Chance for Boro there.
71 min City still in control of this game, but Boro are doing much better. And at 1-0, it could be a nervy last 15 minutes or so for the home fans.
69 min Nolito is getting ready to be introduced.
65 min Agüero heads over from De Bruyne’s cross! There wasn’t a great deal of pace on the cross, and it was a difficult chance, but the Argentinian got free in the six-yard box.
Here’s Petr Fremont: “I don’t understand why you offer a free pass to Navas here. The fundamental rule of adulthood is that you take responsibility for your actions. Football players aren’t entitled to a special dispensation because we enjoy watching them do what they do. Leaving your studs up going for a 50/50 ball is dangerous play, as the result clearly demonstrates. Intention doesn’t enter into it.”
63 min The City fans are just beginning to show a hint of displeasure. Their team were in total control in the first half, but haven’t had it all their own way in the second. Gundogan shoots wide from 20 yards when he might have hit the target.
62 min Silva picks out De Bruyne at the back post, who is free, but De Bruyne’s header is rubbish, and Valdes collects easily.
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60 min This is very good from Boro. They’ve pushed City right back into their own half, and the hosts are having to do some defending. But why did it take them 45 minutes to mount an attack?
58 min Traoré escapes down the right. Kolarov is across to concede the corner. Nothing comes of it.
57 min Boro have come to play at last, and it’s a much better game for it. They’ve caused City problems in this second half.
55 min Negredo runs clear of the Man City defence, but he’s whistled for offside. He missed the target in any case, but that was close: Clichy might have been playing him on.
53 min Gundogan tries to release De Bruyne through the middle, but Valdes races clear to intercept.
51 min Boro created nothing in the first half, but already in this second half they’ve worked Bravo twice. Forshaw hit his shot well, but couldn’t find a corner, and Bravo stood up well to block. Clayton is booked for an ugly late challenge on David Silva.
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49 min Bravo saves from Forshaw! Big chance for Boro: Forshaw timed his tun perfectly to accept Traoré’s pass, but Bravo came up big! Boro have woken up!
Here’s Stefan Vilbergsson: “Navas didn’t challenge the keeper. They both went for a loose ball, and Navas had to jump over Valdes to avoid a collision. Valdes’ leg was high so Navas was unlucky to connect with him. No intent.”
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48 min Nothing comes from the corner, but much more positive from Boro in the second half. Great effort from Negredo.
47 min Incidentally, Navas had a very good first half. It looks like he’s got the beating of George Friend. And an excellent effort from Negredo from the halfway line! Fernandinho gave a sloppy pass to Negredo on halfway, and the Spaniard took a touch, hit it at goal, and Bravo had to scramble back to tip it over!
46 min We’re back, and so is Victor Valdes for Boro. Let’s hope he’s OK to finish the game. Can Boro show a touch more ambition?
Owen Parsons asked if Navas should have been carded for his challenge on Valdes: having seen it again, it’s difficult to say. It looked as though Navas genuinely went for the ball, but he obviously caught Valdes quite severely with his studs. The gash in Valdes’s thigh is seriously deep.
A really impressive half for Man City, and they lead, deservedly: they’ve had all the ball, forced numerous corners, and carved out three or four fine chances. The goal was a beauty: De Bruyne’s delicious cross was expertly turned in by Sergio Agüero for his 150th Man City goal. Boro have been stubborn but limited, and their goalkeeper has a huge, deep gash on his thigh that may end his participation early. Karanka’s men need a goal, but if the first half is anything to go by, they have neither the wit nor the will to find one.
Half-time: Manchester City 1-0 Middlesbrough
Navas hammers one against the post, and then the whistle blows for half-time!
45 min Two additional minutes.
Here’s Owen Parsons: “Out of interest, does anyone else think Navas should have been shown something for the challenge on Valdes? High boot, studs up, didn’t get ball. I feel like referees are far to lenient on attacking players in one on one’s with the keeper.”
I didn’t see it on first look, actually. Let’s check at half-time.
44 min A lovely goal. City kept it, and kept it, and then De Bruyne, under no pressure, whipped in a beautiful cross from the right side, between goalie and defenders, and Agüero just prodded home from six yards. A deserved lead for the home side.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Middlesbrough (Sergio Agüero 43)
Agüero’s 150th goal for Man City!
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40 min Barragan fouls De Bruyne, but escapes a booking. Free kick for for City, on the left, but Boro head clear.
38 min Valdes continues for now, with a giant bandage wrapped around his thigh. Will he be able to finish the game? Expect Valdes to be stitched at half-time. Boro clear the corner.
37 min Ooh, that looks really painful. I think he sliced his thigh open in a challenge with Navas. Does it need stitching?
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36 min City are playing well. They’re queueing up on the edge of the Boro box. Fernandinho hits one from 20 yards, and it’s deflected over, and we’ll take a brief pause so Valdes can receive treatment for a really nasty-looking gash on his thigh.
34 min That was an excellent save from Valdes just then. It fell to Silva in the box, and he hit it first time – but Valdes made a super reaction stop to his left. Silva had to take it on his less favoured right foot, which probably helped, but nonetheless Valdes did really well.
33 min Boro just can’t clear it. This is serious pressure from the home side. Victor Valdes makes a wonderful save from David Silva! And now Agüero hits it wide! Chance after chance for the home side.
32 min Another corner to Man City. Silva whips it in, Stones flicks it across goal, and Agüero just can’t quite reach it at the back post! City getting closer.
31 min Victor Valdes saves from Agüero! The City man worked half a yard of space in the box, but shot straight at the goalie! On the follow-up, David Silva was offside.
30 min Half an hour gone, and Boro have done OK. They’ve barely come out of their own half, but they’ve been solid. City having to be patient.
Here’s David Powis-Dow: “Truthfully, City aren’t big in Tennessee. But I am also a City fan of some 10 years. You can thank City’s purchase of Claudio Reyna for that.”
28 min City have been quick to feed Navas: it looks as though they fancy that matchup against Friend on the right side. Corner to City, but Kolarov heads well wide.
26 min Good defending from Stones to hold off U2’s Adam Clayton and win the goal kick.
Here’s Maajid Bashir: “Both Jason Kidd and Steve Nash were very “flashy” in the way they assisted (a quick look at their YouTube highlight reels would illustrate that point). A much more apt analogy in the current crop of point guards would perhaps be Jose Calderon: intensely efficient offensively — averaging 50/40/90 — but not as good defensively.”
23 min Taken short, and Kolarov hammers it from 30 yards. Straight at Victor Valdes, but he hit it very well. Now De Bruyne goes through in the inside left channel from Agüero’s pass, and just misses the target! The angle was tight. City winding it up here.
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22 min They’ve had all the ball, Man City, but haven’t quite created a clear chance to test Victor Valdes. Boro defending doggedly. De Bruyne’s cross hits Clayton, and the Belgian wanted a penalty for handball, but Kevin Friend says corner.
20 min Forhaw clatters Zabaleta and is rightly booked: that was crude. Zabaleta gets up rather gingerly.
Another email from David Silva, this time from Dan Lucas: “I interviewed a singer from Nashville (Dan Layus, formerly of Augustana) the other day, and apropos of nothing he told me how much he loved David Silva and wanted to take his son to see City play. It was a wonderful surprise especially as I had my vintage City shirt to hand to show him.”
Who knew City were so big in Tennessee?!
19 min Good switch from Fernandinho from left to right, but Navas is offside, needlessly, when well placed. Grr.
17 min I saw Boro at Arsenal the other week, and they started much like this: extremely deep, and very limited in attack. But after about half an hour they really improved, and created four or five excellent chances – Traoré in particular was very good. Expect Boro to come into it as the game wears on.
15 min Negredo is really isolated when Boro look to get him involved; everyone else is so deep. Gundogan goes down in the penalty area under challenge but Forshaw, but it’s no penalty: the Boro man won the ball.
13 min Not much from Boro in attack so far. Gundogan gets free in the box from Navas’s clever cross, but he tried to hit it first time on the volley, and it was just a little too high. Good move, though.
10 min Free kick to City in a good area. De Bruyne takes, but it’s deflected wide, and the corner is wasted.
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8 min City well on top. Boro camped in their own half.
Here’s Lorraine Berry: “In our house, my husband freely admits to having a man-crush on David Silva. We both think that Silva is one of the most talented footballers playing right now, and perhaps one of the most overlooked. Many of the things he does are not flashy, but like a great point guard in basketball, Silva has a phenomenal talent for distributing the ball, keeping the play moving, and appearing in the right place at the right time. He seems to do most of this by remaining invisible – at least to TV commentators, who rarely utter his name.”
That’s a great comparison with the NBA point guard: perhaps we could liken Silva to Jason Kidd or Steve Nash in their pomp, flipping the ball around the court and making lovely passing angles. Thanks Lorraine!
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6 min Nothing comes of it. But City pick it up again, and Gundogan shows some nice skill to move away from two defenders. He can’t quite link up with De Bruyne, though.
5 min Boro are already extremely deep. Navas, clean shaven, runs at Friend, and wins a corner.
3 min City win a corner after slightly dopey defending from Barragan on the left. David Silva takes, but it’s headed clear. Now De Bruyne teases a lovely ball in from the right side, and Agüero is very close to getting on the end of it. Good, positive start from the hosts.
1 min And we’re off! City in sky blue with white socks; Boro in traditional red with white shorts and red socks.
A short pause before the game as City mark Remembrance Day – and a brief appearance from Mike Summerbee, holding a special wreath.
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We’re just a few minutes away.
No Gaston Ramirez for Boro, of course, which places greater responsibility on Stewart Downing and Alvaro Negredo – the latter spent one moderately successful season in east Manchester a couple years back. Adama Traoré , the 20-year old Spanish Malian forward who came through the ranks at Barcelona, is Boro’s other forward: he really impressed against Arsenal the other week, and has pace to burn.
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Lots to enjoy today, but I’m really looking forward to watching David Silva – one of the Premier League’s most sumptuous players, in my stupid opinion. I know he probably doesn’t score enough goals, or even set enough up, but the way he glides around the pitch, finding space and displaying that perfect control, feeding his team-mates and generally making everything look easy … what a star he is. Expect many lovely combinations between Silva and Gundogan today.
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Aitor Karanka speaks! “We’ve made one enforced change but it’s not about individuals – it’s all about the team. A good example of that was two weeks ago when we drew at Arsenal. We have been more consistent in recent weeks, and with that consistency we are confident on the pitch. But it is a difficult game against a really good team.”
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The excellent Rob Smyth is following white-hot FA Cup and Premier League action in his Saturday clockwatch, which you can read here.
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Here’s Pep: “We hope to maintain the intensity from the win against Barcelona, but we know it is a different competition. The environment in the Champions League is so special but if we want to be a good team in all competitions have to control the situation.”
Three changes for Manchester City from Tuesday: Claudio Bravo replaces Willy Caballero, Gael Clichy comes in for Nicolas Otamendi, and Raheem Sterling makes way for Jesus Navas. No Sterling on the bench, incidentally.
Boro make one change: Gaston Ramirez is suspended so Marten de Roon comes in.
Today's teams
Man City: Bravo, Zabaleta, Stones, Kolarov, Clichy, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Jesus Navas, De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero. Subs: Kompany, Nolito, Caballero, Sane, Maffeo, Iheanacho, Garcia.
Middlesbrough: Valdes, Barragan, Chambers, Gibson, Friend, Traore, de Roon, Clayton, Forshaw, Downing, Negredo. Subs: Da Silva, Bernardo, Leadbitter, Fischer, Guzan, Stuani, Nugent.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Hello and welcome
Manchester City are back at the Etihad Stadium after Tuesday night’s thrilling 3-1 victory over Barcelona, and it’s all going swimmingly for the Sky Blues at the moment. City have perked up after a little blip where they didn’t win in six, and that midweek Champions League victory followed a deeply impressive 4-0 win at The Hawthorns last weekend. City are top of the league from Arsenal and Liverpool, but only on goal difference: dropped points today would represent a major irritation for Pep Guardiola in his quest to win a Premier League title at his first attempt.
Aitor Karanka’s Boro look to have found their feet in the Premier League somewhat, and have lost just once in their last four. But they’ve managed just two wins in their opening 10, and today’s game offers probably the most difficult challenge of the season so far. Pools panel says home win. Kick-off’s in an hour. Join us then.
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Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, read why Yaya Touré has apologised to Pep Guardiola:
“I wish to apologise – on behalf of myself and those who represent me – to the management team and all those working at the club for the misunderstandings from the past,” read the statement.
“Those statements do not represent my views on the club or the people who work there. I have nothing but respect for Manchester City and only wish the best for the football club. I am immensely proud to have played a part in the club’s history and want to help City succeed further. I live to play football and entertain the fans.
“On that note, I would like to thank all of the fans for their messages through this difficult period. This means a great deal to me and my family.”
In response, Guardiola said he appreciated the apology but refused to be drawn on whether the 33-year-old could be welcomed back into the fold. He said: “I spoke with Yaya today. Of course it is a private conversation. I know what happened and what he says. Of course it is so important for Manchester City, that is the most important thing, and of course for Yaya, who I appreciate and have known from a long time ago.”
Guardiola added: “Yaya is in all our meetings and training sessions. You knew the situation, nothing has changed.”
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