Blackpool 2 Manchester City 3: Carlos Tevez hits double and David Silva pearler puts big-spenders up to second

By IAN LADYMAN

King Carlos: Tevez scores City's second with the help of a deflection


Roberto Mancini said that he hoped his recent dressing room spat with Carlos Tevez would serve as an alarm call for Manchester City’s season.

Tevez, it seems, can still hear the ringing in his ears. City manager Mancini continues to have a rather distant relationship with Tevez, despite giving the Argentina international the captaincy during the summer.

It would be right to say the two men have different ideas about some things.

Nevertheless, Tevez is a self-motivator. Not one to need cuddles, handshakes and reassurance, Tevez continues to prove himself City’s most important player.

Yesterday he scored the 27th and 28th Barclays Premier League goals of his last 31 games. It is a remarkable record and City have yesterday’s contribution to thank for the fact that they are second in the table this morning.

Certainly it is hard to know what to make of City at the moment. At times they can look deeply unimpressive. For a good part of this game at Bloomfield Road they were second best to a Blackpool team put together for the type of money City owner Sheikh Mansour uses to put fuel in his helicopter.


Flick of all right: Tevez gets in front of Craig Cathcart to score City's first with the outside of his right boot


Nevertheless, while Mancini is able to call upon a fit and functioning Tevez, his team will always have a chance. Mancini - and his predecessor Mark Hughes - have combined to pack this City squad with match winners and it is proving invaluable during a time when they are still searching for consistent fluency.

Afterwards Mancini said: ‘Carlos was fantastic today but he is not alone. I think that in the first half it was difficult for us as Blackpool played very well. ‘Sometimes it is important to win when you don’t play well.

'Strong teams do that. Certainly I have seen Chelsea do that.’
City were made to look rather laboured by some impressive home football for the first 20 minutes of the second period. Ian Holloway’s team needed to score during this spell and will surely regret that they didn’t.


Our hero: City fans come on to the pitch to celebrate with Tevez


Certainly Blackpool striker DJ Campbell should have given his team the lead when Luke Varney exposed some poor positioning from Joleon Lescott to play him clear in the 54th minute. Unfortunately for Blackpool, Campbell’s finish was not good enough.

Then, a minute later, Gary Taylor- Fletcher did have the ball in the net, only for the offside flag to go up. What appeared to be a dreadful decision at first glance actually turned out to be correct.

An attempt to lay a foot on the pass that eventually reached Taylor- Fletcher rendered Elliot Grandin ‘active’ in the build-up.

With the impressive Charlie Adam bringing a low save from Joe Hart with a shot from 20 yards and Taylor- Fletcher slicing a presentable chance wide from the resulting corner, the spell just before and after the hour mark belonged to Blackpool.


Lifeline: Harewood (left) celebrates after scoring Blackpool's first


However, City have so much attacking quality in their squad these days that teams need to score against them when they have the opportunity. Blackpool soon discovered this to their cost. Last time out against Newcastle, it was Adam Johnson who emerged as a substitute to have a decisive impact on the game.

This time it was David Silva. The Spaniard used only his second touch in the 68th minute to cross low for Tevez, the Argentinian spinning his marker with great body strength to divert the ball in to the goal. Replays showed that Tevez was a touch offside when Silva’s cross came in.

Predictably, Holloway was unhappy and said: ‘We are getting Bo Diddly squat (sic) this season. It is heartbreaking but such is life. The officials just have to get these decisions right.’

James Milner soon rattled the underside of the crossbar with a superb, right-footed shot and then Blackpool equalised in the 78th minute.



Silva bullet: City midfielder David Silva scores his side's sublime third


Wayne Bridge was foolish in giving away a free-kick with an unnecessary trip and then Blackpool substitute Marlon Harewood got ahead of Lescott to head the incoming delivery across goalkeeper Hart and into the far corner.

All of a sudden Bloomfield Road had come alive and brielfy one wondered if this could become Blackpool’s first major home scalp of the season. Sadly for the home team, it didn’t quite work out like that. Within a minute Tevez had scored his second, this time with the help of what appeared to be a foul on Ian Evatt and a deflection off Craig Carthcart.

Then Silva scored City’s third, shimmying past two players to curl his first Premier League goal in at the far post, before Taylor-Fletcher gave Blackpool brief hope of salvation with a goal of his own from a 94th-minute corner.

Holloway added: ‘For our ‘‘goal’’ Grandin was offside but it wasn’t him who scored. Then their first goal was offside and the second was a foul. It was blatant.’




source :dailymail