Manchester City v Sunderland – First half review: English Premier League - Part 2
After gaining a two-goal lead in the first fifteen minutes of the match at Eastlands stadium, Manchester City piled on the pressure on Sunderland. The home side grew in confidence as the match went on. City’s midfield strength which was personified throughout the match by Yaya Toure appeared to overwhelm the likes of Jordan Henderson, and Sulley Muntari in Sunderland’s central midfield department.
At the back, Sunderland’s two center backs, Antoine Ferdinand and John Mensah found it hard to track Mario Balotelli’s positional exchanges with Carlos Tevez. Both the forward men drifted in and out of Sunderland’s penalty area and their drifts created gaps in between the Black Cats defenders. These gaps were exploited expertly by David Silva’s penetrative passing, whereas Toure’s offensive runs also posed a further threat to Sunderland’s defensive cohesion.
In the 26th minute, Michael Turner contemptuously handled the ball to stop Mario Balotelli from embarking on an attacking run. Tuner’s hand-ball was not spotted by the referee but the linesman took notice of the defender’s unsporting gesture, and raised his flag for a Manchester City free kick. Alexander Kolarov stepped up to take the free kick for City but his eventual drive towards Sunderland’s goal missed the target by some distance, as the score line remained at two nil to the home side.
In the 31st minute, Sunderland’s growing frustration was evident when John Mensah slid in on Carlos Tevez near the half-way line. Referee Howard Webb had a clear view of the challenge and he produced a yellow card for the Black Cats’ defender as City was awarded yet another free kick. Shortly after, Kolarov went into the referee’s book for his wild lunge on Stéphane Sessegnon.
Sunderland’s striker was in control of the ball near the right hand side of the field, when Kolarov came flying in. Some sections of the away crowd called for a red card for the former Lazio wing back but Howard Webb only brandished a yellow card for Manchester City’s left back. Sunderland’s free kick was taken by Sulley Muntari whose deflected shot fell towards Asamoah Gyan in the 37th minute of the match. The Ghanaian striker tried his luck on goal but failed to test Joe Hart’s reflexes as the ball missed City’s goal by a few inches.
The first half came to an end soon after with the score line at 2-0. City dominated the first half, whilst Sunderland struggled to create anything of substantial note. Manchester City’s two goals consisted of a tap in from Adam Johnson and a penalty kick by Carlos Tevez.