Man City took the lead after only two minutes when Mario Balotelli went round Petr Cech to score after a great through-ball from Sergio Aguero.  At that point it looked like it was going to be a long night for Chelsea and their young, under-fire manager Andre Villas-Boas.  In fact, for the first 30 minutes Chelsea did their best to hang on as Manchester City bossed the game with a master class of sublime football.

But Chelsea managed to claw their way back into the game and in the 34th minute former Man City striker Daniel Sturridge got to the byline and found Raul Meireles who scored with a great volley.

Against the odds it was 1-1 at half-time.  Chelsea had battled hard and showed some team spirit while Roberto Mancini would be berating his team as they should have finished the game off before Chelsea had a chance to get a foothold.

The second half started with a yellow card for Gael Clichy.  A red card followed in the 58th minute and that was enough to turn the game.  Chelsea played well to make the extra man count and were less overrun in the midfield.  Tempers frayed with Raul Meireles and Yaya Toure among those getting stuck in.

In the 73rd minute Frank Lampard come off the bench to replace Raul Meireles; and in the 82nd minute scored a vital penalty even though Juan Mata has allegedly been given penalty-taking duties.

Chelsea’s win end Manchester City’s 14 game unbeaten league run and inadvertently helps rivals Man United who are now only two points before City in the Premier League.

Champions League qualification officially states that Manchester City have a seat on European football’s head table; and whereas before Kaka turned down a move in favour of Real Madrid, we should now expect even more serious money attracting some of the very best players in the world.  Strange then, that Carlos Tevez should now want to make public his desire to move to Italy in the summer. A great player yes, but in my opinion, not world class.

So Roberto Mancini has achieved the goal of Abu Dhabi club owners who expected nothing less than a top four finish.  But even though Manchester City may also win the FA Cup this Saturday, I believe if Jose Mourinho showed any interest in a move to the sky blue side of Manchester, Mancini would be sacked.

Following Real Madrid’s public disapproval of Mourinho’s behaviour in recent matches with Barcelona, it has made it more likely that Jose Mourinho may return to the Premier League sooner rather than later.  He has already stated his next job will be in England.  Such a statement would sound bold coming from anyone else, but with Jose Mourinho’s reputation and past record there will always be interest for those willing to pay his price.

Manchester City’s victory last night means FA Cup finalists Stoke City will automatically play in the Europa League next season.  While Spurs may miss out on European football altogether as they drop to sixth position, two points behind Liverpool who they play on Sunday at Anfield.

Harry Redknapp has already said he will be selling a few on before buying better quality players this summer and said that might not be enough to finish in the top four next season.  I agree that Spurs are going to need to strengthen their squad if they are going to mount a serious challenge next season.  And if Kenny Dalglish continues to make Liverpool tick and is given money to spend in the summer, who’s to count them out actually winning the Premiership next season.

Liverpool have made a dramatic recovery since King Kenny took over from Roy Hodgson; and on Monday night thrashed an in-form Fulham team 5-2 at Craven Cottage to move above Spurs for the first time this season.

With two games remaining, the Premier League title race may be all but over, but Liverpool v Tottenham on Sunday promises to be another cracking match in what is by far the most exciting Premier League season I can remember.

Kenwyne Jones opened the scoring with another headed goal from a Jermaine Pennant cross. Ryan Shawcross tapped in a second from inside six yards, and Jermaine Pennant made it 3-0 with a deflected shot from about eight yards.

Wolves were very poor while Stoke continue to impress, playing to their strengths under the excellent management of Tony Pulis.

Wolves (34 points) stay in the bottom three, along with Wigan (33 points) and West Ham (32 points) but there is still time for all three to avoid relegation with four games still to play.
Blackpool climb out of the relegation places on goal difference after a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Saturday.  Blackburn are currently 16th (35 points) and Birmingham (38 points) are far from safe following a run of bad results.  Fulham are in 14th position with 39 points and a game in-hand on the six teams below them, which I believe will be enough to see them play Premier League football next season.

I personally think the relegation battle will go to the final day and is now between the bottom six: Birmingham, Blackburn, Blackpool, Wigan, Wolves and West Ham.

At the top of the Premiership Arsenal and Tottenham both dropped more points at the weekend.  Spurs were held to a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane by West Brom, while Arsenal lost away to Bolton. Tottenham appear to have blown a chance of a top four finish and Champions League football next season with two from a possible six points last week; while Manchester City overcame Blackburn on Monday with Edin Dzecko’s first Premier League goal.

Man City are now 5 points clear of Spurs with five games to play; and with Arsenal winning only one point from their last two games, Arsene Wenger will be looking over his shoulder at Roberto Mancini’s sky blues who are now just 5 points behind them with a game in hand.

Chelsea continued their recent good run as the most inform team in the Premier League with a 3-0 thrashing of West Ham on Sunday, including a first goal for Fernando Torres, and Manchester United continued to grind out results beating Everton at Old Trafford 1-0 on Saturday.

Both Chelsea (67 points) & Manchester United (73 points) have four games left.  This weekend Chelsea are at home to Spurs while Man Utd are away to Arsenal; two massive games for all four clubs.  But the Premier League title could be decided when Chelsea play Manchester Utd at Old Trafford on Sunday 8th May.

As for Bolton Wanderers reaching the other semi-final in the same year legend Nat Lofthouse died, well it seemed almost written in the stars that it would be apt if there was a repeat of the 1958 FA Cup final when Nat Lofthouse helped Bolton beat Manchester United 2-0.
I was pretty confident both semi-finals played at Wembley last weekend would be tight but exciting matches.  On Saturday Man Utd started the brighter, and if Dimitar Berbetov had scored one of his two early chances, the game would have taken on a completely different path.  As it was, Man City weathered the initial storm and gradually began to dominant the game.  Every Manchester City player worked hard, even Mario Balotelli, but the difference was David Silva.  He managed to boss the midfield while Joe Hart showed touches of brilliance to keep United at bay.

Even after an early second half goal (Yaya Toure, 59 minutes), City continued to pressurise United and kept control of the game.  Paul Scholes didn’t help the cause by being sent off for a trademark late challenge that left a calling card on Pablo Zabaleta’s thigh.

So with one surprise already complete I sat down on Sunday to watch the second Wembley semi-final between the much fancied Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City.   What happened next was the most one-sided semi-final I have ever seen, in any competition … in any sport!
Not only were Stoke City 3-0 up within 30 minutes but they looked likely to score every time they looked at the Bolton goal, let alone had a shot.  The normally dependable Jussi Jaaskelainen could have done better with every goal but he wasn’t helped by the whole Bolton team who looked stagestruck!

Bolton were truly shocking but I couldn’t believe it when supporters began filing out after less than one third of the game considering the expense of the ticket and the hours they had spent travelling down to north London. Stoke City went on to win 5-0 though it could have been more.

The last time Tony Pulis was at Wembley was in the League One play-off match as manager of Gillingham.  With 10 minutes to go they were leading 2-0 only to let in two late goals and eventually lose on penalties.  The opponents on that day were Manchester City.  Must has changed in the lives of Tony Pulis and Manchester City since then but for Pulis, revenge would be sweet.

Even though they are one of the oldest clubs in the English Football League, Saturday 14th May will be Stoke City’s first appearance in an FA Cup final.  They will start the game as massive underdogs and know Manchester City will not be overawed by the big occasion. The size of the pitch should suit Manchester City, but that’s what pundits were said about Bolton Wanderers.

As Man City continue to push for a Champions League position, if not the Premier League, it is essential they add one or two top quality strikers to their squad to relieve the pressured shoulders of sulky home-sick Carlos Tevez considering the ineffectiveness of Emmanuel Adebayor and Joe; and the surprising statement from Roberto Mancini that Paraguay international, Roque Santa Cruz is surplus to requirements.

I’m surprised Mancini is letting Roque Santa Cruz go as I have always considered him to be a good striker, and he showed he can play in the Premier League when he was at Blackburn Rovers.  It is no surprise that several clubs have apparently shown interest in signing Roque Santa Cruz including Fulham who are currently managed by his former boss, Mark Hughes.  West Ham and Aston Villa are also allegedly interested in his services.

So, on to Blackburn Rovers whose owners decided to sack Sam Allardyce in December.  At the time I felt this was to announce a new manager in time for the January transfer window and we were going to see a well-known manager be given a large sum of money to stamp his authority on the team and also announce the Indian Venky Group ownership to the world.  Well, this week they have been linked to one of the biggest names in world football, Ronaldinho.  A well seasoned player that would certainly make a statement of intent for the new Blackburn owners though I’m not sure what else they would receive from a footballer that is currently overweight, overpaid and well past his sell by date!

Furthermore, the owners have stated that caretaker manager Steve Kean will remain in charge at least until the summer.  But it’s clear that any big name signings with overinflated wages and egos are going to create even more problems for a little known manager.

Other transfer speculation includes Tottenham’s ‘serious’ attempts to agree a two-month loan deal with LA Galaxy for David Beckham similarly to his previous loan spells with AC Milan.  Beckham would be a great impact sub.  But Spurs are also keen to strengthen their squad and are showing interest in Uruguay striker Luis Suarez who is currently playing his football for Ajax.

Chelsea have shown interest in signing Gary Cahill from Bolton.  They are desperately in need of top quality players that could hit the ground running but it’s not clear if Roman Abramovich is prepared to put his hand deep enough into his pockets to afford the quality players Chelsea need for a very quick fix.

As for Liverpool, I think they will sack Roy Hodgson.  It is a matter of when, not if.  So depending on how much influence he actually has over new signings will determine whether Liverpool by sell/buy players this month or hold off until the end of the season.  Either way, they need a good clearout before adding to a poor squad.

I don’t believe there will be too many big transfers this month but expect a few players surplus to requirements to be looking for new horizons.  I expect Robbie Keane, David Bentley and Jonathan Woodgate and possibly the eternally “unhappy” Emmanuel Adebayor to be on the move.

Carlos Tevez is a very likeable, genuine, hardworking player who has become the darling of the fans for all three clubs he has played for in England and so far has managed to sidestep any flack over his contentious ownership and transfer deals to West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City.  But maybe that is all about to change, as a rumour circulates that following Tevez asking for time off to visit his daughters who live in Argentina, he was actually in Tenerife with his girlfriend.

If Tevez is telling the truth then surely only a return to play his football in South America is going to be the right move.  The only alternative I can see is that, being financially stable he could retire from football altogether and therefore forfeit his three-and-a-half year contract with Manchester City.

I don’t see any other alternatives.  He is a great player and will be a huge loss for Man City, which I’m sure would end the possibility of them winning the Premier League title this season.  But I can’t see any football club, not even Real Madrid or Barcelona being prepared to pay a similar wage, knowing his reasons for wanting to leave Manchester City and the issue of his ownership.

Manchester City are currently joint top of the Premiership and Tevez, as Captain and scorer of 10 of their 24 goals in the Premier League this season, has been by far their best player. If results go their way in the next two weeks, Manchester City could go into 2011 as leaders as Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all play each other. But with 2011 comes the January transfer window; and unless Man City can keep Carlos Tevez and not upset other players by doing so, I believe they will struggle to finish in the top four.

Furthermore, if they let Tevez go in January they will need to consider a top class replacement; and I don’t see any other club willing to let a top striker go halfway through the season, though paying over the odds may possibly result in Liverpool being willing to sell Fernando Torres.  One thing is for sure with Roberto Mancini already telling Roque Santa Cruz he is surplus to requirements, Manchester City cannot rely on current strikers Joe and Emmanuel Adebayor to work as hard or score as many goals as Carlos Tevez.

Manchester City’s next match is in the Europa League this Thursday, away to Juventus. They will then play two games they will be expected to win, at home to Everton and away to Newcastle on Boxing Day.

Like Chelsea before them, Man City’s arrival has been cemented by a large sum of money while Harry Redknapp performs nothing much short of a miracle in Spurs continual ascendancy as one of the actual ‘big five’ teams in the Premier League.

But this season’s English Premier League has already thrown up a list of amazing results.  Just this weekend Chelsea lost a second game in succession to Birmingham, while Arsenal through away a 2-0 half-time lead to lose to Tottenham 3-2 at The Emirates; and furthermore, while Manchester United remain unbeaten this season they are playing far from their invisible best and only last week were allowed back into a game that Aston Villa should have killed off.

So, with Arsenal and Chelsea dropping points and Man Utd looking less than convincing, there is no better time for Tottenham and Manchester City to launch a real assault on winning the Premier League; and Man City done just that today by thrashing Fulham at Craven Cottage 4-1 and in the process playing a more expansive and attacking style of football under Roberto Mancini than I’ve seen all season.  Maybe the show was especially for former Man City manager Mark Hughes.  But after weeks of criticism of Mancini playing two holding midfielders and one striker both home and away, Manchester City started the game with Carlos Tevez and Joe upfront, and that appeared to signal a change from the more cautious, defensive approach Mancini has played in recent games.

Whatever happens, it is turning into an eventful, exciting season with every week.  I only hope Manchester City and Spurs continue to pile on the pressure by playing exciting football and that come spring, any one from five teams are still in with a chance to win this season’s Premiership title.

yaya toure

Yaya Toure has confirmed that he has joined Manchester City from La Liga champions Barcelona after being told that he was surplus to requirements at the Catalan club.

A reported fee of £24 million will change hands as City at last make the signing that they have been chasing over the last season or so.

Toure will join fellow La Liga player David Silva who was announced as a Manchester City player this week. He will also join up with his brother, the former Arsenal player Kolo Toure who is now installed as captain at Eastlands.

City manager Roberto Mancini said;

“Everyone knows Yaya is a player that we have admired for a long time, we would like to welcome him to Manchester City. He has played at the top level with Barcelona and I am sure his experience and ability will be very important for us.”

The Eastlands club have now spent around £60million already this summer, securing the services of Yaya, Silva and German defender Jerome Boateng, clearly looking to build on last seasons disappointing fifth place finish.

David Silva to join Man City

It was inevitable that La Liga crisis club would have to cash in on on their two star players sooner or later, personally I expected David Villa and David Silva to move on after the success of  Spain in the European Championship.

But somehow the club managed to hang onto them despite the debt problems reported at Valencia. Things changed at the end of this season and Villa promptly signed for Barcelona (where else), but Silva has been linked with several top clubs including City and Chelsea during recent weeks and admitted a few weeks ago that he fancied the challenge of the Premier League.

I have long been an admirer of the little midfielder and while not an Arsenal supporter always thought he would make an excellent signing for the North London club.

But it appears that he has decided to join City, leaving his agent to negotiate the deal while the player is in South Africa hoping to help Spain lift the World Cup.

A fantastic naturally gifted player who pushes forward at pace, Silva is an exceptional signing for the Manchester club and if they can keep him fit he will surely prove to be one of the club’s most significant signings.

Looking for a new manager to take them to the next level, and backed by Roman Abramovich’s millions, Chelsea was very quick off the blocks to offer Jose Mourinho the chance to earn and spend big money. Following his arrival in 2004 he won the Premier League two seasons in a row in 2005 and 2006. This was a great achievement and nothing should be taken away from what is an exceptional man manager & football tactician with his minute attention to detail.

But its often overlooked that in the proceeding season Claudio Ranieri took Chelsea to second place, missing out on winning the Premier League title for the first time in Chelsea’s history only by an amazing unbeaten season by Arsenal; a feat never before or since achieved.

Furthermore, it was the likeable Claudio Ranieri who built the foundations of Mourinho’s winning Chelsea team as he was the manager who signed Frank Lampard, Claude Makele, Joe Cole, Petr Cech, William Gallas and Arjen Robben among others, as well as nurturing the young John Terry.

After being sacked by Chelsea in September 2007 he joined Inter Milan in 2008.  But again, the team he inherited was a successful one as Robert Mancini had led them to three consecutive Serie A League titles. Absolutely amazing to think Inter Milan sacked Robert Mancini.  That is until last week when Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan won the treble (European Champions League, Serie A League Title & domestic cup) for the first time in their history.  It was Inter Milan’s first European Cup/Champions League victory since 1965.

So now Jose Mourinho is about to move to Real Madrid to complete what seems to be his destiny: to win league titles in England, Italy and Spain.  But Mourinho will inherit a side low on morale, with no big team spirit and a trophy cupboard that has been gathering dust while their bitter rivals, Barcelona are winning silverware and fans alike for playing the beautiful game.

Jose Mourinho will inherit a side high on flair and low on defensive duties.  Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are not known for their work horse attitudes and unselfish work for the good of the team.  It will be very interesting to see how long the Real Madrid president, and indeed the Real Madrid fans will give Jose Mourinho to deliver results.

Personally, I think this is going to be the hardest challenge of Jose Mourinho’s career. If he fails to win the La Liga title at the very least next season he will probably be sacked for the second time in his career.  If he brings European success back to Real Madrid then he will rightly earn the self anointed title of “The Special One”.