“Manchester City are still alive here… Balotelli, Aguerooooooooooooooo! I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again!”
Martin Tyler’s commentary will forever be synonymous with Manchester City’s greatest ever moment: the day when Sergio Aguero’s injury-time strike secured a first top-flight title in 44 years at Manchester United’s expense.
It looked for all the world as though City had blown it. A five game-winning run, including a morale-rousing 1-0 victory against United in their previous home game, had City top of the table on goal difference heading into the final day.
All they had to do was beat a ragtag QPR team containing misfits, mercenaries and journeymen to ensure the title was theirs, regardless of United’s result against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
With a place in club history within touching distance, the occasion appeared to unsettle City’s players early on. David Silva’s flicks and tricks went awry, Yaya Toure wilted under the May sunshine, Carlos Tevez, back from his golfing holiday, was anonymous.
Eventually, after 39 minutes, the goal arrived. Relief around the Etihad was palpable when Pablo Zabaleta’s fiercely-struck drive was helped into the net by QPR goalkeeper Paddy Kenny. Having got that elusive opener, City would surely now coast to victory. Except they wouldn’t.
QPR’s players hadn’t read the script. A few minutes after the restart, Djibril Cisse silenced the home fans by rifling a low volley beyond Joe Hart after the ball had bounced to him via Joleon Lescott’s sweat-glistened forehead.
Momentum swung back the way of City shortly after when former academy graduate Joey Barton was sent off after an off-the-ball incident with Tevez. On his way off the pitch, Barton kneed Aguero in the back of his leg, aimed a headbutt at Vincent Kompany and tried to start another fight with Mario Balotelli for good measure. A 12-game ban swiftly followed.
Despite being down to 10 men after losing their captain, QPR rallied and went ahead on 66 minutes when Jamie Mackie ghosted in at the back post to head home Armand Traore’s cross, cue an expletive-ridden rant from an irate Roberto Mancini on the touchline.
In response to going behind, Mancini chucked on £51m worth of attacking talent with Edin Dzeko and Balotelli replacing Gareth Barry and Tevez. Any semblance of a tactical shape had been thrown out of the window.
Yet everything City threw at goal, QPR repelled it. Kenny, who spent just two of his 20 seasons as a professional in the Premier League, was inspired, keeping out efforts from Dzeko and Balotelli, amongst others. As the game crept into added time, Sky Sports’ cameramen did the rounds around the Etihad, picking out supporters in tears and one fan assaulting his own seat with a scarf.
Then midway through the allocated time added on, City suddenly got one back as Dzeko rose imperiously to nod a Silva corner into the net. Time was against them, but that goal had given City something to cling onto with three minutes still to play.
And then came the winner. Nigel De Jong picked out Aguero on the edge of QPR’s box, he fed it into Balotelli and continued his run. The Italian, under pressure from Anton Ferdinand, fell to the ground but swivelled and shovelled a return pass back to Aguero who jinked past Nedum Onouha and fired beyond Kenny into the bottom corner.
Off came Aguero’s shirt, out raced Hart from his own penalty box, up went the decibels inside the stadium. City had done it and to make it all the sweeter, they had done so at United’s expense, pipping them to the title on goal difference following their own 1-0 win at Sunderland.
For all Aguero’s goals and City’s success since it is unlikely that day will ever be topped. It was the iconic Premier League moment.
On This Day in sport
- 23 March (2002): English cricket lost a player of rare and special talent
- 24 March (2012): Crouch really did have a good touch for a big lad
- 25 March (1995): Tyson emerged from jail into boxing’s forgiving embrace
- 26 March (2000): Di Canio’s moment of magic sent Tyler into raptures
- 27 March (1999): A Scholes hat-trick kicked off Keegan’s nightmare reign
- 28 March (1984): Liverpool set a record quadruple that is yet to be matched
- 29 March (1981): The first ever London Marathon got a generation running
- 30 March (2003): Johnson refused to move as England won the Slam
- 31 March (1973): Dazzling robes could not save Ali from defeat
- 1 April (2001): Bartlett’s volley stunned Leicester
- 2 April (2005): Newcastle’s fightback turned into a catfight
- 3 April (2016): Leicester’s unlikely hero popped up with a crucial goal
- 4 April (1998): Wilkinson made his England debut… on the wing
- 5 April (1987): Arsenal’s trophy drought ended with win over Liverpool
- 6 April (2013): McGregor made his UFC debut in spectacular fashion
- 7 April (1968): Clark was killed in a 150mph crash at the age of just 32
- 8 April (1990): Man Utd and Liverpool starred on the first Super Sunday
- 9 April (2017): Sergio Garcia broke his Masters duck
- 10 April (1993): Man Utd invented Fergie Time
- 11 April (2010): Pompey reached their second FA Cup final in three years
- 12 April (2005): One of football’s most iconic pictures was produced
- 13 April (1997): Tiger began a remarkable tale at the Masters
- 14 April (1991): Gazza scored a stunning free-kick as Spurs beat Arsenal
- 15 April (1989): Hillsborough claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans
- 16 April (1997): Claridge’s smart volley sealed some rare silverware
- 17 April (2001): O’Leary’s Leeds hit their peak – but it soon went wrong
- 18 April (2008): McCullum’s IPL century sent cricket into a new orbit
- 19 April (2008): Stallone, Houston and Cowell watched Calzaghe beat Hopkins
- 20 April (2018): Wenger announced he would finally leave Arsenal
- 21 April (2001): Keane committed one of the worst fouls in history
- 22 April (2013): Van Persie’s volley sparked the end of Man Utd’s success
- 23 April (2013): Gayle broke every cricket record going
- 24 April (2004): San Diego drafted Manning – but he never played
- 25 April (2004): Arsenal won the league at White Hart Lane
- 26 April (1991): The drugs finally caught up with Maradona
- 27 April (1956): Marciano ended his eight-year reign of boxing terror
- 28 April (1990): Liverpool won the the league title – and then it all fell apart
- 29 April (2017): Klitschko taught Joshua a lesson – but still got knocked out
- 30 April (2012): Kompany’s header teed up Fergie’s biggest Man Utd setback
- 1 May (1963): The shake, rattle and roll of one-day cricket was born
- 2 May (2016): Ranieri proved Lineker wrong and led Leicester to the title
- 3 May (2009): Cardiff and ‘the Nugget’ suffered rugby’s rarest heartache
- 4 May (1995): Carling dropped an f-word and England dropped him
- 5 May (2008): The Premiership’s greatest foreign import arrived
- 6 May (1988): Hick’s 405* should have been a foreword to a glittering career
- 7 May (2006): How a dodgy lasagne changed the history of Arsenal and Spurs
- 8 May (1999): Goalie’s goal saved Carlisle from relegation
- 9 May (2013): Moyes was appointed Man Utd manager
- 11 May (1985): One of football’s forgotten tragedies
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2PapFd9
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