City vs Norwich: Match Report

Tevez is getting back into the swing of things
Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Europe

Tevez hat-trick helps keep faint title hopes alive

By Tom Smart

A Carlos Tevez hattrick helped City recapture their early season away form as the blues thrashed Norwich City 6-1 at Carrow Road to reduce Manchester United’s lead at the top to 2 points.

Title rivals Manchester United are expected to beat an Aston Villa side on Sunday evening and extend their lead at the top back to 5 points, but today the blues proved they wouldn’t go down without a fight.

The game began with the same team that started against West Brom on Wednesday minus Micah Richards who was replaced with Pablo Zabaleta at right back.

The match started at an exceptionally fast tempo with both sides looking to attack from the off. A ball switched into Carlos Tevez’s feet was pushed forward before being lashed at goal from 25 yards and flying past John Ruddy in the Norwich goal. A goal perhaps that Ruddy should have prevented but the modern day football moved drastically in mid-flight before hitting the back of the Norwich goal.

Arguably the goal of the game saw Tevez and Aguero link up on the left before Tevez cleverly played a back heel into the path of Aguero. Aguero picked up the pass, knocked it into space and hammered it past Ruddy in the top corner for City’s second.

The second half started much like the first had with the Canaries pressuring the away side with some intelligent movement before a cross delivered by Drury was punched by Hart into the path of Surman who carefully volleyed the ball home. City started to look like the side that had crumbled at the Emirates the week before, until the combination of Nasri, Silva, Tevez and Aguero began to turn the tide on the Norwich resurgence.

No team spirit?
Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Europe

It took till the 73^rd minute for City to beat the Norwich defence once more with a powerful effort driven by Yaya Toure, parried away by John Ruddy before Carlos Tevez was able to win the header that looped over Ruddy and nestled into the Norwich goal.

Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Europe

City’s attacking force became relentless as only two minutes later Silva fed in Sergio Aguero who opened up his body before curling a superb effort that meant City restored their two goal lead.


Five minutes later, man of the match Tevez was released again to complete a sensational hattrick as he rounded Ruddy and slotted the ball home into an empty goal. Tevez ran over to the corner flag and celebrated with a significant ‘golf swing’, making a point to the media’s claims that he had been playing golf on his absence of leave without consent.

City’s sixth and final goal came from a sublime ball whipped in from the right from Sergio Aguero. The ball was cut back by Gael Clichy before being guided into the net by Adam Johnson. An all round excellent move that topped off a fantastic performance by the away side.

A performance of the highest standard from the blues who continue to ‘fight till the end’ before allowing fierce rivals Manchester United to claim the Premier League title. All eyes will be on Old Trafford on Sunday evening despite Roberto Mancini’s claims after the game that he believed the title race was “over”.



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(c) The Sky Blue View 2012