Match Reflection: Reading 0 - 2 Manchester City

Accomplished performance sees City secure second

By Aaron Leggott

It is often said that teams rally around following shocking news, and this is exactly what happened at Reading as City triumphed 2-0 over the Royals. 

It was Sergio Aguero who opened the scoring for the Blues five minutes before half time, before top scorer Edin Dzeko finished things off with minutes to play.

Aguero celebrates after opening the scoring
Official MCFC Facebook

There has been a lot of conspiracies surrounding the players and many have suggested that the playing staff were the driving force behind Roberto Mancini's departure - but they still put in a performance that proved why they are one of the best teams in the league.

Brian Kidd was offered the position of caretaker for the remaining two fixtures against Reading and Norwich City, and he made four changes to the team that lost the FA Cup final.

Out came suspended Pablo Zabaleta for Micah Richards, whilst Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasic and Samir Nasri were replaced by Joleon Lescott, Kolo Toure and James Milner. 

McCarthy denies Milner with fine save
Official Reading Facebook

The Blues started the game in storming fashion as they were determined to put behind a disastrous few days for the club, with Alex McCarthy called into action on a number of occasions early on to keep the scores level.

The English keeper was in top form to deny Aguero and Milner early on, before Kidd was forced into making an early substitution as Maicon replaced the injured Kolo Toure. 

Reading started to enjoy some possession as City readjusted to the change, but they were unable to prevent Aguero finishing off a delightful move in the 40th minute as Milner and David Silva exchanged the ball with some neat football before picking out Aguero, who wasn't going to be denied on yet another occasion as he fired the ball into the bottom corner. 

City were in control but had Joe Hart to thank for just minutes into the second half after he denied Pavel Pogrebnyak with a fine save following the Russian finding space in the area.

Reading were a different team in the second half, but proved why they were in the bottom three with a lack of a clinical edge after Dzeko finished the game on 88 minutes when Silva found him in the box with an exquisite pass. 

Below are highlights from the 2-0 win:

Stats

                           City                                                                                       Reading

                            62%                                   Possession                                      38%

                         27 (20)                              Shots (on target)                               11 (7)

                            10                                        Corners                                          4

                             7                                           Fouls                                            6

                                                                     Match Stats

What did Kidd say?

Remember to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

You can also follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaron_leggott

(c) The Sky Blue View 2013