Manchester City U18s v Newcastle United U18s
Wednesday February 4, 2009, 7.00pm
City of Manchester Stadium - Att: 905
City:
Clegg, Trippier, Cunningham, Wabara, Boyata, Tutte, Benali, Ibrahim, Mak, Nimely-Tchuimeni, Chantler.
unused subs: Guidetti, Johansen (E), redshaw, Tse, Elabdellaoui.
Newcastle:
Johnson, Tavernier, Ferguson, Donaldson, Taylor, Henderson, McCrudden, Inman, Ranger, Vuckic, LuaLua.
unused subs: Ameobi, Alnwick, Dummett, Williams, McDermott.
Goals: 1-0 (Cunningham 36), 2-0 (Mak 43), 3-0 (Nimely-Tchuimeni 60), 3-1 (LuaLua 75), 3-2 (LuaLua 90 +2), 4-2 (Mak 90+3)
Bookings
City:
Newcastle: Inman (62), Inman (64 - sent off)
Referee: J Simpson
The Match
The
visitors boasted two players, LuaLua and Donaldson, who had featured on
the bench for the senior side last Wednesday night, with the former
having come on briefly towards the end. Much colder this week than
last, and early concern came after just a couple of minutes when
Nimely-Tchuimeni looked to have been knocked out on the far side.
Thankfully
the Liberian was up and about after two minutes and looked to have
suffered no ill-effects, especially when setting up Benali on the right
on 12 minutes. The number seven’s cross was cut out, but the resulting
corner nearly led to City taking the lead. A scramble saw the ball end
up with Boyata, whose shot rammed against the underside of the bar and
back to him – but his attempted overhead kick from the rebound saw the
referee blow for an infringement.
Newcastle forced a couple of
corners, but City had the next decent chance on 26 minutes, Cunningham
bending a free kick around the wall and forcing Johnson to make a save
low to his right.
It was another set-piece that saw City deservedly take the lead on 36 minutes. Trippier’s corner from the far side was met by Greg Cunningham,
whose downwards header foxed Johnson and bounced in. Full marks for the
Irishman, but points deducted for a bizarre dancing celebration!
It
could have been even more within a couple of minutes, Benali shooting
just the wrong side of the far post, Mak forcing a good save and
Nimely-Tchuimeni placing the ball in after a goalmouth scramble – but
being flagged offside.
But the pressure told with just 90 seconds to the break, when Robert Mak latched onto a nice through ball from Tutte, took his time inside the box and then drove the ball underneath the keeper.
The
visitors had been second best by a long way in the first half, but they
came out after the break meaning business, LuaLua going close twice,
firstly with a shot that sizzled past the post and then forcing Clegg
to save with a volley on the turn.
Robbie Mak had a glorious
chance to make it three on 55 minutes, but when one-one one with
Johnson the Slovakian could only stroke the ball over with the goal at
his mercy.
Luckily, the miss did not count for much as City
extended their lead on the hour. Trippier darted into the box and found
Benali, whose jinking run in the box deserved a goal in itself, until Alex Nimely-Tchuimeni took it off his toes to slam the ball into the roof of the net.
Newcastle’s
frustration boiled over just after the third goal, with Inman copping
two bookings for dissent in quick succession and taking the long walk
off for an early bath.
The young Blues did not press home their
man advantage as they would have wanted, and with 15 minutes left
Newcastle gave themselves the glimmer of a hope. Kazenga LuaLua broke through the middle, and from the edge of the box he drilled the ball underneath Clegg to throw the visitors a lifeline.
With
10 minutes to go Mak broke away and was close to feeding
Nimely-Tchuimeni, but fine work by Taylor prevented us from stretching
the lead back to three goals. Another break with two minutes left saw
Cunningham body-checked by Henderson, but the referee allowed the move
to continue until Mak skied his shot over the bar before booking the
Newcastle number six.
Nimely-Tchuimeni was substituted just
before the end, earning warm applause for a good night’s work, which
had started with him seemingly knocked out. There was still time for
Newcastle to shake the hosts’ confidence, with LuaLua smashing in an unstoppable low free kick in stoppage time.
But City restored a true reflection of the performance right at the end, Robert Mak
going one-on-one with Johnson and tucking the ball in to ensure our
place in a home quarter final against either Everton or Norwich City.
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