City christen new stadium with a win

Manchester City 2 Barcelona 1

The club finally yesterday opened its doors to the magnificent City of Manchester facilities which last year staged the Commonwealth Games.

A crowd of 36,000, three quarters of the stadium's capacity due to licensing restrictions heralded Keegan's team on another day of high emotion.

Poignantly, amid all the excitement and anticipation, there was a minute's silence for Marc-Vivien Foe who tragically passed away in June while playing for Cameroon in the Confederation's Cup.

City fans also bid a fond farewell to striker Shaun Goater, who joined Reading recently, but was given special dispensation by the Royals to travel up and say his goodbyes.

Midfielder Ali Benarbia, like Goater, was given a standing ovation after being granted his wish of playing in the stadium after recently deciding to quit Premiership football.

The Algerian, who is to now play for a team in Qatar, skippered City for the opening 30 minutes of a 2-1 victory over Spanish giants Barcelona. It was a superb start to life in the new ground for Keegan and City who quit their old home of Maine Road in May after 80 years.

"It was a day of many emotions for everybody," reflected Keegan.

"Obviously, the biggest emotion was for the memories of Marc-Vivien Foe and the minute's silence.

"It was very emotional for the people who knew him and even for those who didn't because of what they had heard about him and how he had been portrayed.

"There certainly looked more than 36,000 out there today, but I think this stadium will be the making of this Football Club.

"We are the luckiest team in the world to have a place like this and we've got to make that work for us as we did today."

It was a case of the old and the new coming good for City as Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring in the 38th minute with his seventh goal in as many pre-season games.

Young Argentina international Javier Saviola equalised 13 minutes after the re-start, only for Trevor Sinclair, a £2.5million buy from West Ham recently, to christen the new stadium with a victory by scoring a 67th minute winner.

Liverpool 0

Valencia 2

MORE than 43,000 Liverpool fans packed Anfield for their first sight of Harry Kewell but it was two teenage French 'gems' who shone for the Reds in this friendly defeat by Valencia.

Kewell flitted from wing to wing, trying to prise open the exceptional Valencia rearguard, and had a decent first game at his new home.

But Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier threw on his French youngsters Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama-Pongolle in the second half, and the Mersey masses warmed to the pair, who will eventually cost Liverpool more than £6 million.

Liverpool, whose spokesman has denied any move for Valencia's defender Roberto Ayala despite speculation of a £7 million deal, also blooded full-back Steve Finnan against the Spanish.

But it was the young Frenchmen who caught the eye of their compatriot Houllier.

"I thought the two French boys did well when they came on, and with a little more luck could have scored," he said.

Even so, no Liverpool player could find a way past Valencia's back line, in a match which echoed two Champions League defeats against the same opposition last season.

This third reverse left plenty of question marks over Houllier's team.

Everton 3

Bologna 0

KEVIN CAMPBELL'S injury scare cast a cloud over an encouraging display by an Everton side which has produced a string of dire pre-season performances.

Campbell was withdrawn with what looked like a hamstring injury in the 10th minute. And that could leave Everton boss David Moyes with serious selection problems, as the Merseysiders prepare to face Arsenal in their Premiership opener on Saturday. Wayne Rooney, with ankle ligament damage, is almost certainly out of the Highbury clash after missing four friendlies, while Duncan Ferguson will be suspended.

But Everton still shrugged off the Campbell blow by taking an 18th-minute lead when Tomasz Radzinski guided the ball home, after a through ball from Thomas Gravesen had beaten the Italian offside trap. Nick Chadwick hit the second, and Mark Pembridge saw a deflected 20-yard drive spin past Manninger.