Gibson’s bolt from the blue stuns City
Visits to Goodison Park have always proved unforgiving for City so the irony will not be lost on Mancini that the telling contribution came from a player booted out of their deadly rivals only last month.
Darron Gibson’s first Premier League goal since March 2010 enabled former club Manchester United to go level on points with Mancini and ensure City have now only one victory from their last 21 visits.
Gibson’s exit was sealed at Old Trafford after a boozy night out on the tiles on St Stephen’s Day but Alex Ferguson will probably be sending him a bottle of champagne for the goal that breathes new life into United’s title challenge. The Ireland midfielder will certainly have been the toast of the red half of Manchester last night.
Not a night to remember for Mancini, though it will linger in the memory for the bizarre sight of a fan cuffing himself to a post in protest at airline Ryanair. This was a performance where City were also restricted, and handing United the initiative at such a crunch stage of the season is alarming timing. Ferguson’s teams always build momentum at the business end, and defeats like this will only succeed in heightening optimism.
Goodison Park may have proven a pain for Mancini but Manchester City’s struggles there have been even more frustrating over the years. City always seem to come unstuck against the Toffees and went into this clash desperate for a fourth successive league win. Mancini’s title chasers could have been behind after just six minutes but for the presence of a former Everton favourite. Denis Stracqualarsi’s header from Leighton Baines’ corner beat Joe Hart but Joleon Lescott hacked the ball off the line.
City have stumbled in recent weeks, losing their first two league games of 2012 and exiting both cups in the space of 17 days.
But they were clearly on a mission to end their Everton hoodoo and Gael Clichy, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero all slashed shots wide from decent scoring positions. At least Moyes can power up his own bid for a top 10 finish after the £5.5m signing of Nikica Jelavic from Rangers. Jelavic was sat in the stands last night and is set to be a direct replacement for Louis Saha, who was not even named in the Everton squad and was in talks to join Spurs.
And the Croatia international saw Everton nearly sneak ahead 10 minutes before half-time but Marouane Fellaini bundled Stracqualarsi’s cross past the near post.
But Samir Nasri came closest to breaking the deadlock a minute later with a devastating drive from 35 yards that came crashing back off the crossbar.
Play was temporarily suspended shortly before the break when a supporter handcuffed himself to Hart’s post. It was a surreal sight, and Hart watched on bamboozled as police took five minutes to untie the pitch invader with bolt cutters before leading him off.
City dominated the early stages of the second half but wouldn’t have troubled the handcuffed fan even if he’d been stuck on the post.
And Gibson punished their profligacy on the hour to earn instant cult hero status with a drive that deflected off Gareth Barry.
It was Gibson’s first Premier League goal for nearly two years and time will tell how influential it proves for his old club in the race for the title. Gibson almost powered in another as City wilted and Mancini’s misery was complete when Phil Neville escaped punishment for a clear handball in the penalty area from David Silva’s cross.
Advantage Ferguson, thanks to a player he booted out.
EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Howard 6; Neville 7, Hibbert 8, Heitinga 8, Baines 7; Drenthe 4 (Baxter 78), Gibson 6, Fellaini 7, Donovan 6; Cahill 6; Stracqualursi 7 (Vellios 88).
MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): Hart 6; Richards 7, Kompany 6, Lescott 6 (Kolarov 68), Clichy 6; Milner 5 (Johnson 60), Nasri 6, Barry 6, Silva 6; Dzeko 5, Aguero 5. Subs (not used): Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Savic, de Jong, Razak. Booked: Kompany, Lescott.
Referee: P Walton.
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