Super Kevin Davies heads the ball home for Bolton\'s second goal of the day
Starting Lineups
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Eagles, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Petrov, K Davies, Klasnic
Manchester City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Milner, Dzeko, Kolarov, Aguero, Barry, Silva, Y Toure
Match highlights and a full write-up after the jump
Match Summary
Two sides battling for a chance to reclaim the top spot from Wolves who, at the moment, sit top of the Premier League. The City side, spurred forward by new signing Aguero's performance against Swansea. Bolton, still without an actual striker and actual winger, looked to have a long day against the side from across town.
It didn't start well for the Whites as David Silva had a go from the top of the box. What looked an easy stop didn't turn out to be the piece of cake it should have been. Jaaskelainen misjudged the knuckle on the ball and it hit off of his right hand and into the back of the net.
City then doubled Bolton's trouble with what was a fantastic strike by Gareth Barry of all people. In the 37th minute, he got the ball at the top of the box and pulled out a top shelf strike into the upper right corner. Jussi got a hand on it but the stop attempt was not nearly strong enough. 2-0.
Right before the break, Bolton managed to pull one back through Ivan Klasnic. Petrov settled the ball on the wing and played it into the box. Klasnic's run saw him get the ball at the near post where his first time attempt found the back of the net past a helpless Joe Hart.
Right after the halftime break, Manchester City managed to restore their two goal lead. Edin Dzeko, who had been commanding on the right side of the side of the field throughout the match, took the ball center. His shot from a tight angle once again found the back of the net.
The men in white once again showed their "never say die" attitude once again as Kevin Davies struck for the first time in his career against Manchester City. Martin Petrov provided his second assist of the day from a long free kick that found the skipper's head. Super Kev then flicked it on with his head into the far side of the net past a sprawling Hart. 3-2.
The match ended with a Bolton loss but truth be told, it wasn't one to be upset about. This Manchester City side is on a different level and has the potential to run rings around just about any team in the Premier League. A one goal loss to a team that can win the league is not that bad. Mark Davies was a breath of fresh air in the midfield and deserves to start. We need his creativity right from the off. A pacy striker would have done us a world of good but that will come sooner or later.
Scoring Summary
Bolton Wanderers:
Ivan Klasnic - 39'
Kevin Davies - 63'
Manchester City
David Silva - 26'
Gareth Barry - 37'
Edin Dzeko - 47'