Blackburn 0 – 1 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS

Gritty, determined and just what is needed at this stage of the season. We couldn’t replicate the level of performance that we produced against United at Wembley, but the most important things is that we replicated the score. It is a result that takes us four points clear of Tottenham and gives us breathing space as we head into the final games of the season.

Edin Dzeko was the man who scored the only goal of the game, his first in the Premier League, and it could prove to be an important one. That strike should settle any nerves he had and allow him to play more freely, with the burden of expectation now lifted from his shoulders. It was a goal that capped off a battling performance from City, one that started impressively but then drifted into mediocrity, before the Bosnian fired us to three points.

Gritty Performance

For the first twenty or so minutes, we played a brand of football rarely seen this season. With David Silva running the show, there was fluidity and movement, intent all over the pitch and it looked like Blackburn were onto a hiding. But then they gained a foothold in the game and our tempo fizzled out.

However, whereas in the past we may have folded, here we showed a resilience and a desire that kept us searching for the winner. It was a gritty display, not our best, but one that got the job done. And as has been stated by many, that is exactly what we need to do at this stage of the season. A brilliant performance would be great, but getting the points is all that matters.

Mario Balotelli

I seem to write about him every week but he does enjoy being the centre of attention! I thought his first half performance was as good as we’ve seen from Mario all season. He was full of running, offering a good outlet up front as well as tracking back to help out our midfielders. His link up play and lay-offs were very impressive and he looked up for it.

Unfortunately, he reverted back to miserable Balotelli in the second half when things weren’t going his way. Received his customary booking, albeit a harsh one, but at least he just about retained control of his temper. I was delighted to see him after the game as well having a joke with Dzeko - he looked genuinely pleased for Edin to get on the scoresheet.

So onwards we go, a home fixture against West Ham the next stop on our journey. Three points there and a defeat for Spurs against Chelsea and we can dare to dream.