Man City 1-1 MiddlesbroughHome team scorersSergio Aguero 43
Away team scorersMarten de Roon 90 +0:41
Manchester City failed to ensure anticlimax did not follow the thrill of beating Barcelona by conceding a late Marten de Roon equaliser that left Pep Guardiola disgusted in the technical area.
The Dutch midfielder’s added-time header came as City scintillated before the break and seriously ran out of gas after it. Sergio Agüero’s 43rd-minute finish – a 150th goal in 223 appearances for the club – appeared to be the winner until Adama Traoré was left free to run across almost the whole field from the right, George Friend was allowed to float the ball in and De Roon beat City’s jumpers to finish past Claudio Bravo.
When Kevin Friend blew for time moments later the referee’s whistle was accompanied by boos – perhaps to tell Guardiola that when any opposition is not killed off a smash-and-grab can occur.
The Catalan’s message beforehand was clear: use the superb mid-week win over Barça as motivation to be as focused and ruthless against Aitor Karanka’s men. City began their 11th league outing of the season in precisely that manner. Kevin De Bruyne, Jesús Navas, Aleksandar Kolarov, John Stones and Ilkay Gündogan span the ball between them in the dazzling style their coach demands.
The net result was a corner in the opening moments and successive balls across the visitors’ area. The pick of the these was De Bruyne’s crafty pass that removed the defence and missed Agüero’s run by fractions.
At this point the home crowd were in particularly good cheer which was no surprise: it is what giving Lionel Messi and company a schooling can do for the mood.
Even taskmaster Guardiola was spied clapping on the touchline at one point instead of being his usual manic semaphoring self. He was, though, soon back in the deep despair he can emote for even the most insignificant mistake – as when Agüero failed to control the ball in midfield.
Overall the Catalan could be pleased by a first half-hour of domination but maybe a little anxious that his team had not capitalised. From the side that downed Barça, Guardiola made three changes. Out went Willy Caballero, Nicolás Otamendi, and Raheem Sterling and in came Claudio Bravo (who had been suspended), Kolarov and Navas.
Otamendi and Sterling may have been injured as they did not make the 18 – and of particular interest here was how Kolarov, a left-back by trade, beat Vincent Kompany to a centre-back berth, the captain having to settle for a replacement role.
This is a further sign of the times Kompany is enduring in a career ravaged by injury. Agüero continues to be in a challenge to convince Guardiola of his enduring worth and all he can do is keep on scoring and contributing as he did again on Saturday.
The Argentinian came close to scoring after the half-hour when some devilish footwork made mugs of Middlesbrough’s defence and the subsequent fierce shot drew a sharp save from Víctor Valdés. Moments later the goalkeeper was helpless as the ball skidded along the turf in front of him and, again, Agüero was only millimetres from a 14th goal in his 15th appearance of the season.
Next, in City’s first-half onslaught, Guardiola bent to his knees in anguish as David Silva blazed at Valdés and the Spaniard’s reflexes again impressed. The former Manchester United and Barça No1 was having a fine game but, when recovering from a bad gash caused by a Navas challenge, Valdés could do nothing about City’s superb opener.
De Bruyne is having the season of his life under Guardiola. So, too, is Agüero. They combined for a simply sublime strike, as the Belgian fashioned another bending pass that left the red shirts before him bystanders, and there was the Argentinian to stab home.
A superb half from City ended with Navas rocking a Middlesbrough post and they will have been relieved to wander off only 1-0 behind.
If something outstanding was required for an equaliser, Álvaro Negredo, once of this parish, nearly supplied it. From just inside City’s half the No9’s attempted lob had Bravo back-pedalling to tip over.
A further scare for City came when Traoré slipped in Adam Forshaw and he blazed at Bravo, who beat the ball away. Middlesbrough were now far brighter and City far less vibrant. Negredo caused problems by trying to nip in behind. Forshaw and Adam Clayton became factors and it was Guardiola who had a greater need than Karanka to freshen his side up.
From here City reasserted territorial dominance for a period, though they hardly threatened Valdés as they had before the interval. After Stewart Downing roved downfield and flashed an effort past Bravo and the wrong side of his left post, Guardiola made a move. This, unsurprisingly, was positive, as he replaced Gündogan, a midfielder, for Nolito, a forward.
As the game ended Agüero could rue skying over from close range, as now came De Roon’s moment.
Guardian
