Blackburn R 0 Manchester C 1:EDIN DZEKO'S first Premier League goal allowed Manchester City to open a four-point gap on Tottenham in the fight for fourth place, leaving Blackburn one precarious point above the relegation positions in the process.
City spent the first 20 minutes slicing Blackburn open with almost surgical precision, with David Silva and Adam Johnson finding time and space to do as they pleased and the home side finding it difficult to break out of their half.
It was greatly to the credit of the home back-line that the score stayed level for so long, though Blackburn certainly lived dangerously. Silva thumped a firm shot against a post as early as the third minute from Pablo Zabaleta’s overlap and cross, a Gareth Barry header from a corner was stopped on the line by Michel Salgado and Johnson sent a dipping volley narrowly over.
Once Rovers had weathered the initial storm they made a few forward forays of their own through Brett Emerton and Benjani, before Jason Roberts had a penalty appeal turned down, probably correctly in view of suggestions that the striker seemed deliberately to tumble over Vincent Kompany’s leg.
Mario Balotelli was notionally leading City’s attack, with Dzeko again left on the bench, though the Italian was well looked after by Chris Samba and had a quiet first half, slipping in front of goal when his one opportunity arrived on the stroke of half-time.
While Balotelli brightened up a little just before the interval and a well-timed interception from Phil Jones was required to prevent him running clear on goal, Jones himself provided one of the highlights of the half with a buccaneering run almost the length of the pitch to the City goal-line, before Samba came closest to opening the scoring for Blackburn with a header the wrong side of the post.
What had appeared a one-sided formality for City from the opening exchanges had developed into an open contest by halfway, with the visitors no longer finding their way through Blackburn’s defence so freely and the home side creating chances of their own. A physical edge had developed as well, with Nigel de Jong relishing a few meaty challenges and Barry going into the book for mowing down Martin Olsson.
After coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute, Dzeko scored with virtually his first touch of the ball a minute later, and if these points help secure City a top-four finish they will consider it €30 million well spent. Dzeko has been a slow starter in the Premier League, though at least his decisive reaction when a David Silva shot arrived at his feet in front of goal put his fellow City strikers to shame.
The visitors outplayed Blackburn for much of the game but struggled to find the finishing touch to their superiority in most other parts of the pitch.
This was a 10th successive league game without a win for Blackburn, who competed gamely and were unlucky on occasions, though had City’s early profligacy to thank for still being in contention at all in the second half.
They now have a must-win home game against Bolton on Saturday, when another poor result could see their freefall take them all the way into the bottom three.
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Phil Jones, Givet (Diouf 85), Emerton, Dunn (Rochina 63), Jermaine Jones, Olsson, Mwaruwari (Kalinic 71), Roberts. Subs not used: Bunn, Formica, Pedersen, Hanley. Booked: Jermaine Jones, Emerton.
MANCHESTER CITY: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, De Jong, Barry, Adam Johnson (Dzeko 72), Toure Yaya, Silva (Boyata 90), Balotelli (Vieira 83). Subs not used: Taylor, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Jo. Booked: Barry, Balotelli, De Jong.
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
