Forthcoming Fixtures

City find themselves returning to the form in the reserves that they showed some years ago as they completely dominated a Hull City side to record their first reserve double of the season after the opening one nil victory at North Ferriby and this two nil victory at the Regional Sports arena thanks to goals from Robbie Mak and Abdisiliam Ibrahim.

City took the lead as early as the fifth minute when a surging run on the right from James Poole and he saw Mak marauding down the wing and he slipped a good pass into his direction and Mak then gave the Hull defender all sorts of problems as he cut inside to fire a shot past Boaz Myhill into the far corner of the goal.

Hull had fielded quite an experienced side and it was probably the French defender Bernard Mendy that was proving the only real threat for City as he was getting the better of Javier Garrido on a few occasions on the right hand side but he lacked that little bit of composure as he got into the City area.

Alex Nimley-Tchuimeni was his usual lively self but he was consistently going for the long range shots; which to be fair to him were generally on target but either not hard enough or as in this case in the fifteenth minute; straight at Myhill.

Just a minute later and Myhill was forced into action again when a Kieran Trippier cross fell to Mak who fired in and Myhill was just able to tip the ball over and behind for the corner.

At the end of an action packed three minutes Hull had a really good chance to level the scores when Peter Halmosi was sent free with a flicked on header by Mendy and he crossed to the far post but Algerian Kamel Ghilas missed what looked an easy chance.

Near the end of the first half City nearly doubled their lead when Trippier and Mak had some really good link up play on the right that lead to a good cross that Poole fired to goal and somehow Myhill made the save when it looked a goal all the way.

Hull started the second half brightly and it was Halmosi that was causing a few problems and he twice got himself into the City area but twice he was thwarted; the second time by a very good last minute block by our November player of the month Boyata.

City did double their lead in the sixty third minute when quick thinking by Trippier allowed him to play a quick free kick with a long ball out to Paul Marshall who fired a deep cross for the forward run of Ibrahim who just side footed the ball past a stranded Myhill.

City continued to press and it was Poole that was showing his guile as he turned a couple of Hull players in midfield and ran at the defence and shot that was only cleared to Marshall who crossed in and there was Mak who again saw his effort tipped over for a corner.

Ibrahim nearly doubled his goal tally when Mak causing the Hull defence all sorts of problems and he played the ball into Abdi and his powerful shot drew a very good save from Myhill. Just a minute later and Hull nearly reduced their deficit with a fine long range shot from Yann Ekra which Gunnar Nielsen did well to save.

The last minute saw both sides have really good efforts to add to the score line. City were first when man of the match Poole found Mak after working his magic on the right but his effort was into the side netting. Just a minute later and Ghilas found himself running into the edge of the area and firing in a first time shot that unfortunately for him and Hull cannoned of the cross bar.

If City can continue this momentum then they still have a chance to challenge for the title with Manchester United and Liverpool.

Teams:

Manchester City:

Nielsen, Trippier, Garrido(Cunningham 88mins),Vidal, Boyata, Tutte(Chantler 79 mins),Mak, Ibrahim,Poole, Nimely, McDermott(Marshall 62mins)

Subs: T Johansen(GK), Redshaw

Hull City:

Myhill, Mendy (Satelle 66mins), Hanley, Hughes, Sonko, Mouyokolo, Leonard, Cairney, Ekra, Ghilas, Halmosi

Subs:Oxley(GK), Kendall, Feagle, Fox

Aattendance: 108