Post Match Thoughts: West Brom 1 - 3 City

The game for the first fives minutes or so was back and forth, but one quick counter from City almost put the visitors up 1-0. Following that same move, which saw Milner finish a close up chance, a deflected cross into the box from Navas was not dealt well with by Ben Foster and Fernando, yes Fernando, volleyed it into the back of the net. An early lead was just what the doctor ordered for City on the road. After the first goal City continued to put the pressure on the West Brom defense. A few minutes after the first goal the always pesky David Silva got tripped by former City teammate Joleon Lescott inside the box. Yaya cooly stepped up and beat Foster who guessed correctly, with a laser into the bottom left corner of the goal. Despite a few good chances to get a goal, West Brom were unable to find the back of the net and City took advantage through the beautiful left foot of David Silva. After an interception from Fernando, a counter attack started for City, he Spaniard got the ball just inside the box, made a move and curled the ball into the bak of the net to make it 3-0, City. I’ll go more in depth on the importance of Silva at the end of the post, though it really doesn’t have to be stated. Going into the half with a big lead like this one, it would be interesting to see the changes Pellegrini would make and how the team would push on in the final 45 minutes.

The big first half lead became even more important in the second half as the field was covered in snow. In treacherous conditions like todays (tonights), anything could have happened in the second half and West Brom tried to take advantage early on but Joe Hart, or missed chances, left the scoreline with a 0 on the Baggies side. The Baggies found their way onto the scorers sheet late on in the 87th minute from a corner. A terrible attempt at a bunch by Joe Hart deflected onto the back of a West Brom player and into the back of the net. The goal was an unfortunate end to the match as a clean sheet would have been a solid finish to an already fantastic match. But that goal brings me back to the original point in the paragraph which was that anything could happen in a close game and luckily this was not one of those games.

It is obvious the importance of David Silva in every game and is easily missed when not in the starting lineup. His taste for creativity not only wows the fans but keeps his teammates on their toes as they get in the box. Without a true striker on the pitch his creative abilities become more evident as was the case today. He may not always get the goals (though he has in recent games), but his vision in the box, in midfield and all over the field is something to be admired. One instance was a simple pass but one, as a player myself who can barely see a defender with the ball at his feet, was a example of his class. In the midfield he made a no look pass to an open Milner in the middle of the pitch. Like I said simple, but he has this type of vision on every part of the field. He continues to amaze in every game and boy do I love that little man.

Three points down at Christmas without a healthy striker, I'm feeling quite positive right now how about you, Blues?