View From A Blue

Hart – Dealt very comfortably with any rare Birmingham attacks, saving low from both Fahey and Larsson. Looked to distribute the ball early, but none of teammates were so eager to receive it – 6 Boateng – Not as his World Cup best, failing to supply any sort of decent end product on his attacking [...]

Emotion often complicates matters. It’s prevalent in everyday goings-on, and can, on occasions, obstruct clear thinking. And the Manchester derby is precisely one of those times when emotion does, shall we say, push rational thought to the back-burner. Much of the criticism that has spurted in Roberto Mancini’s direction today after a match devoid of [...]

Hart – Wasn’t in the thick of the action, as perhaps he may have expected. Dealt comfortably with both Evra’s and Berbatov’s efforts, but distribution wasn’t great, often overhitting hos long balls out to Milner and Tévez - 7 Boateng – Not his most convincing performance, as he looked slightly troubled on occasions, although he usually managed [...]

Hart - Returned to the side after Shay Given stepped in for the Europa League, and will be delighted to have kept a clean sheet. Wasn’t called into action frequently, and saw his post rattled twice, but handling and distribution were good - 7 Boateng – Finally showing glimpses of the form which secured him a place [...]

Where do I start? The superb team performance, the battling qualities we showed, the electric atmosphere, the support for Mancini, the display of Mario Balotelli or the total ineptitude of the referee. Fortunately the final one of that concatenation didn’t cost us the match, but it’s a point I will address later. The media, so desperate [...]