Much Improved Performance

and much improved selection - Barry and Milner really worked well and allowed YaYa to play his best. Excellent performance by Kolarov - Silva seems to have the magic touch again. Tevez worked hard - just Mario who seems to feel hard done by. Thought we looked fantastic at times - and should have scored more goals. No more lapses please Mancini - and get over your strops with Milner and Lescott - they both played well today - and so did Micah.

Yes yes and yes.

Shame for Mario not quite getting the run or the decisions but felt there was a degree of acceptance about him - not sure about his going straight down the tunnel at the end (is this a typical behaviour these days - going straight to the physio to get a bit of work done and improve recovery?) but I guess we know he is often disappointed in himself if he's not delivering - as he says, that's his job.

Looked like we were back to the fluid fast breaking team of last year when we weren't afraid to 'manipulate' the ball a yard or two either side of the opposition to open up big advantages, rather than playing it safe and only seeing one or two chances per game. Perhaps this is down to Mancini knowing these guys are drilled enough to do this, but is still bringing the new recruits on so won't let us rip as much when they are in the side?

Sunderland were completely overrun and if it wasn't for a blinder by Mignolet, it could have been approaching double figures.

Is anyone else gonna say a well played to Kolarov. We are quicker to get on his back at times - but those free kicks this year have been spot on - and his cross to Aguero was just perfect.

Kolarov arguably had his best game for City imo, his crossing really is top drawer at times.....the cross for the sliding in Balotelli was unbelievable. Milner for me was MOM, if anything just for his sheer hard work and endeavour......think we all thought he deserved his goal at the end. Barry was his usual assured self and never let the opposition settle, imo Yaya still didn't do enough tracking back for me but looked great when he had the ball. Silva was 10 times better than of late and just needs a goal to get his confidence right back.

Joe pulled off another great save when the score was 1-0, this was a turning point as after this it really was one way traffic. Sergio gave us a different dimention when he came on and we looked alot better, he should have scored right at the death too and made it 4-0 (gutted, as i predicted that ). Tevez was hard working throughout but Balotelli can just sod right off for me, another complete and utter non descript display imo.........in hindsight i wish Mancini would have started with Dzeko.

Overall, this was a much better display and one we'd be hoping for for a good few weeks now. Let's hope we can kick on now.

ps. How did Micah not score today?

pps. Got on the big screen at half time for the 1st time ever

early goal opened them up a bit which made it easier

I agree about Milner and Barry,but Micah was really a revelation after his absence,how he did not score is a mystery he got on the end of nearly every corner.It was an injustice,and did he make a difference to the defence.Zaba was good also but he does not provide the power that Micah does!!

Yep I will put my hands up Wendsi. Kolarov has been the brunt of many attacks by me and rightly so but that was easily his best performance. Hopefully he has turned a corner and can put up many more assured performances
Good result and as many of us said before the game put Barry & Milner in and our MF will be vastly improved. Great to see Micah back as well.

No doubt Mancini will completely change it for the next game though and totally bamboozle us

Yes, I'll agree Kolarov had a brilliant game and definitely his best in a City shirt. After the game, I was thinking Milner should've been MoM, but on watching the highlights on MOTD, I started to think that I may have got that a touch wrong. His free kick, left boot from the left side of the pitch, is bloody difficult and yet he buried it beautifully. And that cross to Balotelli, how Mario missed that is beyond me, it was begging to be scored!

All that match did was prove two massive points: Milner and Barry must start more matches!

Also, Micah's performance has highlighted just how good he is and also just how much Zaba has had to work in order to nick his place.

As everyone else has said, aside from Mario it was a quality performance all around and should've been an even more comfortable victory. I hope this now signals the end of the blip and we go on to crush a few more teams!

I'm all for encouragement Wendy, and yes, thought Kolarov was close MOTM with Milner.

I really hope he has gotten more accustomed to the Premiership now, perhaps had his Zabba-style epiphany.

Crossing was great today, and he does get up there well, plus am having ever more confidence in his ability to create problems with free kicks. I want to see a few more examples of this level - more consistency, before I get over my instinctual shudder whenever he gets on the pitch.

But, stat-wise he is doing the biz and while Clichy is my preferred choice just because he can defend, Kolarov deserves praise for trying to rise to the challenge, which is only going to be good for the team.

I'm hoping it was an inadvertent blip PBSOS - with the Wendy!!!!!!!

Ha ha i knew that was coming, i ran and hid behind the sofa when i saw "Wendy"

Why is it that the fans of the other top PL teams all seem to have a downer on Barry & Milner and don't rate them? I think their work rate is fantastic , they keep the ball quite well and are quite good passers so apart from scoring more goals what have they done to deserve such criticism? been born English?

LOL - MCM

I know it really wasn't a blip - but elephants never forget.

Yipes! Yes it was Wensdi, so sorry - it's the predictive text on my phone that's to blame.



- though I really should check.

Okay - all is forgiven - LOL

i knew you were big wensdi, but no need to refer to yourself as an elephant!

Big as in "famous" TD - of course!!