Played
December 26, 2011 10:00 AM EST
Reebok Stadium — Bolton
Referee: P. Walton
Attendance: 26080
Manchester City was unable to score in a Premier League game for the first time this season as West Bromwich Albion managed to hold the leaders to a 0-0 draw on Boxing Day.
With Manchester United cruising to a five-goal victory over Wigan, the two Manchester clubs are now even at the top of the Premier League table.
The first half saw David Silva miss one that could very well have been the winner, while Shane Long managed to miss a header in the second period that could have seen his side register a famous victory.
The hosts had lost their last five games on Boxing Day, but that did not stop them from having a go early on, as Long and Peter Odemwingie fell back slightly and allowed Chris Brunt to take a shot from 25-yards out that went just wide of Joe Hart's far post.
But the pattern of the game was evident within the first 10 minutes, as it was Carlos Mancini's men who were on the attack while the Baggies defended deep. In one such instance, a cross from Gael Clichy found James Milner unmarked, but the midfielder headed wide of the target.
The first genuine effort on goal came after 17 minutes, when Paul Scharner's right-footed shot produced a save from Joe Hart. From the resulting corner, a series of blocked shots followed by another corner. But the score line eventually remained goalless as the set play did not trouble the defense.
City had a great opportunity to break the deadlock when Sergio Aguero cut in from the left and sent the ball to David Silva, who was in the area. But the Spain international sent the ball over the bar, perhaps feeling that that should have been buried.
A little past the 30-minute mark, Mario Balotelli managed to put the ball in the back of the net after the ball fell to him following a shot from Silva. But the linesman adjudged the Italian to have been in an offside position as the equilibrium of the game remained unchanged.
Ten minutes into the second period, Balotelli initially appeared to be sending in a cross, but had decided to go for glory instead. His curling shot caught goalkeeper Ben Foster off his line and almost caused a sensational goal, but the crossbar saved West Brom from trailing.
At the other end, an overhit cross saw Vincent Kompany taking no chances, heading the ball away to safety. But an error from Toure meant eventually saw Thomas sending in a superb cross that Long should have converted. But the forward's header somhow managed to miss the target, despite the former Reading man having more than enough space at the back post.
A little past the hour mark, Milner headed a cross into the box for Aguero to do the damage, but a vital tackle from Gareth McAuley saved the day with a superb challenge for the hosts as Nicky Shorey might have been left feeling he should have been quicker, which would have avoided putting his team in a desperate position in defense.
With only a little over 15 minutes left, the game was getting a little stretched as the Baggies began to slowly move a little forward and grope for a goal. Odemwingie set up Scharner for a shot from 20 yards, with the latter sending a low driven shot towards goal. The effort had Hart beaten, but unfortunately for the home side it did not beat the post.
Mulumbu pulled up with a problem with about 10 minutes to go. It may not have been a big surprise for Hodgson, considering that the midfielder had been a doubt for this encounter due to a hamstring issue. Graham Dorrans came on to replace the former Paris Saint-Germain man. Meanwhile, Mancini had brought on Johnson with Aguero going off, while Dzeko came on for Milner.
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