Bolton Wanderers 3-3 Manchester City
Last Updated: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:16
Carlos Tevez was the hero as ten man Manchester City fought back on three occasions to claim a point in a 3-3 draw with Bolton.
Bolton came into the game in terrible form and after Manchester City's superb victory over Chelsea last week there looked to be only one winner, on paper at least, at the Reebok. However, the Premier League has been unpredictable all season so it should have come as no surprise when Bolton flew out of the blocks to test Shay Given twice before finally grabbing the lead thanks to Ivan Klasnic's clever finish in the 11th minute.
The hosts continued to press as City failed to settle but couldn't capitalise on their dominance and Mark Hughes' side made them pay just before the half hour mark as Carlos Tevez's shot deflected in off Tamir Cohen.
City began to dominate possession but soon found themselves behind again when Gary Cahill evaded two half-hearted challenges on the edge of the box to blast into the top corner of the net on 43 minutes. Perhaps Bolton's players minds had wandered towards the half-time break as City put together a superb move to slip Micah Richards into space in the area and he rifled expertly into the bottom corner.
The tempo did not ease after the break but it was City who began to really grab the game by the scruff of the neck despite falling behind for a third time as Klasnic swept Matt Taylor's cross into the bottom corner just eight minutes after the restart.
Referee Mark Clattenburg found himself in the middle of a booking frenzy around the hour mark which eventually saw Craig Bellamy dismissed for two yellow cards in a minute for diving and dissent. However, the visitors would not let their heads drop and were rewarded for their effort when Tevez drove towards the area and unleashed a rocket that flew into the bottom corner with 13 minutes left.
Only one side looked like winning the game after that as City pressed for a winner with Robinho and Stephen Ireland both going close late on but Gary Megson's side managed to hold onto a point, when they should have taken all three.