Wednesday October 22, 2008, 7.00pm
Ewen Fields - Att: 701
City:
Schmeichel, Logan, Williamson, Mee, Berti, Clayton (Daly 54), Weiss (Morris 59), Marshall, D Ball, Tsiaklis, McDermott.
unused subs: Johansen, McDonald, Poole.
United:
Foster, da Silva, Eckersley, Gray, C Evans, Possebon (Derbyshire 76), Gibson, Drinkwater (Bryan 67), Manucho, Hewson, Cleverley (Eikrem 76).
unused subs: Zieler, James.
Goals: 0-1 (Cleverley 13), 0-2 (Gibson pen 57), 0-3 (Possebon 64)
Bookings
City: Marshall (90)
United:
Red card: Logan (56)
Referee: A Halliday
The Match
City had the ball in the net in the eighth minute when Ball headed home a McDermott cross that had rebounded off the bar – but it was disallowed, the ball having curved over the by-line on the way over from the left.
But we only had to wait five more minutes for the first goal, which went to United. City failed to clear Drinkwater’s corner and Tom Cleverley volleyed from the edge of the box through a crowd into the bottom right hand corner.
Vlad Weiss wriggled into space on 18 minutes and fed Paul Marshall, whose curling, low shot from 20 yards forced Foster into a save. Cleverley broke through on 37 minutes to go one on one with Schmeichel, who made a fine save low to his right.
The Danish Under 21 was called on again two minutes before the break when right-back Da Silva burst into the box to shoot, but Schmeichel was equal to the task again, this time to his right.
City forced a pair of corners early in the second half, with Ben Mee heading just wide at the first.
The Blues fell two behind, and were reduced to 10 men on 57 minutes. Shaleum Logan saw a straight red card when the referee viewed that he had pulled Drinkwater down with the United player through on Schmeichel in the area. Irish international Darron Gibson then stepped up to tuck the ball home from the penalty spot to leave City with a lot to do, and now a man short as well.
The Reds made their numerical advantage count on 63 minutes, a neat move on the left ending when Rodrigo Possebon drilled the ball home from the edge of the box.
David Ball went close after cutting in on 80 minutes, but almost immediately Schmeichel was in action again, denying Manucho after the striker had broken past Ben Mee. Paul Marshall and Donal McDermott then went close as a spirited City tried to at least edge their way nearer to United.
Schmeichel made his best save of the night with five minutes to go, parrying Mancucho’s shot to his right, Berti then clearing the rebound with inches to spare as Bryan looked to add a fourth.
The dying seconds saw Paul Marshall receive a yellow card, and Ben Foster made a good save to deny Glauber Berti from the defender’s volley at a corner deep into injury time. The sending off meant that City were always playing catch-up, but Kasper Schmeichel’s efforts ensured the defeat had not been by a greater margin.
