Joleon Lescott claimed the Official Man of the Match award in the stadium for his defensive masterclass on his return to the starting XI but perhaps Carlos Tevez had a more obvious say on the destination of the points.
In a tight, cagey affair, Carlos, as he so often does, took it upon himself to win the game with a goal of the highest quality and a performance full of his usual boundless energy and tenacity.
Let’s put that Tevez performance further under the microscope...
City TV: Spotlight
Tevez golazo from every angle...
Mixed Zone
How the press saw Tevez’s contribution...
Jamie Jackson of the Guardian led the tributes to the Argentine striker in his match report, headlined: “Tevez leaves it late to shine as Mancini’s men toil for win.”
“After the recent revival that numbered eight wins from nine matches, this appeared to be a return to the Manchester City that caused supporters to curse in frustration throughout the campaign,” Jackson wrote.
“That was until the 83rd minute when Aleksandar Kolarov fed Carlos Tevez whose finish from 20 yards came as a right-foot bullet which the visiting goalkeeper, Joel Robles, found impossible to stop.”
Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail also eulogised over Tevez’s incredible winning goal.
“For all the celebrations that greeted Carlos Tevez’s late goal at a previously subdued Etihad Stadium last night, it may ultimately mean more at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League than at the top,” Ladyman posited.
“Some goal it was, Tevez wriggling between two Wigan defenders on the edge of the penalty area and curling a right-footed shot into the corner of the goal. Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles would have been expecting the ball to arrive to his left rather than whip devilishly past him high to his right.”
In his manager’s words
Roberto Mancini has been critical of his strikers at several points in this campaign but in last night’s press conference he was full of praise for Tevez after his 81st minute strike.
“Carlos also did very well, worked hard and scored a very good goal so I am happy for him.”
Stat Attack
While stats don’t tell the whole story, they can shed an interesting light on a player’s contribution - check out these chin-stroking tidbits courtesy of must-follow Twitter account, StatCity.
Rich Vein: Carlos has now scored eight goals in his last nine appearances.
Favoured Opposition: Wigan and Chelsea are the two teams that Carlos has scored most against for City, with seven against both teams.
Direct Hit: Of all players in the Premier League to score 10 or more goals, none have a higher shooting accuracy than Carlos Tevez (55%).
Defend From The Front: Tevez has won the ball 16 times in the attacking third this season, more than any other City player.
Mirror Image: His record of 84 goals in 196 games is now identical to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Premier League record.
@MCFC
The fans’ verdict on Carlos’s showing...
Join us next Monday where we’ll turn the Spotlight on City’s Man of the Match from our trip to White Hart Lane to take on Tottenham Hotspur.
