Few things in football can beat a last-minute winner (as long as it’s for your team!) and no side has scored more goals in the last five minutes of Premier League games this season than City.
Never far from the drama, the Blues have netted five league strikes after the 85-minute mark - ten in all competitions - and with most of those having turned one point into three, you might find it’s worth the extended journey time!
Of course, we know better than anyone just how crucial last-gasp efforts can be. Some of the most important goals in the Club’s history were scored in added time - I’m sure you know which ones I’m referring to - and that’s certainly been the case this season.
Did you know City were the only team to score more than one 90th minute goal in the Champions League group stages too?
Oh, how significant that injury-time penalty against Borussia Monchengladbach turned out to be...
And Sevilla...
Not to mention the late five-minute blitz at home to Borussia.
You get the idea!
In the Premier League, the Blues have collected six points with last-minute winners against Crystal Palace, Norwich and most recently, Swansea.
The victory at Selhurst Park marked Kelechi Iheanacho’s first goal for the club, as the teenager pounced just 54 seconds after coming off the bench.
The triumphs over the Canaries and the Swans saw Manuel Pellegrini’s men mount quick responses having surrendered leads late on, fuelling the clichéd claims you’re vulnerable to conceding when you’ve just scored and that anything can happen in football.
With City just three points off the top of the league table, those smash-and-grabs have been priceless.
Also pleasingly, victories have also been sealed in the final few minutes, with Samir Nasri doubling our lead away at Everton and Wilfried Bony putting the icing on the cake in a 5-1 win over Bournemouth...
That’s also the case in the Capital One Cup.
Manu Garcia scored his first senior goal in a 5-1 triumph against Palace, while De Bruyne capped an excellent seven minutes against Hull to send the Blues through to the semi-finals in style...
So, here’s to many more last-gasp strikes. May the ‘never-say-die’ spirit endure, may the ensuing celebrations live long in the memory and may injuries caused by such celebrations heal quickly!
Just remember: it ain’t over until the final whistle!
“We’re Man City; we fight to the end!”
