Snatching a replay from the jaws of defeat

Matches like this one make soccer what it is, and anyone who couldn't appreciate, at the very least, the drama of Micah Richards' last-gasp header will never understand the sport. I'm quite certain I've never screamed that loud, possibly at any sporting event ever, certainly never at another soccer game. It would have been even nicer to see it live, but I studiously avoided all information pertaining to the game until I got home, and so it worked out about the same. My roommate did know the outcome, but he was very good about not saying anything revealing - though when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lean in as Barton prepared the corner, I got a mite suspicious.

It was a very frustrating game to watch at times, nonetheless. In fact, it was a very frustrating game to watch for about 94 minutes. For my money - though let's bear in mind that I've only gotten to watch them play so much - City looked as good offensively as they have all season, and this without Andy Cole on the pitch. Samaras looks better every time out, Vassell has blazing speed, and I love the way Riera and Barton move the ball around. It's really astonishing to realize how poor this team has looked on offense at times this season, especially on the road - whenever I watch they seem to move the ball very well. Their passing isn't just technically good, it's fun to watch, inventive and spread out. It's why I watch soccer in the first place - no one wants to see a slog with guys just knocking into each other all over the place.

But as good as they looked on offense for about 100 yards, the last 18 seemed to stymie City for pretty much the whole match. Seemingly wide-open chances went by the wayside, setpieces led to any number of near misses. The stat line says it all: City had 44 shots with seven on goal; Villa had just 18 shots but three were on goal. City also dominated time of possession, 57-43. They simply couldn't put it in. Midway through the first half, I grumbled to Drew, "This is the kind of game they lose 1-0" (remembering the Bolton game in particular). And sure enough, that's how it looked like it would finish - one good Villa counterattack was basically all they needed the whole game. And it nearly held up.

If City can finish just slightly more often, though, they could turn things around. This team has been woefully inconsistent this season, going 8-2-4 at home and 3-2-7 on the road in the Premiership. In this, the first road cup game since the Doncaster debacle, City dominated play throughout the game and would have been exceedingly unlucky to have lost. Sure, Villa are just 15th in the League, but cup games - and FA Cup games in particular - are always different.

I don't want to be confident, because City will surely stumble as soon as I think too highly of them, but it's hard not to like their chances in the March 8 replay. City already beat Villa 3-1 at City of Manchester Stadium back at the end of October, and as noted they've played much better at home than away this year - no home losses since January 4, and of the four home defeats this season, only one came to a team not currently in the top four in the table.

Cautious optimism is the key phrase here. I just hope FSC televises the replay, since there's no way for me to catch a midweek game on the radio, working during the day.