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Man City beat Stoke to go third
2011-05-18 11:12:32
Two moments of genius from Carlos Tevez helped Manchester City to third in the Premier League and on the verge of an automatic Champions League spot.
Tevez played a one-two with James Milner on the edge of the box before turning two Stoke defenders inside-out and scoring with a fierce rising drive.
City, who had beaten Stoke only three days earlier to lift the FA Cup, made it 2-0 when Joleon Lescott headed in.
And Tevez smashed in a bending 30-yard free-kick to seal an impressive win.
It is a victory that, crucially with only one league game remaining, gives City a one-point advantage over now-fourth Arsenal in the race to avoid having to negotiate a tricky Champions League qualifier.
The Gunners face an away match at Fulham on the last day of the season, while City boss Roberto Mancini and his men will only have to match their rivals' result from their closing trip to Bolton to cap a fine campaign that has already brought City their first silverware in 35 years.
And it was the memory - and outcome - of last Saturday's Wembley final that seemed to be dictating events at Eastlands as the two protagonists faced each other again with only a few days having passed.
City, full of life and fluent, bossed proceedings while Stoke looked every bit as jaded as you would expect of recent losing finalists.
The relative rewards on offer - entry into Europe's premier competition for City, a top-10 Premier League finish for Stoke - may have also played a part in the home side's dominance.
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