Keegan's classy City too good for Wednesday

Kevin Keegan's Manchester City side went rampact yesterday afternoon at Hillsborough, thrashing Wednesday 6-2. The Owls were by far the second best team on the field, as City's journey to get back amongst the country's best continues to be a bumpy ride for fans. The Owls are still winless at home this season, with the 2-0 away win at Crewe their only three-pointer so far this season.

They're a side at the bottom end of the table looking more and more like a team who will be fighting, yet again, for survival in the New Year. Peter Shreeves was bitterly disapointed with the afternoon's showing by his players, but he must surely have been relieved that the scoreline didn't reach double figures. The way the Wednesday defence collapsed in the second half suggested just that.

Wednesday were without several important players - no Ian Hendon, Gerald Sibon, Derek Geary, Efan Ekoku or Tommy Johnson, ruled out through a last minute virus. The young foreign duo of Michele Di Piedi and Pablo Bonvin made their first starts upfront this season, whilst midfielder Carlton Palmer slotted into right-back in a suprise tactical move by Shreeves. That tactical gamble would sadly backfire as the match progressed, in the meantime though it was Wednesday who started the brighter of the two sides.

It took just three minutes before the first of eight goals in the game was scored. Owen Morrison's dangerous swinging cross was met at the back post by Argentinian Pablo Bonvin, who was on hand to knock the ball with a mixture of chest and boot past Nicky Weaver in the City goal for his first league goal for the club.

Minutes later a defensive slip by Ashley Westwood allowed Danny Tiatto a sight of goal, but his left-foot shot was wide of Kevin Pressman's post. Pressman has been in outstanding form so far this season, but it was to be a long afternoon for the Sheffield born goalkeeper. In the 18th minute he rushed off his goaline to deny Paolo Wanchope as the big Costa Rican charged through the heart of Wednesday's defence.

The opening half an hour had been a fairly evenly matched affair, but in the 31st minute City got their equaliser. Stuart Pearce's corner was only cleared as far as Ali Bernabia on the corner of the penalty box. The Algerian midfielder controlled the ball well before teeing himself up with a shot that creeped past a deceived Kevin Pressman at the near post.

Just three minutes later the Lancashire team were ahead. Former Rotherham United striker Shaun Goater chased for the ball with defender Ashley Westwood. The big forward was able to muscle Westwood out of a challenge and lob the ball over Pressman, who was caught in two minds as to whether he should come off his line or not. In the end he could only hopelessly watched the ball bounce into an unguarded Wednesday net.

Three bookings were dished out in quick succession as the game began to heat up in what promised to be something of a classic. An Owen Morrison free-kick on the stroke of half-time didn't find the back of the net, and so City went in at half-time up by two goals to one.

Half-time: Owls 1-2 Man.City

Peter Shreeves was delighted the response his players showed after a half-time talking to as Wednesday drew level through Leigh Bromby. Kevin Keegan left furious that his players could lose focus so quickly into the second half and at such a crucial stage of the game. Owen Morrison was again involed in the goal, and again it was his cross from a free-kick that caused danger for the City backline. This time Leigh Bromby's header from just outside the six yard box thundered into the roof of the net to leave goalkeeper and defender no chance on the goaline. It was Bromby's first goal for the Owls in this his 28th appearance for the club.

Six minutes later Bonvin nearly sensationally put the Owls ahead, after his crafty run and shot from 15 yards was kept out by Nicky Weaver. On the stroke of the hour mark it was 3-2, sadly for the Owls they were on the receiving end. Defender's Danny Maddix and Carlton Palmer found themselves up against City's Paolo Wanchope and Danny Granville on the edge of the box. Palmer, struggling to cope in his defensive role throughout the match, committed himself and opened the door for Wanchope to slide the ball through for Granville to run on to. Pressman had little chance in stopping Granville as he slotted the ball home.

Peter Shreeves felt that at this stage it something of a catch twenty-two situation, with the Owls obviously needing to push forward to find another equaliser. It didn't happen. Infact, it back fired badly. The floodgate opened and City went rampant with four goals in twenty-one minutes.

In the 68th minute the Wednesday defence yet again failed to properly clear the ball, as two players both tried to head the ball away from a City throw-in. Yet again danger man Ali Bernabia found himself unmarked with the ball at his feet on the edge of the box. His clever chip into the six-yard box was met by the powerful Wanchope who headed home for his first of the game, and City's fourth.

Two minutes later the result was sealed when Keegan's men scored their fifth goal, as the Owls defence caved in once again. Bernabia again was the brains behind the move, as his through ball picked out the un-noticed run of Shaun Goater as Danny Maddix desperately claimed for an offside. Goater rounded Pressman before slotted the ball home from a tight angle for his second of the afternoon. 5-2.

Wanchope's came close to making it three goals in as many minutes when straight after Goater's goal the former Derby County man lobbed the ball just over the crossbar.

It didn't matter though, in the 80th minute Wanchope would get his chance to put the icing on the cake for City. Danny Maddix brought down substitute Darren Huckerby in the penalty box, and Wanchope's spot-kick was blasted into the centre of the net to make it an embarassing scoreline of 6-2.

Shreeves later admitted it was a bitter pill for him to swallow, but was glad his team will be getting the chance to bounce back from such a heavy defeat when they face local opposition in Rotherham United early next week.

"This is a tough one for us to take. They were better on the ball and I think in all the things you have to do to win a football match we came second best. We have been comprehensively beaten by a stronger and more experienced side."

"I'm glad it's only a couple of days until our next game, rather than having a week of depression. It's a challenge for me to lift the troops - Tommy Johnson and Del Geary might be able to come back into the squad - but we'll go to Rotherham for a South Yorkshire derby looking to put this right and get the three points."