MAN CITY 2, SWANSEA CITY 1
Manchester City went from despair to delirium in a dramatic finale to their home Premier League game against Swansea City.
It looked as though City had blown victory when Swans’ substitute Bafe Gomis equalised in the 90th minute, a just reward for their efforts.
But in the second of four minutes of stoppage time came a dramatic winner as City temporarily went back to the top of the table.
Yaya Toure was the architect of the goal cutting in from the right and firing in a shot that deflected off the back of substitute Kelechi Iheanacho with the Premier League crediting Iheanacho with his fourth goal of the season.
City were let off the hook as managerless Swansea – they sacked Gary Monk on Thursday – deserved reward for their efforts.
And it was a measure of how well they performed that City keeper Joe Hart was named his side’s man of the match in an absorbing contest.
And their performance was not in keeping with their miserable league form – they have won only once in their last 12 games.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini conceded City were not at their best believing the fact this was their fifth game in 15 days possibly influenced that.
After the dramatic finish, Pellegrini said: “Of course I am relieved. Without the last two minutes of the game, 1-0 and three important points would have been a perfect game.
“We didn’t play well whether it was 1-0 or 2-1. Against West Ham (City lost 2-1 at home in September) we had enough chances to score and it was important to win this kind of game.
“And we showed spirit when Swansea made it 1-1 and fortunately we scored.”
Pellegrini welcomes the break as City don’t play again until a week on Monday when they visit Arsenal.
“We have a complete week to work with the players and that is very important,” he explained.
Swans’ caretaker manager Alan Curtis was disappointed to leave the Etihad empty handed.
“We were cruelly robbed and view it as a lost point. I think we deserved at least a draw,” he said.
Wilfried Bony and Jesus Navas, who as substitutes helped transform City’s fortunes in the Champions League match against Borussia Monchengladbach, were rewarded with starting spots. There was also a recall for Bacary Sagna.
The players to lose out were Kevin De Bruyne, Aleksandar Kolarov and Fabien Delph who were all on the bench.
Managerless Swansea, who had not scored in four of their last five games, had a great chance to end that dismal sequence in the fifth minute.
Wayne Routledge was put clean through on goal only for City keeper Joe Hart to make a brilliant block to ensure the game remained goalless.
Hart was also called on to turn over a shot from Gylfi Sigurdsson as Swansea remained a threat on the counter.
But it was City who took the lead in the 26th minute through Swansea old boy Bony.
Navas cut in from the right and saw his shot deflected over by the head of Ashley Willams.
It was the briefest of let offs as from Navas’ kick Bony powered home a header from six yards, his third goal in the last three home games and seventh of the season in 13 starts.
City made a change at the break when Raheem Sterling was replaced by Delph.
Toure could have doubled the lead when his free kick over the defensive wall brought a good save from Swans’ keeper Lukasz Fabianski. It was awarded when David Silva was tripped 22 yards from goal.
Hart remained the busier of the keepers, this time palming out a free kick from Sigurdsson and then beating out a cross from Wayne Routledge as it almost crept past the City keeper.
Silva was replaced by De Bruyne midway through the second period as City looked to put an end to Swansea’s pursuit of an equaliser.
Sigurdsson had the ball in the net with five minutes remaining but the effort was ruled out for a foul by substitute Gomis on Hart in the build up.
Gomis also went close with a header that looped on to the roof of the net as Swans were displaying a far greater resilience than you would expect from a struggling side.
And Swans were rewarded for their efforts with a 90th minute equaliser when Federico Fernandez split the City defence with a long pass that released Gomis who, from the right of the box, fired a shot into the roof of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Swans celebrated, but they were shortlived as City were back ahead within two minutes.
The impressive Toure provided the assist for the winning goal as his shot deflected off Iheanaho’s back and looped over Fabianski.
And even then spirited Swansea were not finished when, with the last kick of the game, a spectacular scissor kick from Sigurdsson brought another save from Hart as they were battling to the bitter end.