Silva the hero as City cut Chelsea’s lead to two points
BLACKPOOL (2) vs MANCHESTER CITY (3)
BLACKPOOL manager Ian Holloway risked landing himself in more hot water after a controversial defeat to Manchester City which saw the big-spending Eastlands outfit close to within two points of Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Holloway accused referee Phil Dowd of getting three major decisions wrong: disallowing a Gary Taylor-Fletcher strike while the game was scoreless and missing offences in the build-up to City’s first two goals.
The outspoken Tangerines boss watched the game from the stands owing to a one-match ban he incurred for comments made to official Mike Dean after last month’s loss to Blackburn, but did not hold back again yesterday. “He’s got three massive decisions wrong, which cost my team against one of the so-called big teams,” Holloway said of Dowd, after a match in which City substitute David Silva set up two and scored the decisive third. “The big decisions swung the game their way and Goliath has just walked off with all three points.”
City led when Tevez deftly touched home Silva’s cross in the 67th minute. Marlon Harewood equalised with a glancing header but City instantly responded when Tevez and Silva harried Ian Evatt – illegally, Holloway felt – and the Argentina striker rifled a low show. Silva capped his cameo by slaloming past two challenges and curling into the far corner.