Manchester City vs Manchester United 2-3 Highlights 8th January 2012

By Elizabeth Woods

The biggest game in the third round of the English FA Cup between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 8th January 2012 1:00 PM GMT ended surprisingly with the score 2-3. Manchester United managed to overcome their last two failures and performed well to win Man City with two goals from Wayne Rooney at 10’ & 39’ and another from Danny Welbeck at 30’ in the first half of the game in which Man City captain Vincent Kompany was sent off after just 12 minutes for a two-footed tackle on Nani. Manchester City was given a hope after the break with two goals through a brilliant Aleksandar Kolarov’s free-kick at 48’ and Sergio Aguero at 64’. The match marked Premier League leaders City's first home defeat since December 2010 and reminded them that Manchester United remain in the way of their bid for domestic dominance.

Team line-ups:

Manchester City (4-3-3): Pantilimon; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; De Jong, Milner, Nasri; Johnson, Aguero, Silva. Subs: Hart, Clichy, Zabaleta, Savic, Hargreaves, Razak, Suarez.

Manchester United (4-4-2): Lindegaard; Smalling, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani; Rooney, Welbeck. Subs: De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Anderson, Park, Hernandez, Scholes.

Paul Scholes warms up with his team mates ahead of his Manchester United return at the FA Cup Third Round match taken place at the Etihad Stadium on 8th January 2012 in Manchester, England

Manchester City vs Manchester United 2-3 Highlights: Wayne Rooney scores the opening goal at 10’, two minutes before City captain Vincent Kompany is sent off for a two-footed challenge on Nani

Manchester City vs Manchester United 2012 Highlights: Wayne Rooney celebrates his opening goal, bringing Man Utd the hope after only 10 minutes for starting

Before the game, Man City sits on top of the table in the English Premier League with 48 points while MU is three behind them with 45 points after losing their last two league games. For the first time in English footballing history, the top two sides in the table meet in the third round of the FA Cup. The two teams have previously met in the third round of the FA Cup back on 10th January 1987 in which Man Utd were able to win the match 1-0 thanks to a 66th minute goal from Norman Whiteside. With their two losses in a row, 3-2 at home to Blackburn and 3-0 in Newcastle, Manchester United comes into this clash in poor form while Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 in their last game, but lost 1-0 in Sunderland in the match before that. Interestingly, if United had lost this game it would have been the first time they’ve lost three in a row in more than 10 years.

Referee Chris Foy sends off Vincent Kompany and shows him a red card for a two-footed tackle on Nani at 12’

United takes full advantage of their numerical advantage as Danny Welbeck volleys past Pantilimon and scores his team's second goal at 30’

Danny Welbeck's superb volley put MU two up

Wayne Rooney scores his team's third goal during the FA Cup Third Round match Manchester City vs Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on January 8, 2012. In fact, Pantilimon saved Rooney's spot-kick but from the rebound the striker headed home

But City pulls a goal back early in the second half when Aleksandar Kolarov bends a 25-yard free-kick round the wall from the edge of the box

The three-point lead Manchester City hold over MU has been created by an impressive and goal-laden first half of the season, with their most notable result to date the 6-1 demolition derby success at Old Trafford back in October 2011. Actually, in the last five head-to-head matches, City and United performed in a similarly good form in which Manchester City won two, lost two and draw one in the November 2010 English FA Cup game. Man City show up for the Sunday game without either Kolo or Yaya Toure because both players reportedly join their Cote d'Ivoire teammates for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

Sergio Aguero capitalized on a spill by Lindegaard to score into an empty net with 25 minutes remaining, getting his team back into the tie

Micah Richards shows off his depression at the end of the FA Cup Third Round match

Manchester City vs Manchester United 2-3 Highlights 8th January 2012

Related links:

Manchester City vs Liverpool 3-0 Highlights 3rd January 2012

Newcastle United vs Manchester United 3-0 Highlights 4th January 2012

Manchester United vs Manchester City 23/10/2011 Highlights

About the Author:
John Stevens is an Internet marketer and freelance photographer. He likes collecting photographs of celebrities, posting breaking news and writing articles to comment on outstanding events in the field of entertainment.

Articles Source: Manchester City vs Manchester United 2-3 Highlights 8th January 2012

R.I.O (aka Rio Nelson) - Manchester's Finest

Like everyone else in the country right now, Manchester rapper R.I.O – better known as 24-year-old Rio Nelson to his friends – has been debating whether people in the public eye should be role models.

As one of Britain’s most ascendant young rap artists, Rio is in no doubt about his own role model duties. So much so that he’s shunning the usual gigging channels in order to go on a tour of secondary schools next month. But to the big issue of the day: should professional footballers be setting a good moral example?
Click on link to hear R.I.O's Debute single Narrow Roads

Oddly enough, Rio might well have followed a career in professional football himself --

-- he had trials for Manchester City as a teenager, and,thru  his Caribbean heritage, Rio has also represented the small island nation St Vincent at international youth level.

Whilst Rio never made it as a footballer, you sense if he had, he most certainly would have been the sporting role model John Terry could only dream about.

“It’s a weird one innit?” Rio ponders, cradling a glass of orange juice in a plush Castlefield bar.

“Footballers are in a whole different world of celebrity these days.

“It’s not like the old days when players could go have a few drinks then play a cup final the day after! “But if you’re in the public eye and you can inspire people from that position, you need to embrace it.

“Kids look up to you. If they have a special talent, whether it’s football or music or whatever, they need to look up to someone to inspire them – show how far those talents can take you in life. As a role model, you can’t afford to let people down.”

Rio Nelson, needless to say, has no intention of letting anyone down.

'Genuine pop stars'

Born and raised in Moss Side, followed by a brief stint playing football in the Caribbean, before returning to Manchester to re-launch himself as a heavyweight rap contender – it’s fair to say Rio Nelson has a spectacular life story to tell.

But most pleasing is how Rio chooses to tell his story – by way of the most arresting and explosive electro-grime to have emerged from this city since, well, ever.

Narrow Roads, released next month, Rio’s position at the forefront of the Manchester urban pack owes much to his unique, ferocious rapping style, his breathtaking lyrical genius, and most importantly, an ambitious drive to aim for the stars – while never forgetting his responsibility to, of course, be a fitting role model.

“British urban music is in a really amazing place right now,” he enthuses.

“A few years ago, a group like So Solid Crew might have struggled to break through ‘cos they were boxed into this ‘urban’ category. But now, you look at the charts – from Dizzee to Tinchy to Chipmunk – and no-one treats them any differently.

“They are all genuine pop stars who reach out to everyone, not just people who are into urban music.

“It’s really inspiring. People like Dizzee inspired me, opening up doors for similar young artists, and I’m hoping to do the same.”

Rio’s level-headedness owes much to his eventful upbringing.

Born in Moss Side, the youngest of three brothers, he was raised in Manchester until the age of 16 when his mother relocated the whole family to the small Caribbean island of St Vincent.

Already a talented footballer, Rio represented St Vincent at youth international level in a World Cup Qualifier, but decided to cut his footballing career short to return to Manchester.

Self-confidence

CityLife wonders what enticed him back to rainy Manchester.
He smiles: “I simply missed Manchester! I really did.

“I spent my childhood in Manchester and I really missed the lifestyle.

“Don’t get me wrong, life in the Caribbean is amazing. But the pace of life was very slow and there were few people there my age.

“I was really getting into making music, so I needed to keep busy.

“Manchester is the perfect place to keep the mind busy.”

Indeed it was. Aged 18 and having drawn a line under his professional football ambitions, Rio threw himself into his music-making, sprinkling his talents across all platforms of the Manc urban world. From releasing his own hugely successful mix-tapes to working with rap crews like Hit Em Up, and most crucially, hooking up with dance producer Jodz and singer Chris Royal to score his incredible crossover hit Dance Like Me.

Braggadocio – bragging or boasting – might be part and parcel of the rap world, yet Rio wisely uses that self-confidence to step outside of his MC comfort zone.

Much like fellow Manc urban stars Wrigley and Envy (the latter the recipient of CityLife’s best track of 2009 award), Rio isn’t afraid to reclaim terms like grime and give them his own autobiographical, Mancunian spin.
As demonstrated by his debut single His debut single Narrow Roads, released next month on Rare Breed Recordings, bears testament to this broad canvas approach – combining dense melodic harmonies and thunderous grime beats with the sort of stern, fabled narratives reminiscent of Dizzee Rascal’s earlier albums.

'Open-minded'

“I don’t mind being labelled a grime artist – grime still has the same meaning,” Rio insists.

“It’s still about laying down ideas and putting them out there.

“Grime is still an important form of self-expression for so many young kids up and down the country. But for me, I want to take my music worldwide, and build up a bigger following.

“The likes of Dizzee have proven you can build on those grime foundations and take it somewhere else – grime is more like urban pop these days. That’s something I want to do.

“When I first started out making music, there were so many artists in Manchester doing grime tunes and it was becoming a bit predictable.

“No-one wanted to step out of that comfort zone.

“I wanted to change that and be more open-minded with my music – whether it’s grime, electro, pop, I’m happy to soak up all these influences.”

Source: CityLife Interview By David Sue

R.I.O (aka Rio Nelson) - Manchester's Finest

Posted using ShareThis