Match Report: The best away win yet - and we deserved it!

[Major Isewater]

57 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

Saying the post denied Sheffield United when talking about Brownhill's freekick.

You win a year’s supply of gouvernment indecision , well done .

[Mr Popodopolous]

8 hours ago, The Original OTIB said:

Why the confusion Mr Pop? That's how we played. It wasn't 3 5 2.

I'll have to watch the game back, but if it was a 3-4-2-1- even better. Even more fluidity, versatility and flexibility in that shape!

3 different formations in a game, gotta be a good sign!

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

11 hours ago, Moments of Pleasure said:

"City," "Bristol City" and our old friend "Bristol;" fair play to the Sheffield lad, there

That's because they all know there's "Only One Team In Bristol"

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

11 hours ago, Chappers said:

Incredibly harsh, don’t think either of our experienced keepers would have saved that.  As I posted earlier in this thread, he’s a young lad, not really ready, thrown in due to injuries, and doing as well as you could expect. He looked comfortable with ball at his feet, and did the basics well. It’s where we are due to injuries, and Max deserves a lot of credit, and to date, no serious howlers.

And much better than that so called experienced goalkeeper who let us down against Ipswich.

[BigAl&Toby]

On 30/03/2019 at 21:51, Olé said:

In my lifetime I don't recall a season with so many convincing away wins at tough places, today might be the best of the lot. With ten games to go, easily our hardest fixture left delivered a stunning 3 points and you couldn't say we didn't deserve it.

Besides a dubious Blades opener waved on by pantomime anti-City ref Linnington, only a mid second half purple patch from the hosts made it a contest, otherwise it was all City, back from international break with a clear gameplan and lots of energy.

City deserved both of their equalisers but given the visitors poor run its unlikely that anyone at Bramall Lane anticipated that we had a winner in us, and yet after finally fading 55 minutes in, City somehow round a decisive second wind led by their subs.

As in the home fixture against the Blades, Johnson radically changed the team to a rare 3-5-2 to counter their shape, giving an extraordinary return to long term injury victim Korey Smith. Bar a rusty touch or two, Smith and Pack took over midfield.

In the third minute a well worked spell of City passing gave Brownhill a sighter from 20 yards, his low shot flashing beyond the far post with Diedhiou closing in to turn home. And yet with just about their only first half attack the hosts went in front.

Wright chopped down McGoldrick way out on the left and from Fleck's free kick Billy Sharp crashed in at the far post to bundle a header home. Diedhiou, so often a first ball star at set pieces, was shoved to the ground but ref Linnington saw nothing.

Despite that, City dominated possession, only to give the ball away cheaply every time we got players forward, due to poor final passes. It would be a feature of City all day, the win may have been by more if we had been less profligate in attack. 

And yet we still dominated chances. On 13 Brownhill's shimmy made room for a tame low shot at keeper. 4 minutes later Korey pushed forward, shaped to shoot, then rolled it to Fam who turned a marker and saw a shot blocked at close range 

Albeit 1-0 down, it was all City, and just a minute later Pack took his time in midfield before picking out Brownhill making a run across the edge of the box, City's young midfielder hitting a first time curling shot, tipped wide of the angle of post and bar 

On 21 we broke dangerously via Weimann, and then Diedhiou on the left, the ball was spread out right to full back Hunt who lost it at the first attempt, but Korey recovered and returned it to Hunt. His cross found Weimann at the near post to head wide.

Inside 30 minutes City produced the move of the half, patiently probing wing to wing led by Pack. Hunt's deep cross was cut out, but a second found Weimann coming short to glance a looping backwards header over the keeper into the far corner. 

The equaliser was no more than City had deserved and minutes later the visitors had their tails up, rallying, Weimann twice got in behind their backline, the second time laying it back to the onrushing Pack whose low curling shot was easy to save.

The half fizzled out with City comfortably on top, indeed in injury time Brownhill's free kick from the left wing was straight into the grateful keepers hands - the City midfielder would go much closer in the second half with a sensational set piece.

After the break it was still all City. On 47 a deep ball found Diedhiou right of the box and a smart first touch took him inside his marker and squared it across the six yard box to Weimann, who made the mistake of taking an extra touch, the ball cut out.

Two minutes later a brilliant move led by Korey worked down the right channel, the ball then fed inside to Pack centre of goal who made room but a loose unnecessary extra touch yet again squandered the ball cheaply when the shot was opening up.

On 51 City intercepted the ball on the left, switching it inside to Korey breaking fast down the middle, his low shot easy for the keeper. On 53 we broke again, Brownhill's ambitious shot from the right deflected to Weimann who tested the keeper down low.

And suddenly that was it. City had bossed well over a half of football and yet all of a sudden Sheff Utd were hitting back. City couldn't clear their lines, as poor touches around our own box allowed the hosts to put the visitors under sustained pressure. 

A brief respite at the midway point in the half saw City break, feed Weimann, who was cut down as he shot. Now Brownhill's central free kick - after a long build up - would crash unerringly off the inside of the post with keeper rooted to his spot.

Yet it was all Blades and with 20 left they took a lead their belated purpose scarcely deserved. Breaking down the left they cut inside and spread it to their open man on the other side, Baldock beat Dasilva to the byline and cut back for Hogan to head in.

Given that City had all but disappeared as a force from about 53 minutes, you sensed this was the start of the quiet capitulation. But LJ threw on Palmer and Paterson and almost immediately the away side found a new spark that their endeavour deserved.

Quarter of an hour left Kasey Palmer ran in from the left to dink a well weighted ball over the top to Diedhiou who did brilliantly to turn and hold it up at the near post and spot Weimann's run - unselfishly flicking it to the far post for the Austrian to hook in.

And just over 5 minutes on and City raced into a first lead their performance deserved. The energetic Weimann strode out of midfield, exchanged passes with Diedhiou, collected the return, skipped clear of the last man and lashed past the keeper.

By a the packed away end it was the cue for delirium as City's players mobbed the hat trick hero in front their jubilant massed ranks. And the energetic visitors saw out the last ten minutes with little incident as the Blades wasted chance after chance. 

And so it was another remarkable stop off on City's amazing run of improbable away wins - this one against the highest ranked team LJ's men have conquered on the road. And it was exactly what we deserved after dominating at Bramall Lane.

Besides being on a typically poor run, City has a reputation for coming out of international breaks flat but you could not say that today as Johnson had his team playing the better football and in Korey proved that this squad has much more to give.

 

 

O'Leary 6 Still a suspect position, some flapping and parrying earlier but kicking was good and handling finished strong when we were under attack, which was crucial

Wright 6 Threw himself into everything, gave away a few silly fouls and passes but streetwise to the end

Kalas 6 Got stronger as the game went on

Webster 6 Important part of our build out of defence but one or two loose passes

Hunt 6 Great cross for our opener - he is always a threat going forward, but positioning suspect at the back several times, albeit he was streetwise at the end

Dasilva 8 One of our best players, besides not cutting out the cross for their second, to my eyes he was brilliant in and out of possession, an absolute terrier

Smith 7 A couple of horror rusty touches to give it away - we wasted the ball when in advanced positions so often it could've been much more comfortable if we hadn't - but for the most part his energy and his drive from in front of our back four was a long missed asset, at times he seemed to have engaged Man Utd mode to run on in forward positions he has no right to be in 

Pack 7 Bar a couple of loose passes he was calm, composed and ran the midfield

Brownhill 6 Besides a brilliant free kick I thought he was the weakest of the midfield and didn't really get his foot on the ball enough   

Weimann 9 A sensational performance that was headlined not by the goals but by the energy - he never stopped running for balls from start to finish. An absolute bundle of energy. He's done is all season without reward so this was all well earned.

Diedhiou 7 Horribly isolated at times and largely anonymous first half but his critics will probably choose to ignore his vital role second half - his strength and quick thinking for our second were the highlight of the game 

 

Palmer 8 Has been hit and miss as a sub if late, today his impetus was absolutely integral to our second lease of life

Paterson 6 Another part of the spark we needed albeit his own forward touches or passes weren't significant 

Baker 6 Didn't have to do much but such a positive to see LJ sending on a centre back to see out a game, the sort of sub I want to see the manager making more of

Thank you for posting. We were in Savoie on Saturday sampling brother’s home brew and enjoying the sun.

Expected nothing from this one. We had tears in our eyes as we refreshed our phones in the final minutes.

Then we had another!

 

[exAtyeoMax]

Lj seemed noncommittal when the radio Bristol guy said that AW should play centrally until the end of the season. AW obviously was trying to prove a point on Saturday, which he did superbly. 

Was he playing central because Korey was back or just because of Sheffield?