Ipswich v Manchester City FA Cup 4th Round 2001/02

No wonder television companies love Manchester City. The Blues have been on the box more often this season than Peggy Mitchell and Vera Duckworth, and now the nation knows why Kevin Keegan’s great entertainers swept aside Ipswich with a display of power and poise that had Premiership and professionalism stamped all over it. No matter that for half an hour City didn’t show their true colours as they chased shadows and ran into blind alleys. It merely added to the sense of awe when the Maine Road men effortlessly moved up a gear and pitchforked the Tractor Boys straight out of the FA Cup. The victory hardly made up for being relegated on the same ground last season but nonetheless it was mightily sweet. This wasn’t so much a giant-killing as medium-sized manslaughter as Keegan’s men showed that even at this early stage of their redevelopment they are capable of slugging it out toe-to-toe with the elite league’s less lofty brethren. Ipswich played pretty football, particulary in midfield where Martin Reuser’s eye for space and Matt Holland’s industry dovetailed neatly They created chances too, but in the Blues’ defence, superbly marshalled by the evergreen Stuart Pearce, they met their match.

Marcuses Bent and Stewart rarely saw the whites of Nick Weaver’s eyes and when they did they found the recalled goalkeeper in no mood to be beaten. Twice in five first half minutes Weaver plunged left and then right to show why Keegan took the shock decision to recall him to the senior side after an absence of a dozen matches. The keeper, who made another pair of smart stops after the break, got his re- ward in the 43rd minute when Eyal Berkovic tired City into an undeserved lead with a stunning right foot volley from the edge of the box. It was a goal tinged with controversy but draped in a cloak of brilliance. No wonder television companies love Manchester City. The Blues have been on the box more often this season than Peggy Mitchell and Vera Duckworth, and now the nation knows why Kevin Keegan’s great entertainers swept aside Ipswich with a display of power and poise that had Premiership and professionalism stamped all over it. No matter that for half an hour City didn’t show their true colours as they chased shadows and ran into blind alleys. It merely added to the sense of awe when the Maine Road men effortlessly moved up a gear and pitchforked the Tractor Boys straight out of the FA Cup. The victory hardly made up for being relegated on the same ground last season but nonetheless it was mightily sweet. This wasn’t so much a giant-killing as medium-sized manslaughter as Keegan’s men showed that even at this early stage of their redevelopment they are capable of slugging it out toe-to-toe with the elite league’s less lofty brethren. Ipswich played pretty football, particulary in midfield where Martin Reuser’s eye for space and Matt Holland’s industry dovetailed neatly They created chances too, but in the Blues’ defence, superbly marshalled by the evergreen Stuart Pearce, they met their match.

Marcuses Bent and Stewart rarely saw the whites of Nick Weaver’s eyes and when they did they found the recalled goalkeeper in no mood to be beaten. Twice in five first half minutes Weaver plunged left and then right to show why Keegan took the shock decision to recall him to the senior side after an absence of a dozen matches. The keeper, who made another pair of smart stops after the break, got his re- ward in the 43rd minute when Eyal Berkovic tired City into an undeserved lead with a stunning right foot volley from the edge of the box. It was a goal tinged with controversy but draped in a cloak of brilliance. Ipswich felt, with more than a little justification, that the corner which Ali Benarbia floated onto the Israeli’s rapier right foot should have been a goal kick, but it hardly seemed to matter such was the beauty of the move and the comprehensive nature of City’s victory The opening goal served as catalyst for the Blues to produce some of their best and most sustained attacking play of the season. Shaun Goater and Darren Huckerby who had been playing too far apart and without belief or much nous in the first half, suddenly transformed into the dynamic duo that had scored 23 goals in 14 previous outings together.

They pulled lpswich’s defence this way and that and with the elegant Benarbia and Berkovic having the bit between their teeth, City staged an attacking masterclass. The Dane Niclas Jensen, henceforth known as “The Interceptor” crowned a hugely tidy and impressive debut in the 64th minute when he cut out one of many stray Town passes and sent Benarhia scampering through the middle from where he released Goater to rifle a low left foot drive across Andy Marshall and into the far corner of the net.

It was goal No 25 of the Bermudian’s season but only the second in nine games, fortunately there was no such wait for No 26. For after Bent’s deflected shot had thrown Ipswich an unexpected late life- line, Goater immediately nodded City back into a two-goal lead after Marshall had first parried Huckerby’s initial effort. It was party time for the inflatable banana-waving visiting fans and Huckerby caught the mood in the last min- ute, dancing clear of a bewildered home defence to notch number four He and Goater who had their ears singed by Keegan at half-time, deserved the plaudits as did the midfield magicians Benarbia and Berkovic. But this victory built on self belief and confidence, was all about 11 players performing close to their best at the same time. They can confidently look forward to further wowing couch potatoes up and down the land in round Five at Newcastle. FROM MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS BY CHRIS BAILEY AND PAUL HINCE