Robbie Fowler's last-gasp spot-kick failure allowed Middlesbrough to sneak
into next season's UEFA Cup in the most dramatic manner possible at Eastlands.
New Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce was so desperate to grab the win his
side needed to snatch the European spot, and one their positive approach so
richly deserved, he pushed David James into a centre-forward role for the final
10 minutes.
After hammering at the Boro goal for most of the contest, the monumental
gamble appeared to have been rewarded when Franck Queudrue handled Joey Barton's
injury-time cross.
But a whole club's expectations proved too much for Fowler to bear and his
poor penalty allowed Mark Schwarzer to make a decisive save.
It was a devastating blow for Fowler, and for Pearce, whose side's attacking
philosophy was the exact opposite of Boro's negativity.
Ultimately they were unable to make a full recovery after Jimmy Floyd
Hasselbaink's thunderbolt free-kick gave the Teessiders an undeserved half-time
lead.
Kiki Musampa levelled straight after the interval but City could not muster a
better chance than the one Fowler was presented with and he will spend a sorry
summer wondering why he did not seize his opportunity.
Boro boss Steve McClaren served notice of his intentions an hour before
kick-off when he named a team containing two holding midfield men in Doriva and
George Boateng, with Stewart Downing relegated to the bench.
In his short managerial career to date, Pearce has done a fine job at not
getting involved in major controversies with opposing sides or referees, but the
negativity clearly irritated the former England skipper, who engaged in a verbal
battle with McClaren as the extent of Boro's ambition surfaced.
Rob Styles delivered his first time-wasting warning after just 13 minutes,
although once the midway point of the opening period was reached, next week's FA
Cup final referee was kept busy handing out a succession of yellow cards that
does not bode well for the fractious duel anticipated at the Millennium
Stadium.
Both Arsenal and Manchester United will hope Styles does not adopt the same
ultra-picky attitude in six days' time, although quite how Ray Parlour avoided
dismissal for a clear foul on Bradley Wright-Phillips - after become the latest
of six players to be booked - was totally mystifying.
It was an incident City eventually had cause to regret, although they did only
have themselves to blame for being behind at the break.
With attack after attack, the hosts threatened to open up Boro's defence but
though the Teessiders creaked, they did not crack.
Claudio Reyna threatened danger with two fine cut-backs, one of which Robbie
Fowler should have done far better with than flick harmlessly wide.
Typically though, it was Shaun Wright-Phillips who proved the hardest to stop.
Franck Queudrue was eventually booked for chopping the England man down, but
that was one of the few occasions he managed to get near him.
Unfortunately for City, though Wright-Phillips' finishing has improved
markedly, it remains the weakest aspect of his game.
And, after robbing Ray Parlour and brushing off the attentions of two Boro
defenders, when the winger suddenly found himself bursting clean through onto
Fowler's pass, he lifted a deft chip over Schwarzer but wide of the goal.
It was the nearest City came to an opener and it proved to be a costly miss as
Hasselbaink launched the 30-yard effort which cannoned in off the underside of
the bar.
After showing the distinct sign they were running out of ideas as the opening
period drew to a close, the Blues then enjoyed a perfect start to the second.
The obdurate visitors defence could normally have been relied on to clear the
danger when Barton knocked a harmless enough pass into Musampa's direction.
But the Dutchman, eager to turn his loan from Atletico Madrid into a permanent
move, burst onto the ball, shrugged off Stuart Parnaby and Ugo Ehiogu, then
drove a low shot under Schwarzer.
It brought the capacity crowd to a near frenzy, and also hastened the
introduction of Downing, although Szilard Nemeth's slow walk to the touchline
was from sheer disappointment rather than any attempt to halt City's momentum.
Parlour's lucky escape followed shortly afterwards, much to the disgust of
Pearce, who was not alone in noting Styles' total lack of consistency.
Fowler and Barton both wasted decent free-kick chances as Boro ran down the
clock but all the drama was still to come. And one of the most predatory
strikers the Premiership has seen failed the ultimate test.
Teams
Man City James, Mills (Croft 84), Onuoha, Distin, Thatcher,
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Barton, Reyna (Weaver 88), Musampa,
Fowler, Sibierski (Bradley Wright-Phillips 54).
Subs Not Used: Macken, Jordan.
Booked: Barton, Distin.
Goals: Musampa 46.
Middlesbrough Schwarzer, Parnaby, Ehiogu, Southgate, Queudrue,
Parlour (Morrison 69), Boateng, Doriva, Zenden,
Nemeth (Downing 54), Hasselbaink, Morrison (Reiziger 84).
Subs Not Used: Cooper, Knight.
Booked: Queudrue, Zenden, Boateng, Parlour.
Goals: Hasselbaink 23.
Att: 47,221
Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).
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