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Notts County vs Manchester City. The FA Cup Fourth Round.

Meadow Lane StadiumAttendance16,587.

Notts County 1

  • N Bishop (59th minute)

Manchester City 1

  • E Dzeko (80th minute)

Dzeko equaliser rescues City

Image: Viera: Battle

Edin Dzeko netted his first goal in English football to save Manchester City from defeat at Notts County.

Notts denied famous win by late leveller

Striker Edin Dzeko netted his first goal in English football to save big spending Manchester City from an embarrassing FA Cup defeat at League One strugglers Notts County. City have to face Paul Ince's men again in a replay following a pulsating 1-1 draw at Meadow Lane. The home side, which cost nothing in transfer fees to assemble, looked set for a famous fourth round victory after midfielder Neal Bishop grabbed a shock 59th minute opener. City seemed to be heading out of the competition as they failed to create many clearcut chances against their lower league rivals. But when they did Dzeko, the recent £27million signing from Wolfsburg, smashed home a late equaliser to break County's hearts.

Fervent

Spurred on by a fervent home crowd, Notts started brightly as they refused to let City settle on the ball. And they forced the away team into an early error when Jerome Boateng tripped Alan Gow, who dusted himself down to send a curling free kick whistling dangerously past Joe Hart's left hand post. However, City came even closer shortly after when County keeper Stuart Nelson needed to use his feet to deny Yaya Toure from close range. Micah Richards, returning to the City side after a back injury, produced a lung busting run down the right wing and his low centre was met by the outstretched leg of the rangy Ivorian, which Nelson needed to be alert to.
Tenacity
A full bloodied cup tie quickly developed with Ricky Ravenhill and Bishop, showing the tenacity their manager was famed for during his playing days, trading blows with midfield rivals Patrick Vieira and Gareth Barry. But City refused to be bullied and the millionaire stars gave as good as they got. The tie was evenly poised at the break and from the restart County again started brightly. Breaking down the physically imposing City side was proving a tough task but ironically, despite the away side's clear height advantage, it was County who took the lead from a 59th minute set piece. Quick thinking Bishop dashed to the front post before leaping highest to meet Gow's corner and send a thumping header into the back of the net.
Guile
Within seconds City introduced World Cup winner David Silva as they looked to find the guile they were badly missing in the final third. Nelson was finally called into action in the 69th minute when he acrobatically tipped over Gareth Barry's fantastic volley from the edge of the area. But the home keeper could nothing to prevent Dzeko from levelling the scores with 10 minutes left. Richards again showed fantastic energy to burst down the flank and his inch perfect low cross was smashed home by the Bosnian to the delight of the huge travelling support. Now the teams will meet again at Eastlands to fight for a spot in the last 16.
Notts County Team Statistics Manchester City
1 Goals 1
0 1st Half Goals 0
4 Shots on Target 4
3 Shots off Target 6
3 Blocked Shots 3
3 Corners 6
8 Fouls 18
6 Offsides 2
2 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
56.4 Passing Success 76
24 Tackles 24
83.3 Tackles Success 70.8
37.8 Possession 62.2
51.1 Territorial Advantage 48.9

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