As an exercise in retribution for their FA Cup final humbling
at the hands of the same opponents earlier this year,
Manchester City’s emphatic victory over Wigan may have
fallen short in the impact department, but this was still an
impressive display from Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Two goals from Stevan Jovetic were the cornerstone of an
effortless evening although it took a late flurry of three
goals in 10 minutes to offer a fair reflection of City’s utter
control.
It took 33 minutes for a City team showing 10 changes to
the one who swept aside United in the Manchester derby 48
hours earlier, to take the tie by the scruff of the neck.
Fernandinho, who, at £30 million, cost six times more than
Wigan’s entire starting line-up, lofted a sublime pass over a
static defensive line, allowing Edin Dzeko to complete a
perfectly-timed run and slide the ball home from eight
yards.
And any danger of the Championship club repeating their
eye-catching FA Cup final victory evaporated on the hour
when Jovetic scored via a fortunate deflection, his shot
from Micah Richards’ near-post cross ricocheting into the
net after a save from Lee Nicholls.
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