Nasri Double Downs Swansea

by Matthew Thomas

Swansea City suffered back-to-back defeats for the third time this season, after Manchester City ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite a solid and confident start from Michael Laudrup’s side, Manchester City took the lead after just eight minutes when Alvaro Negredo fired in a free-kick. Samir Nasri then scored twice in the second half, leaving Swansea thirteenth in the Premier League table.

After scoring within fifteen seconds against Tottenham the previous week, the hosts were nearly in front just after thirty. Nice build up play, including Nasri, Negredo and Aguero put the latter through on goal but Gerhard Tremmel denied the Argentine. And the German had to be alert again to parry a stinging shot from Negredo.

However, the Swansea goalkeeper was stranded by the Spanish international’s next effort. With free-kick duties usually left to Yaya Toure, Negredo stepped up and curled the ball round the wall and into the far post to give Manuel Pellegrini’s team the lead.

The Swans looked to hit back as quickly as possible and Jonjo Shelvey was denied twice by Costel Pantilimon. The former Liverpool man twice took a shot from distance which caused the Manchester City stopper to concede two corners.

And Shelvey was at the heart of Swansea’s next dangerous move, the midfielder’s cute through ball found Vasquez in behind but his scuffed shot went wide of the far post.

Swansea felt they should have had a penalty only minutes later, Alejandro Pozuelo’s chipped the ball into the area and it seemed as Pablo Hernandez was pulled down by Martin Demichelis but the referee waved away the claims.

And it looked as if Swansea would head into half-time level as Jonathan De Guzman was handed a golden chance to equalise. A lovely nutmeg from the Dutch midfielder sent him one-on-one with Pantilimon but skied his shot from close range.

However, as the second-half began the tempo and confidence had sapped from the Swansea team and Tremmel had to deny Negredo and Aguero looked likely to score, after rounding the German keeper, but could only hit the side netting.

Then with just under an hour gone, Manchester City were two ahead. Yaya Toure put Nasri into the box and the Frenchman danced past the sliding Ashley Williams to place his shot past Gerhard Tremmel.

Pablo Hernandez maybe should have pulled one back for Swansea when he was found, 12 yards out, by Pozuelo but he could only put the ball into the stands rather than the net.

Sergio Aguero should have added a third when he sliced his shot over from close range, but the former Premier League champions added a third soon after.

Pablo Zabaleta sent in a low cross which Nasri comfortably converted at the near post and he may have completed his hat-trick on eighty minutes when his curling shot only just missed the post.