45+3 min Ref whistles against De Guzman for a high boot and will allow City to take the free-kick. But it's an absolutely pathetic free-kick. More like a wayward rugby conversion. Sums it all up, really. Atkinson blows for half-time, which is met by boos from the home fans.
45+2 min Our Manchester man Mark Ogden with an observation:
45+1 min We're into the first of two additional minutes. Go and get a cup of tea/beer/homous and crudites platter. Honestly, nothing's going to happen here.
44 min Full moon tonight. If this match is going to continue like this then we'll all be wishing it was full time.
43 min An update on how Mancini has been treating members of the general public from Dave:
42 min Swansea with their tails up now, passing and moving in ways that City could only dream of.
41 min Here's a top stat for you:
40 min Chance! Michu clean through on goal, and onside, but Hart smothers his shot and City survive again. That was gilt-edged and he should have buried it. Top 'keeping though.
39 min Drama! Richards booked for a foul on Routledge. The ref plays advantage and only a despairing clearance prevents a Swansea chance following a dangerous cutback.
38 min Shot! Are my eyes deceiving me or did City just shoot? Yes, they did. Tevez with a stinging effort that Vorm does well to save.
37 min Routledge with a peach of a pass to Michu. Exquisite! The striker latches onto it and thumps the ball past Hart. Unfortunately for lovers of football he was a yard-and-a-half offside.
35 min This tweet made me laugh. God knows we need cheering up:
33 min Argh! City finally create a clear-cut opening but Barry's final ball to Tevez is far too heavy and the Argentina striker has no chance of latching on to it before it rolls out for a goal-kick. A real shame for City because he timed his run perfectly and was all alone in the box.
32 min City bossing possession over the last 10 mins but there's no incision as of yet.
30 min A deep ball from the right by Richards goes all the way through to Clichy. Aguero and Nasri briefly combine to raise hopes of an attack, or you know, let's go crazy, a shot but Nasri gives it away.
28 min Now. Here's a question for you to answer with your mails. Is this match worse than Aston Villa v Norwich earlier today. Right now, I'd say 'YES!'.
26 min Clichy gives the ball away carelessly but that sloppy pass at least alerted me to the fact that he was actually on the field and involved in this match.
25 min "City just haven't turned up," says ESPN pundit Chris Waddle. He's right, you know.
24 min Michu back on now. Good to see.
23 min The stretchers are out on the field but Michu eventually gets onto his feet. He's dazed and confused but able to walk off the pitch.
22 min Michu dives for a header following a cross from the right but he clatters into Richards and hits the deck. Hart is concerned enough to plead with the referee for a stoppage.
21 min Swansea give it away to Yaya Toure. He immediately threads a ball through to Tevez, who does really well to claim it and cut in from the right. His ball towards Aguero is a bit ordinary and Vorm claims, but that was better from City. They could do with being a bit more direct.
19 min The two games televised in the UK today have been stinkers (granted this game has potential to improve) but there was some crackers in the 3pm kick-offs. Is it not slightly absurd that we can't (legally) watch them live on television in England in October 2012?
17 min Wow! Collectors item! Angel Rangel is booked for simulation after running into Barry. That booking is his fifth of the season so he's suspended for the Swans' game against Liverpool.
16 min Routledge away down the left until a robust tackle Richards sees City win theb all back. They stream upfield but the attack breaks down the moment Barry gets involved.
14 min It seems that Mancini's man-management problems are ongoing. He's not in contact with reader Sam:
13 min Handy free-kick position for Swansea after a foul from Kompany. Hart comes to claim it but he's nowhere near the ball! There's an offisde flag on Williams but Hart was all over the place there!
11 min Micah Richards not the only one confused by Mancini's system:
10 min Very, very low-key atmosphere at the Etihad. You'd think the champions playing at home + a day in the pub would = fun times. But no.
8 min Lovely turn from Tevez and he's bearing down on goal until Flores intervenes with a superb tackle.
7 min This match has gone flat already with Swansea not needing to exert themselves too much to keep out the champions.
6 min Advertising hoarding flashes up with a prompt to buy City v Ajax tickets. After the match on Wednesday they may be struggling for sales....
5 min Smattering of empty seats at the Etihad. Apparently there's been some issues with getting all the fans in. 'Elf and safety, probably!
4 min City continue to put the pressure on with their approach play but we've yet to see a killer final ball. Just biding their time.
3 min Micah Richards and Nasri do well down the right flank and City have a throw in the corner.
2 min Surface looks great at the Etihad and the players appreciate that with some nice crisp passing.
1 min Tevez and Aguero get us kicked off!
17.30 Huddles over and the players finally take their positions.
17.28 Youngster George Evans on the bench for City with an indulgent squad number of 70.
17.27 The players are out on the pitch ahead of kick-off. Just some handshakes to negotiate and we'll be ready to go.
17.22 Just under 10 minutes until kick-off with top spot on Match Of the Day still up for grabs. Surely Reading 3 - Fulham 3 is in pole at the moment?
17.19 Here's a statistical table for you to mull over:
17.14 How do we all see this one going? Mail me your predictions......
17.08 Well this is good timing. No sooner do I post a link questioning Mancini's leadership than he gives a pre-match broadcast. Here's what he had to say about mutiny reports:
17.05 Stunning bit of detail from Alan Smith's column today. Mancini's leadership definitely in question:
17.03 Fire alarm scare at the Etihad. Panic over though
17.00 TEAM NEWS: Here are the two starting line-ups for this evening's match. Thoughts?
Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany (C), Nastasic, Clichy, Y.Toure, Barry, Nasri, Tevez, Kolarov, Aguero.
Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Chico Flores, Davies, Britton, Ki, De Guzman, Routledge, Dyer, Mich
16. 55 It's not been a good week for Roberto Mancini. He's under pressure after a number of reports suggesting he has lost control of the dressing room. Their 3-1 defeat at Ajax was followed by quotes from defender Micah Richards suggesting that the players were unhappy with the new defensive system deployed by Mancini in Europe. Yet at the beginning of today City were third and just four points off leaders Chelsea. A win in this match and they're second. Crisis? Not in England. Let's get going...
READ A MATCH PREVIEW
Match Notes
Manchester City's unbeaten run on Premier League duty at the Etihad Stadium now stands at 22 months, so home comforts will be a welcome distraction for Roberto Mancini's team as they face a Swansea outfit struggling to adjust to manager Michael Laudrup's methods.
There is similar confusion within the City ranks over Mancini's approach, but while the uncertainty continues to be exposed in the Champions League, it is a different story on the domestic front and the champions are likely to sail to another comfortable home win tonight.
Betting: Home 2-9, Away 9-1, Draw 5-1.
Stat of the game: Edin Dzeko has five goals in the Premier League in just 278 minutes of play, an average of a goal every 56 minutes.
Mark Ogden's prediction: Manchester City 3 Swansea City 0.
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