CITY 2 CHELSEA 1
League Division 1
9th February 1991
Attendance 25,116
Scorers
City Megson(14), White(20)
Chelsea Wise(67)
Ref William Burns
City Coton, I Brightwell, Pointon, Harper, Hendry, Redmond, White, Allen, Quinn, Megson, Ward – subs Heath(82), Reid(unused)
Chelsea Beasant, Hall, Dorigo, Townsend, Cundy, Monkou, McAllister, Matthew, Stuart, Wilson, Wise – subs Clarke(22), Dickens(78)
A GREAT GOAL FROM GARY MEGSON
City’s underground heating ensured that the game went ahead on a freezing weekend, and the Maine Road crowd warmed to the Blues’ first half performance.
This was City’s fifth victory on the trot, and it had been 13 years since they’d beaten the Londoners at Maine Road.
Gary Megson put City into the lead before the quarter hour. Ian Brightwell hit a hopeful ball up to Niall Quinn, who nodded it on to Megson, ten yards out, he chested the ball down and dispatched it low past Beasant it was only his second goal since he arrived at Maine Road two years ago. After the match, player-manager Peter Reid joked: “That was a bonus for a free-scoring midfield player like Gary.”
Six minutes later City were 2-0 up. Dorigo back-pass was much to short, and David White took advantage of the error to race in and cleverly lob the Chelsea ‘keeper.
Despite not really making a mark on the game, Chelsea gave themselves a fighting chance when, in the 67th minute, Denis Wise hit a low volley from ten yards straight at Tony Coton, and the ball squirmed past the keeper and slowly crept over the line. Any chance they had of scoring an equaliser was extinguished in the 77th minute, when 22nd minute substitute Steve Clarke received a second yellow card for a foul on Neil Pointon and was sent off.
