CITY 3 SHEFFIELD UNITED 1
League Division 1
14th April 1973
attendance 26,811
scores
City Lee(14 pen), Bell(57) Marsh(58)
Sheff U Salmons(62)
Ref W Gow
City Healey, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Summerbee, Bell, Lee, Marsh, Towers – sub Jeffries
Sheff Utd McAlister, Badger, Hemsley, MacKenzie, Colquhoun, Eddy, Woodward, Salmons, Dearden, Currie, Bone – sub Ogden
FRANNY SCORES FROM THE SPOT
COLIN BELL SCORES CITY’S SECOND GOAL
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 14TH APRIL 1973
Francis Lee and Colin Bell finally got the goals flowing for Manchester City as the Blues raced into a two goal lead inside half an hour of this afternoon’s game against Sheffield United.
After failures from the penalty spot in two recent matches City found the mark in the 14th minute, when Lee sent Tom McAlister the wrong way after Eddie Colquhoun, the Scottish International and former Bury centre-half, had handled.
Then in the 27th minute, Bell rounded of a neat move by Lee to drive in a second.
It was the first time since February 24 that the Blues had scored more than one goal in a game!
On a sour note, three players were booked in the first half, United’s Geoff Salmons for disputing the penalty, and then City’s Mike Summerbee, and United’s Keith Eddy after what had seemed a needless clash.
When City kicked off, Marsh cleverly took a rebound off referee Gow to set up an attack. From Summerbee’s high cross, Badger headed clear.
The attendance looked small, building up to 30,000 mark, but they had something to cheer when Marsh again won the ball on the by-line. When he pulled it back into the middle Colquhoun cut off the cross intended for Lee.
A link involving Oakes and Towers gave Summerbee another chance, but his effort, too, was blocked. And when Oakes followed up by swinging a ball to the far post, Hemsley headed behind.
Dearden dropped back to head the corner clear, but the ball went straight back to Summerbee. This time Colquhoun headed clear for the hard pressed Blades.
Bell tried a long range header from another high through ball by Oakes, but McAlister saved easily.
When City came under pressure, Doyle had to head behind and Healey did well to punch Woodward’s cross over the bar. The City goalkeeper was equally quick coming from his line to grasp a Woodward corner, clearing in confident manner.
City finally got their reward in the 14th minute, although it took a penalty to do the trick.
Colquhoun handled from a Lee cross, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Salmons however, violently disagreed, and was immediately booked for showing his dissent.
Lee sent McAlister the wrong way from the spot.
Lee had the ball in the net again in the 25th minute, after Marsh had headed on an Oakes cross, but he was a couple of strides offside.
Two minutes later, however, City surged further ahead when Bell neatly flicked the ball past the oncoming McAlister, for his first goal since February 7.
It was also the first time the Blues had scored more than one goal in a game since February 24, when they drew 2-2 with Sunderland in the fifth round of the Cup.
But three minutes later, two more players were booked after what seemed a needless flare up, Summerbee and Eddy were the offenders, and the clash ended with both players requiring treatment. It is Summerbee’s second booking since serving a two match suspension on reaching 12 disciplinary points in February.
Half-time: Manchester City 2, Sheffield United 0
Doyle, who was having a magnificent match in the back four, squeezed City out of a tight corner in a link up with Donachie.
Dearden was the next to threaten City, twice crossing from deep inside the right hand corner. His first effort was headed out by Doyle, then Healey was at full stretch to punch the second effort behind.
From a second corner by Woodward, the City goalkeeper groped blindly at thin air and it fell right for MacKenzie, who whipped in a wicked low shot.
But was standing on the line and appeared to be beaten by the pace of the ball. Fortunately for City it cannoned off the foot of a post, and Book thankfully swept it to safety.
The Blades heartened by that show of force, powered their way in from the left. But Currie, who shrugged aside Book’s challenge, could find no answer when Bell came in with an immaculate sliding tackle to sweep the ball away.
City were not to be outdone. Doyle moved menacingly through the middle to pick off Summerbee, and when the winger crossed Bell delicately heade a square pass for Oakes to run onto.
He hit the ball in full stride, and was desperately unlucky to see his shot bounce back into play off the angle of post and crossbar.
Currie, too, was unlucky with an excellent shot at the other end, Book just managed to get a boot to it, deflecting the ball over the crossbar.
But this was truly City’s day. And in the 59th minute they went three up with one of the best goals seen at Maine Road this season.
It was started by Doyle, when he swept the ball clear to Lee in the middle, Summerbee out on the left, took over and crossed to the far side where Marsh superbly brought the ball down at the same time sending MacKenzie the wrong way.
He completed this gem of a goal by going on to beat the advancing McAlister with a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Within three minutes, however, Sheffield scored an equally good goal.
Bone moved out to the right before crossing to Salmons who flicked his head at the centre for a fine goal.
Bell, taking over from Oakes, almost made it four for City, but his cross shot was just wide of the far post.
Currie, United’s most impressive player, continued to give the Blues some trouble. He drove in a low free kick from the right and Woodward hit the ball first time, but it was blocked by Doyle.
At the other end, McAlister had to leap full length to stop a back pass from Colquhoun after Summerbee had headed down a long cross from Oakes.
A minute from the end, Healey almost allowed a Currie shot to slip through his legs, but recovered in time to grab the ball before it went over the line.
Despite United’s late flourish, City remained firmly in command. They were full value for their victory which gives them a return of five points from a possible six since caretaker manager Johnny Hart took over.