After a positive showing against Chelsea last week, it seemed as though City had turned a corner and could build on what was an encouraging display. Yet that was clearly not the case as the Blues performed similarly to how they did against Arsenal and Middlesbrough, merely managing to claim a point against a Hull side who have been woefully out of form.
Manuel Pellegrini handed starts to Pablo Zabaleta, Edin Dzeko and the returning Samir Nasri as City looked to keep on the trail of Chelsea.
Hull had the first chance of note, with the lively Sone Aluko drawing a commendable stop from Joe Hart after finding space on the left.
The Tigers were well-drilled at the back, but City seemed overly hesitant to shoot when an opening arrived. And the chances that City did muster were not ever going to trouble McGregor, who made a comfortable save to collect an Edin Dzeko header, following a whipped cross from Gael Clichy.
Conversely, the story of the first half was almost identical to what fans have become accustomed to in recent weeks. City lacked invention, composure and combined that with a tendency to make costly errors at key moments. The home side were let off the hook on the 16th minute mark when Hull’s Elmohamady rattled the crossbar with a close-range header from Brady’s cross.
Many supporters thought the aforementioned chance would act us a wake-up call but the trend continued, and brought a comedic goal in the 35th minute.
Clichy looked to have picked out Aguero with a clever pass into the Argentine, yet the Striker’s control was unusually subdued and led to a Hull breakway. Aluko’s presence panicked Demichelis, and while Hart had moved off his line, gifted the ball to Jake Livemore.
The former Spurs midfielder tested England keeper Hart, who appeared to have ended the danger with a decent save, yet City’s sloppiness in dangerous territory led to Ramirez’s tame strike hitting the post and falling perfectly for David Meyler to slot home the opener.
As the half drew to a close, Silva and Fernandinho linked up well, setting up a chance for the onrushing Nasri but the Frenchman was tentative to shoot first-time and his effort was subsequently blocked by Alex Bruce.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side lacked ideas, leading to the Chilean making a change at the break, with Jesus Navas replacing Fernando, who had been ineffective in breaking up play and distributing the ball.
The tempo increased briefly following the Spaniard’s introduction, yet City failed to convert their dominance into a goal. Dzeko’s acrobatic effort forced McGregor into action, with the Scotsman preserving the Tigers lead in excellent fashion.
The hosts had a penalty shout when Bruce appeared to have bundled over Silva in the box, yet referee John Moss had no intentions on awarding the spot-kick, much to the dismay of the home fans.
Then the goal-frame came to Hull’s aid as Aguero controlled wonderfully, and fired a rasping effort against the underside of the bar. It seemed almost nailed on that City wouldn’t score after that, however a brilliant late free-kick from James Milner rescued a point for the Blues.
To conclude, a hugely disappointing performance from City to go with the plethora of sub-standard displays at home this season. Perhaps you could attach blame to Pellegrini for his questionable substitutions, but my view is that the players have to take a chunk of the blame. The Blues need to improve rapidly for the trip to Stoke, as the gap between City and Chelsea increases.
Moreover, a host of teams are hot on the tails of City in the race for Champions League places, so there is no margin for error at all. Bony and Yaya’s return can’t come quick enough.
