Ticket: £25
Fish and chips: £11-95
Tea: £1-75
Bovril: £1-80
Programme: £3
Total:£43-50
Manchester City is the closest Premier League club to us, and thanks to the decent location of the Etihad, has been on my 'hot-list' of clubs to visit over the difficult winter period. I opted for this League Cup semi-final, as I'd never been to one before, and potentially this could be a good game. I went to this after work in Manchester, which meant no additional travel costs, and a relatively easy walk to the stadium. After a fish and chip supper at a pub in the centre, and a cup of tea in the Arndale, I wandered up to the Etihad (or Eastlands as it was formally known).
Back in 2005-06, I recall wandering around the outside of Eastlands for a decent shot of the ground. I remember thinking it all seemed a bit desolate and out-of-place, and back then it was very much an athletics stadium which happened to have a football pitch in the middle. Further back, I can remember when City used to play at Maine Road, and were very much the yoyo team of the Premier League. Shaun Goater, Nicky Weaver and all that... How times have changed. This team are now an established 'Top-4' club, and this season are steamrolling most sides put in front of them, particularly at home. The fact that I was able to easily get a ticket for a cup semi-final shows that there is almost an expectation of success these days, and maybe even a certain complacency.
Inside the ground, I was in the Family Stand Level 1, just behind the goal being attacked by West Ham in the first half. There was a good atmosphere building, but for such a big game, I was surprised at how many empty seats there were - not just ones and twos but whole blocks were unoccupied. Perhaps their contention for so many trophies this year has put this one right at the bottom of the fans' priority list. I liked the ground, and could see that it had been transformed since hosting the 2002 Commonwealth games.
To say that Manchester City steamrolled West Ham is an understatement. By half-time, they were 3-0 up, thanks to two from Negredo and a stunning run and goal from (Yaya) Toure. Negredo's first was an outstanding first-time volley from an inch-perfect pass. They were physically imposing, accurate with their passing, and looked miles ahead of their London counterparts. After an amble around the inner concourse at half-time, I went to get a hot drink to warm up - only to discover that no hot water was available in the Etihad! (something to do with the water pressure apparently). Mike Blackstone's 'The Brown Sauce is Off' immediately sprung to mind.
After finally managing to get an oxo when the pressure finally returned, I settled down for the second half. I expected some sort of fight-back from West Ham, but City were even more dominant. Negredo completed a hat-trick on 49 mins, before Edin Dzeko grabbed an excellent brace - the second was a beautiful rifled shot into the roof of the net. At points in the second half, the gulf between the sides was embarrassing. At one stage, City were knocking the ball round in neat triangles like they were on the training field - there hardly seemed to be any opponents on the field. West Ham's fans - in the opposite end of the ground - were rightly frustrated with their team's ineptitude, chanting words to the effect that Allardyce should be on his way. This had been a fine performance from City, but they had barely got out of second gear. My first Premier League ground ticked off for a while, and a new competition to add to my list. It had been a decent start to January.
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