City finally find kid who can cut it in Iheanacho
NO Raheem Sterling, no David Silva, no Sergio Aguero, no problem. Not even the attacking trio’s absence could deny Manchester City, who were given an added incentive by Chelsea’s earlier defeat, their fifth consecutive win.
For 89 minutes it seemed Crystal Palace had brought City’s perfect start to an end with this bruising contest but that was before Manuel Pellegrini introduced little-known 18year-old Kelechi Iheanacho.
Kevin De Bruyne, the £54million signing from Wolfsburg, made his debut after replacing the injured Aguero but it was an altogether different substitute who stole the headlines.
Who is Iheanacho? Vincent Kompany was asked that very question. ‘You tell me! He’s the mystery man,’ the captain said.
‘He’s been around the club for a while, had difficulty sorting out his papers, work permit and stuff, but has always been a great talent.
‘He’s had a really good pre-season. Even when he didn’t play well he scored. At the moment it looks like he’s third in the pecking order, and at his young age and at this kind of club, it’s a massive achievement already.
‘I can only hope that he’s going to score even more for us. It’s great for the club to have a young player coming through.’
The Nigerian tossed his No 72 shirt into the away end at full-time and the lucky beneficiary will be forgiven if he or she had to study the back to see who got them out of this jam at Selhurst Park. It is no household name, after all, though Pellegrini revealed he did not sign a replacement for loanedout striker Edin Dzeko because he had Iheanacho.
City are sweating on the fitness of Aguero ahead of their Champions League tie with Juventus tomorrow night after the striker was forced off with a knee injury.
They were also without Silva due to an ankle problem and left out Sterling, their £49m purchase from Liverpool, as a precaution because of a hamstring complaint.
City are confident the trio will be fit for the clash with the Serie A champions. Aguero wrote on Twitter after the game: ‘Thanks everyone for your concern. I got a hard hit and it prevented me from playing more. It doesn’t seem to be a serious injury though.’
His captain agreed. ‘I don’t think it will be too bad,’ said Kompany.
‘If it’s a twist then you are losing one of the best strikers in the league. We will see but again, we pulled Kelechi out of the hat, so sometimes these things happen. It gives other players a chance to stand up.’
Pellegrini does not worry too much about casualties either because the manager trusts his squad. ‘It is so important to have 22 good players, two in each position,’ Pellegrini said. ‘You are going to win or lose the title by one or two points.
‘To win after the international break, to win against such a strong team as Crystal Palace, the team that were in second position, and to win without Sterling, Silva and Aguero gives us more trust in our squad.’ CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-2-1): McCarthy 6.5; Kelly 6.5, Dann 7, Hangeland 6.5, Souare 7.5; McArthur 7.5, Puncheon 7 (Lee 83min), Cabaye 7; Zaha 7, Sako 6.5 (Gayle 68, 6.5); Bolasie 7 (Jedinak 80). Subs not used: Mariappa, Campbell, Hennessey, Mutch. Booked: Dann, Hangeland. MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Hart 7; Sagna 7, Kompany 8, Mangala 7, Kolarov 6.5; Fernandinho 6.5, Toure 7; Nasri 7 (Demichelis 90), Bony 6.5 (Iheanacho 89), Navas 6; Aguero 6 (De Bruyne 25, 7.5). Subs not used: Caballero, Roberts, Otamendi, Garcia. Booked: Mangala, Toure, Nasri. Scorer: Iheanacho 90. Man of the match: Vincent Kompany. Referee: Mike Jones 6.