Manchester City earned a vital three points in their bid to maintain their position in the Champions League slots by eking out a narrow 1-0 win against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Although it looked as though they were going to go back to Manchester frustrated after wasting several promising early chances and letting the hosts back into the match, City struck through the unlikely figure of Edin Dzeko fifteen minutes from time and rode out a rather inept Blackburn storm to secure an important win.
Blackburn Rovers Vs. Manchester City: Lake Dzeko Strike Earns City 1-0 Win
For Blackburn's part they'll be frustrated at both the way the goal was given away (Phil Jones' "clearance" was actually a pass straight to a wide open Dzeko at the far post) and their inability to give City much of a scare with the time they had left. Joe Hart was forced into a decent save from a Martin Olsson effort during injury time, but not much else happened at a time where Steve Kean's men should have been pumping the ball into the box and putting pressure on an uncharacteristically shaky-looking defence.
The big story will be Dzeko snapping his goal drought and scoring in the Premier League for the first time, but for both sides this result has real meaning. Roberto Mancini's side are now four points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth, meaning that they can afford a draw when they entertain Spurs at the Eastlands in two weeks, while Blackburn are now just one point clear of 18th place Wigan Athletic in the fight to avoid relegation. It's going to be an interesting next few weeks at both ends of the table.
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