Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Dzeko 57, Aguero 68, 90+1, Silva 71
Sergio Aguero lit up the Etihad Stadium on his debut, scoring twice and making a goal in his first 11 minutes in the Premier League as Manchester City produced a sparkling display to claim the only home win of the opening weekend.
After Edin Dzeko had put City in front, the Argentinean striker came off the bench on the hour and added the gloss to a superb all round performance from the Sky Blues, touching in a Micah Richards cross for his debut goal, then producing an incredible piece of skill to create the third for David Silva before capping his display with a stunning 25 yard effort in stoppage time.
City lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Gael Clichy made his debut at left-back, whilst the midfield three had a very solid look, with Yaya Toure, Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry offering a foundation for Silva and Adam Johnson to provide the ammunition for Dzeko. Aguero and Mario Balotelli had to be content with places on the bench.
Swansea lined up in a similar system. Stephen Dobbie played in an advanced role in their midfield three, leaving Leon Britton and Kenny Agustien to hold station in front of the back four. The Swans introduced Danny Graham as the spearhead of their front line, with support being offered by Nathan Dyer and play-off final hero, Scott Sinclair.
The opening moments saw if difficult to tell who were the richest club in the world and which team were playing their first game in the top flight for almost 30 years. Swansea, renowned for their football in gaining promotion from the Championship, quickly settled into their possession game, passing the ball around, probing for gaps to exploit the pace of Dyer and Sinclair.
With City showing their visitors far too much respect, Swansea gained in confidence and were well on top in the opening quarter without posing much of a threat. Once City began to press higher up the pitch they took control of the match. Silva was the catalyst for the home side, his clever play from a quickly taken corner creating space for him to shoot from the edge of the area and forcing Swansea’s debutant goalkeeper Michael Vorm into a fine diving save.
Swansea rode their luck to go into the break still level. Silva again went close, striking the bar from 15 yards out before City twice went close to opening the scoring in stoppage time. Firstly Dzeko was denied by a smart block by Vorm, and from the resulting corner, Gareth Barry struck the bar with a strike from the edge of the box.
The second-half continued in the same vein as the first had ended with City on top, and it took just 10 minutes for the home side to take a deserved lead. Silva produced a lovely piece of skill to get away from Leon Britton, before bursting forward. The Spaniard timed his pass to Johnson to perfection, with the England winger’s cross-cum-shot spilled into the path of Dzeko to tap home the opener and set the stage for Aguero’s starring role.
