Silva off the mark in City win

David Silva
12 April 2012

David Silva and Jo combined to give Manchester City a deserved 2-0 Europa League triumph over Salzburg.

City were in control from the seventh minute when Silva tucked home Jo's lay-off.

And though they were forced to endure a few nervy moments, Roberto Mancini's men thoroughly deserved their success, Jo sealing victory when he tapped home the rebound to Carlos Tevez's shot midway through the second period.

It was the Brazilian's first start since December 2008, six months after his arrival from CSKA Moscow in a £17million deal which seemed certain to be consigned to the ill-fated variety.

Expected to move on this summer after loan spells with Everton and Galatasaray, the 23-year-old stuck around and was rewarded with a place in both Mancini's Premier League and European squads.

Then, as injuries claimed Emmanuel Adebayor and Mario Balotelli, Jo was suddenly shunted to the forefront of Mancini's plans. It must be said, he did not look particularly threatening, even though he stuck out a leg to tee up Silva from Wayne Bridge's low cross for the opening goal.

But the City boss stuck with him and when Tevez's shot was parried by Gerhard Tremmel, Jo kept his composure to tuck home from an acute angle with 63 minutes gone.

The goal came at a time when a watchable game had hit a flat spot, Salzburg hitting a brick wall in their attempts to come any closer than the free-kick Nikola Pokrivac flashed wide right after the break.

Mancini took it as the sign to start making changes, with Dedryck Boyata, Patrick Vieira and Shaun Wright-Phillips all given a run out.

After the recent setbacks against Sunderland and Blackburn it was just what Mancini would have wanted and leaves City fans in optimistic mood ahead of their second European adventure, the visit of Italian giants Juventus to Eastlands in a fortnight.

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