Manchester City’s Best Free Kicks At The Etihad Stadium

Manchester City beat Hull City 4-1 at The Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night to secure a place in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup. The victory was a comfortable one for the home side; they controlled the game throughout and rarely looked threatened.

The pick of the goals undoubtedly came from Kevin De Bruyne who used power and precision to put a free-kick over the defensive wall and into the net, leaving the goalkeeper standing.

There are few sights in football as enjoyable as a perfectly executed free-kick. The Belgian’s effort recalled some of the best goals scored by City at the Etihad. Here are three of the best free-kick strikes from the Blues at the stadium.

Elano v Newcastle United: 29th September, 2007

Brazilian midfielder Elano was arguably the flagship signing of Thaksin Shinawatra’s first transfer window as Manchester City owner. With new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in charge, the Blues had launched an unprecedented assault on the transfer market, the Swede using his large contacts book to pull off some impressive deals. At £8m, the acquisition of Elano from Shakhtar Donetsk was seen as a real coup for the side who had a purchasing power they hadn’t had before.

Though he never lived up to the hype, in the warmer months he was a hell of a player to watch. Skillful, with an eye for flair and creativity, he had everything that City fans had pined for for years. He also had a decent free-kick in him, as his first goal for the club proved.

City were leading 2-1 against the Magpies when Elano finished the game off in the 87th minute. 25 yards from goal, the player struck through the ball to completely bypass the wall and send the shot soaring into Shay Given’s top right corner. It was pinpoint perfection; truly, a football could never be hit cleaner than this. It capped a display that the BBC described as ‘virtuoso’ at the time and earned him the adulation of his new fan base. It remains an iconic goal at the stadium.

Carlos Tevez v Stoke City: 17th May, 2011

The mood around Manchester City was euphoric for this game. The team had already qualified for the Champions League for the first time in it’s current format and, more importantly, they had ended a 35-year trophy drought just days before this fixture. The FA Cup had been won at Wembley against Stoke; it seemed a cruel twist for the visitors that they should have to face their glowing opposition just three days later.

Hunting down a third place finish, City faced little competition in this game. They were 2-0 up when they were awarded a free-kick with just over an hour played. Tevez, who had opened the scoring that evening, placed the ball down, fully 30 yards from goal. The ball’s starting position was already wide of the post. Unbelievably, rather than go over the wall, the Argentine opted to go round it. The ball made it a good five yards wide of the goal before it spectacularly bent back in and found the top corner. It is arguably the best goal ever scored at the Etihad – you’d have to make a hell of an argument for any other. The sight of the beaten Stoke fans on their feet applauding it remains a strong image from that night.

Aleksander Kolarov v Napoli: 14th September, 2011

This goal should be somewhat more iconic than it is, for it was the first goal Manchester City ever scored in the modern Champions League.

Expectation had been high for Roberto Mancini’s men heading into this game; the Italians were seen as a side that City should beat. Instead, the home side got a rude awakening. The game was frustrating, but had it not been for the Serbian left-back, it would have been a complete disaster. Trailing to a 69th minute Edison Cavani goal, the Blues were rescued six minutes later by their set-piece specialist.

Around 20-yards from goal, Kolarov stepped up and placed the ball over the wall. With a devilish amount of whip and curl, it spun back into the bottom left-corner of the net with the goalkeeper only able to watch it pass him by. The goal deserved more than just a point, but it stopped a memorable evening becoming a complete damp squib