Owen Hargreaves enjoyed a sensational
Manchester City debut as he opened the scoring in his side's 2-0 Carling Cup
triumph over Birmingham at the Etihad Stadium.
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| Hargreaves scored the opener |
Released by Manchester United in the
summer after three injury-ravaged seasons, the midfielder drove home a superb
25-yard shot after 18 minutes and was deservedly named man of the match.
Mario Balotelli added a second before
the break to secure City's passage into the last 16 and end the holders'
interest in a much-derided competition that will never be dismissed by
Hargreaves, as long as the former Bayern Munich man draws breath.
After virtually three years on the
sidelines, punctuated by a couple of very brief appearances, totalling only six
minutes of actual playing time, Hargreaves took just 18 minutes to open his
account for City.
