Given's save key to season - Hughes

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-07 10:42

Manchester City's Carlos Tevez (right) is challenged by Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho during their English Premier League match in Manchester, northern England on Saturday. [Agencies]

MANCHESTER, England: Mark Hughes says Shay Given's penalty save that secured Manchester City an unlikely 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Saturday could be the turning point of the club's entire season.

The Republic of Ireland international kept out Frank Lampard's late effort to ensure goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez canceled out a Chelsea opener, courtesy of an Adebayor own goal, and ended City's run of seven consecutive Premier League draws.

The win at a rain-sodden Eastlands also cut Chelsea's lead at the top of the table to two points over champions Manchester United and opened up the possibility, however distant, of City competing for the title in the second half of the campaign.

At the end of a week in which Hughes also led his team to the League Cup semifinals with a win over Arsenal, the manager agreed the penalty save could have huge long-term significance.

"Quite possibly," said Hughes when asked if it could be a turning point. "It was a fantastic save. There are a lot of things you don't expect to happen and you don't expect Frank Lampard to miss a penalty."

Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Wales striker Hughes said: "We made a real effort this week to work exceptionally hard because, as I keep saying, you can't take short cuts, you can't not put the work and effort in or you get beaten by the top teams in the Premier League.

"We now know what it takes to win against the bigger teams. Once we get the knowledge of how to beat the lesser sides, we will be OK."

Victory left big-spenders City sixth in the table, 11 points adrift of Chelsea and Hughes said: "Arsenal and Chelsea are there to be beaten, they are the challenge for us.

"We want to supersede them at some stage and at the moment we are just challenging, trying to make it difficult for them."

Hughes, however, refused to include City in the title race just yet saying: "We're not talking in terms of winning titles. We are trying to progress.

"We are talking about a team that 12 months ago was looking at relegation. We spent money, yes, and that will always be quoted when Manchester City are mentioned but we are just trying to be better than we were."

Hughes also praised match-winner Tevez, himself an ex-Manchester United forward, who has put in some strong recent performances after overcoming early-season fitness and injury problems.

"He has been fantastic," said Hughes after seeing Tevez beat Petr Cech with a 56th-minute free-kick awarded for a foul by Ricardo Carvalho.

"And he is now getting back to the levels of fitness he needs to have."

Carlo Ancelotti laid the blame for Chelsea's defeat firmly at the door of referee Howard Webb, who he accused of making mistakes in the build-up to both of City's goals, although he stressed the loss was no cause for concern.

"We're disappointed," said Ancelotti. "The referee made two important mistakes. I think Micah Richards did handle the ball and in the second situation I think Carvalho kicked the ball clear, it was a clear situation."

AFP