YAYA Over Blue Moon As Man City End 35 Year Wait For Cup

YAYA TOURE repeated his Wembley trick as Manchester City ended 35 years of hurt.

The Ivorian scored the FA Cup semi-final winner here against Manchester United last month. And he popped up at the same end to hammer home the only goal and sink Stoke.

YAYA seals it for City

City clinched a Champions League place last week. But it is silverware the club have been searching for ever since their League Cup triumph in 1976.

And, after a multi-million pound investment over the past three seasons, Toure delivered the FA Cup to Eastlands with one violent swing of his left foot as the ball crashed past Thomas Sorensen after 74 minutes.

It was hard luck on Stoke, who thought Kenwyne Jones might have won it for them but for a brave block from Joe Hart.

Both teams received good news from the treatment room before kick-off. Carlos Tevez was declared fit to start up front for City. Stoke named Matthew Etherington and Robert Huth in their starting XI after after hamstring and knee injuries respectively. Boss Tony Pulis also stuck with Sorensen in goal, who has been a regular in cup games.

City were quickly into their stride, Tevez stinging the palms of Sorensen. Nigel de Jong’s long-range effort sailed over but Toure’s piledriver had Sorensen beaten as it whistled wide.

Huth got away with a forearm block into Mario Balotelli’s neck after quarter of an hour.

Stoke finally settled midway through the half and Kenwyne Jones’s brilliant chest control bamboozled his marker before he was snuffed out in the box after a decent one-two with Jon Walters.

Sorensen was needed again on 24 minutes as Balotelli curled a sublime effort towards the top corner that the Danish keeper fingertipped behind.  Jermaine Pennant’s usual pinpoint delivery was lacking at set-pieces and Hart’s handling was clean.

Vincent Kompany escaped a handball decision in his own box before bursting down the other end and getting in a shot that Sorensen held at the second attempt.

Tevez’s chipped pass found Balotelli through on goal after 35 minutes. The Italian’s first touch got away from him but the ball then fell for David Silva, who drove the ball into the turf and over the bar.

Jones was foraging hard up front for Stoke but he really tried his luck attempting to beat Hart with his left foot from 25 yards. Huth was first in the book on 40 minutes after catching Micah Richards. But Aleksandar Kolarov’s free-kick was miles over.

De Jong tried his luck from 25 yards but his attempt at a measured side-footer never troubled the target.  Pennant went over on his ankle on the stroke of half-time but he was OK to resume after the break.

Kolarov was wasteful again at the start of the second half with a selfish drive from an acute angle that found the side-netting.

Huth’s header at the other end bounced wide before Pennant again turned his ankle. He managed to carry on and won a free-kick off Balotelli. City failed to clear the set-piece but Stoke failed to find a final touch in the box.

Tevez then broke for City and his ball inside found Silva. The Spaniard dallied for too long, though, and Ryan Shawcross nipped the ball off him as he prepared to shoot. Etherington’s raking 60-yard pass found Jones surging past Joleon Lescott on the hour but the striker’s toe-poke was brilliantly blocked by Hart, who dived bravely at the feet of the Trinidadian.

Etherington was withdrawn for Dean Whitehead moments later before City struck on 74 minutes. The Stoke defence failed to clear a ball in their area and as it pinballed around, Toure arrived on cue to crash the ball home.

Stoke were struggling to get out of their half and Silva rattled in a shot that was spilled by Sorensen before being cleared. Tevez was given a standing ovation by the City fans when he came off three minutes from time and his team went on to end their trophy drought.

Daniel "Pitchside" Pitcher Twitter: @DanFM104Sport About: Dan "Pitchside" Pitcher provides insight and commentary as the chief soccer and rugby correspondent for Sportspeak.