Manchester City 3 v 1 Sunderland Borini (10), Yaya Toure (55), Nasri (56), Navas (90)
First Half: Aguero has a shot from long range parried away. Goal! 0-1, Sunderland take the lead as Johnson plays a long ball into Borini who outmuscles Kompany before scoring with a low shot into the far bottom corner. Borini has a volley from the edge of the box deflected over the bar. Brown puts a header over the bar following a corner. Nasri has an effort saved.
Half Time: 0-1.
Second Half: Silva has a low shot from long range saved. Goal! 1-1, City equalize as Yaya Toure scores an absolute screamer from long range into the far top corner. Goal! 2-1, City take the lead as a Kolarov cross finds Nasri who strikes a sublime shot into the far side. Nasri misses with a curling shot from the edge of the box wide of the far post. Alonso has a free kick parried away. Fletcher has an effort saved. Kompany volleys wide of the near following a corner. Goal! 3-1, A fast break from City ends with Yaya Toure playing in Navas who coolly slots home into the near side.
Full Time: 3-1.
My Opinion:
My man of the match was Nasri. Manchester City win the first cup of the year, defeating Sunderland in a thrilling encounter. It was a nervy and tepid first half for City who couldn't find their feet. They conceded an early goal which really shook them up and it badly affected them for the rest of the half. However, an absolute wonder goal from Yaya Toure in the 55th minute completely changed the tone and flow of the game around. Suddenly, City were fired up and raring to go and it took less than a minute for them to take the lead as Nasri scored an absolute peach of a goal to turn the game around. It was relatively comfortable for City from there on out and they sealed the cup with a late counter attacking goal from Navas. This will be a big boost for City's confidence after winning in the fashion they did today. The first cup of a possible quadruple comes to the Etihad in thrilling style.
Sunderland are no strangers to beating City and it looked like they were going to cause another massive upset in the final when they took an early lead through Borini. It was a brilliant goal and put Sunderland on the front foot. They were very impressive throughout the first half and were good value for their half time lead. However, they were just undone by two world class goals from City and in a flash, fell behind within the space of a minute. They were hard pressed for an equaliser but it didn't look like coming. As a result of pushing for a leveller, Sunderland were caught on the break by City in the final few minutes and conceded a third which all but ended the match. A commendable cup run from Sunderland, who knocked out both Chelsea and Man United on the way, didn't end in the fairytale way they had dreamed of and they will now have to concentrate on avoiding relegation from the premier league.
Best Goal: Yaya Toure
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Wawrinka wins the Australian Open
Eighth seed Stanislas Wawrinka upset all the odds to win his first Grand Slam title after defeating top seed Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. However, the match may be remembered for Nadal picking up an injury during the second set which allowed Wawrinka a clearer path to victory. Although, the first set saw Wawrinka break an injury free Nadal service game on his way to claiming it 6-3. During the second set Nadal required treatment for a back injury which heavily hampered his serve, forcing him to take most of the pace off his serve. Wawrinka managed to keep his cool and with a double break, secured the second set 6-2. However, Nadal refused to give in and bravely fought on during the third set whilst Wawrinka struggled ro handle the odd situation unfolding before him. Consequently, Nadal broke the Wawrinka serve and held out to take the third set 6-3. Wawrinka managed to compose himself in the fourth set and played some much better tennis which proved too much for the injured Nadal. Thus, Wawrinka held onto a break of serve to win the fourth set 6-3 and win his maiden Grand Slam tournament.
My Opinion:
A brilliant tournament overall with many shocks and drama. The final provided plenty of drama and entertainment but the shine was slightly taken off as Nadal struggled on with an injury. His serve was extremely hampered which meant that he could only roll them in. Both players were seemingly fit during the first set and it was Wawrinka who took it. It would have been really interesting to see who would have come out on top had Nadal managed to avoid injury during the match but in the end it proved pivotal. You still have to give Wawrinka huge amounts of credit as he battled on to finish the job off albeit with a lack of concentration in the third set. He has beaten Djokovic and Berdych to get to the final and I am really pleased for him that he has won his first Grand Slam. Wawrinka has played the tennis of his career and has been the best player of the tournament so it was a fitting finale. It is a great start to the year for him and it could be the start of a huge year. A great shame to see Nadal struggling with injury again but if he can come back as strongly as he did last time then has has nothing to worry about. Hopefully, we will see him back in time for the clay court season where he is the king of the clay.
Men's Singles Final Result:
(8) Wawrinka beat (1) Nadal 6-3,6-2,3-6,6-3
Mixed Doubles Final Result:
Mladenovic/Nestor beat (6) Mirza/Tecau 6-3,6-2
Men's Performance of the Tournament: Stanislas Wawrinka. 8th seed who defeated Djokovic, Berdych and Nadal to win the tournament.
Men's Shock of the Tournament: Bautista-Agut knocked out 5th seed Del Potro in the second round after a five set thriller.
Na Li wins the Australian Open
China's Na Li won her second Grand Slam title after defeating Dominika Cibulkova to win the Australian Open. It was a very closely contested first set that went all the way to a tie break. However, it was Na Li's experience that proved pivotal as the fourth seed prevailed to take the opening set. The second set was over almost as soon as it began as Na Li raced away to victory, winning the second set 6-0. A brilliant display from Na Li, who takes the first Grand Slam of the year. Cibulkova played some great tennis to get to the final but it proved one step too far to beat an impressive Na Li.
My Opinion:
A really intriguing final that gave us the expected outcome. Cibulkova pushed Na Li all the way in the first set and if she had taken it, who knows what could have happened. What did happen though was that Na Li relaxed and started making brilliant winners throughout the second set whilst Cibulkova's head dropped after losing the second set and failed to recover. A well deserved win for Na Li who may prove to be a dominant force on the women's tour this year - so watch out for her, especially at the French Open. Cibulkova deserves all the plaudits she gets as reaching her first Grand Slam final was an amazing achievement. She played the tennis of her career throughout the tournament and gave Na Li a run for her money in the final. Her ranking will receive a massive boost now and it will be very interesting to see if she can make the most of it for the rest of the year.
Women's Singles Final Result:
(4) Na Li beat (20) Cibulkova 7-6,6-0
Men's Doubles Final Result:
(14) Kubot/Lindstedt beat Butorac/Klaasen 6-3,6-3
Boys' Singles Final Result:
(1) Zverev beat (2) Kozlov 6-3,6-0
Girls' Singles Final Result:
(4) Kulichkova beat Fett 6-2,6-1
Women's Performance of the Tourmanent: Dominika Cibulkova. 20th seed who made her first Grand Slam Final.
Women's Shock of the Tournament: Serena Williams being knocked out in the 4th round.
