Man City recorded a 1-0 win over Bolton on the final day of the season thanks to a Felipe Caicedo goal.
Early Caicedo strike seals victory for Hughes' men
Manchester City recorded a 1-0 win over Bolton at Eastlands on the final day of the season thanks to an early goal from Felipe Caicedo.
City began the game brightly and got their goal after just eight minutes with Caicedo tapping home after good work from Stephen Ireland and Micah Richards.
Bolton began to come more into the game as the half wore on but despite their pressure they couldn't fathom a clear-cut chance.
City failed to reach top gear but still managed to make the better chances as their more potent attacking threat began to show.
The second half saw Bolton struggle to get out of their own half at times as City tried for the second goal but in the end it seemed both teams were happy with the scoreline.
The hosts came close through Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips on numerous occasions but in truth Jussi Jaaskelainen was never truly tested.
Stand-out performer
Wright-Phillips was the stand-out performer of the first-half and his mazy running threatened to unhinge Bolton at regular intervals and it was slightly unfortunate his efforts only brought a single first-half goal.
It came after just eight minutes after what appeared to be a training ground free-kick routine between Robinho and Ireland went wrong.
Fortunately, Ireland improvised superbly, lifting the ball over Bolton's fractured defence after Danny Shittu had raced out to tackle.
There was still plenty of work to do but Micah Richards executed an agile cross, leaving Caicedo with the easiest of tap-ins.
The nearest City came to a second was when Ireland chased down a Caicedo cross that had just evaded Wright-Phillips after the Ecuador star had embarked on a 70-yard burst forward.
Impressive composure
Ireland quickly provided Robinho with the cut-back and, showing impressive composure, the South American delayed his shot before crashing it against the post.
Jaaskelainen also denied Wright-Phillips on a couple of occasions, the England man going close immediately after the break too as City continued to dominate.
When Hughes introduced impressive youngster Vladimir Weiss for his league debut 20 minutes from time, taking Ireland off to allow to midfielder to take in a standing ovation, it effectively marked the end of City's campaign.
City end the season one place and five points worse off than they were under Sven-Goran Eriksson last season, after which the former England chief got the sack.
| Manchester City |
Team Statistics |
Bolton Wanderers |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 11 |
Shots on Target |
0 |
| 11 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 7 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 15 |
Corners |
9 |
| 9 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 85.7 |
Passing Success |
69.4 |
| 21 |
Tackles |
27 |
| 57.1 |
Tackles Success |
88.9 |
| 65.1 |
Possession |
34.9 |
| 51.5 |
Territorial Advantage |
48.5 |
|
