Samaras lives to fight another day

Last night, Manchester City centre forward Georgios Samaras scrapped his way through another difficult night in a sky blue shirt to end the evening with his battered reputation partially restored. Samaras became synonymous with City's struggles under former manager Stuart Pearce last season.

As the Premier League club failed to score goals, Pearce's most expensive signing naturally took most of the blame.

Not since the January FA Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday had Samaras scored. Not once this season had the Greece international been part of a Sven Goran Eriksson squad.

But the road back to credibility began at a half-empty City of Manchester Stadium last night as Samaras was afforded his opportunity in a second-string home team.

And when he was played through on goal with just two minutes of a dreary cup-tie left, the 22-year-old finally scored a goal that sent the City supporters home happy and put paid to admirable Norwich resistance.

It had not been a particularly happy night for Samaras until his chance came. Indeed, both he and strike partner Rolando Bianchi seemed at times to be doing their best to show why Eriksson should continue to overlook them for Premier League duties.

But Samaras never stopped trying and, crucially, never stopped showing. The only factor that appeared against him when he was played clear on goal by substitute Kelvin Etuhu was that he may have too much time to think about what was before him.

Happily for Samaras, his composure did not desert him and the right-foot finish to the left of Norwich keeper David Marshall was not that of a man who found scoring such a complex art last season.

Eriksson, too, must take some credit for leaving Samaras on.

Afterwards, the City manager said: 'I am happy for him. It's good for his confidence and I am sure that he will benefit from it.

'The players are happy for him. He has a future here. I used him tonight and he has a contract. I will use him again.

'He told me at the end of August that he was going to stay and that he was going to fight. He has done that and I am pleased.

'I can't say that this was a great performance from the team. I would be lying if I said that it was. But even when it was 0-0 with 88 minutes gone, I didn't regret picking the team I did.'

Eriksson began the week by claiming that a cup triumph this season could form the foundations of sustained success at City, just as it did at Lazio in the late 1990s.

Last night, however, Eriksson left his romantic side at home and showed that he is prepared to be as pragmatic as the next Premier League manager.

Out went the majority of the side that drew at Fulham in the League on Saturday — only skipper Richard Dunne and midfielder Stephen Ireland remained — and in came a group of players hoping that they might one day play a part in Eriksson's grand plan.

On reflection, only Brazilian midfielder Geovanni, goalkeeper Joe Hart and — latterly — Samaras really did their cause any good.

Bianchi, an expensive recruit from Italy in the summer, was poor all night and did not seem willing to put himself in the right positions.

Just a minute after Samaras' goal, Bianchi was also played clear as Norwich pushed forward but the Italian's attempted finish was weak. Typical of much of what City produced all night, in fact.

When faced with opposition from a lower division on occasions like this it is necessary to assert some kind of authority.

City palpably failed to do so, despite the efforts of Geovanni, whose intelligent passing angles look sure to earn him a regular place in Eriksson's first team.

Left back Michael Ball brought a decent save from Marshall early on with a free-kick, while a downward header from Dunne almost allowed fellow defender Nedum Onuoha to nudge the ball home at the far post.

Norwich could have profited had they shown some more confidence when breaking. Former City midfielder Lee Croft should have done better when clear on the hour, while Jamie Cureton was robbed by Shalem Logan soon after.

Norwich boss Peter Grant said: 'It was cruel. The only disappointment was the result.'