City flying high after home win

Rolando Bianchi gave City the lead but they were 2-1 down at the break following goals from El-Hadji Diouf and Kevin Nolan.

Lubomir Michalik deflected Dietmar Hamann's curling shot into his own net to bring City level within three minutes of the re-start, and goals from Darius Vassell and Kelvin Etuhu completed a superb fightback by the hosts.

In an inconsistent opening period, Ricardo Gardner looked like becoming a Bolton villain as he inexplicably failed to cut out a harmless-looking through ball from Hamman.

Vassell pounced and though the former England man saw his shot saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen, he turned the rebound into Michael Johnson's path and the ball eventually squirted into the path of Bianchi, who prodded home.

However, Bolton were soon in front. The equaliser came when Hadji-Diouf, involved on three occasions as Bolton switched play from the left flank to the right, scooped home Kevin Davies' astute pass.

Gardner went from villain to hero five minutes before the interval as he took advantage of Vedran Corluka's dawdling, seized possession, then darted into the box where his cut-back was prodded into Nolan's path by Hamann and he drilled into the bottom corner.

Eriksson introduced academy graduate Etuhu at half-time and he had a hand in City's equaliser within three minutes of the restart.

Having failed to score a single goal in two seasons since his arrival at City, Hamann would want to claim a 20-yard curling effort as his own. However, that would ignore a decisive deflection off Lubomir Michalik which will ensure the veteran German's wait goes on.

City landed the decisive punch as Vassell nipped in at the near post to convert Martin Petrov's cross for goal number three. Twice City went close to extending their lead before Etuhu gleefully blasted home a stoppage-time fourth.