Man City battle to beat Swansea

Manchester City stuttered to an unconvincing win over a battling Swansea in the longest game in Premier League history.

Carlos Tevez's stunner rescued Roberto Mancini's team as they followed up their midweek European disappointment with another lacklustre display.

Keeper Joe Hart had kept the hosts in the game with two saves from Michu.

But Tevez's 30-yard strike on the hour gave the hosts the three points and sent the champions second in the table.

Both managers, however, will be concerned as each had a star player carried off on a stretcher, Swans goalkeeper Michel Vorm and Blues defender Micah Richards suffering worrying injuries.

Each required lengthy treatment on the field, racking up a record 12 minutes of added time.

But a match in which Manchester City extended their unbeaten home league run to 34 games will be remembered for little else, Mancini's men still seeming shaken from their midweek European capitulation at Ajax.

Tevez's clinical brilliance was the difference as Swansea enjoyed the better openings but the hosts had the ability to penetrate.

Mancini's side had an alert Richards to thank early on as he cleared a dangerous right-wing Hernandez cross with Swansea top-scorer Michu lurking.

The Spanish striker suffered a blow to the head as the England right-back headed the ball away and Michu, worryingly, lay motionless for a couple of minutes.

But Michu recovered and showed no ill effects as 10 minutes later he put the ball in the home side's net.

The effort, however, was disallowed because he was offside when Wayne Routledge played the through ball.

That chance came just moments after visiting keeper Vorm almost gifted their hosts an opening goal.

Vorm's poor clearance fell straight to Sergio Aguero and as the Argentine striker set up countryman Tevez, Swans defender Chico Flores stepped in to clear the danger.

Vorm, though, did not make a telling save until the 38th minute when the Dutch international kept out Tevez's 15-yard drive - a statistic that would concern Blues boss Mancini.

And the anxiety around the Etihad deepened as Swansea wasted two glorious chances to put themselves ahead in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

Hernandez failed to capitalise when set free in the box before Michu was also unable to convert Ki Sung-Yueng's defence-splitting pass as England international Hart smothered his toe-poke.

- BBC