Manchester City 3; Wolvehampton 3: Under the headline 'Bitter Sweet' City's chaplain Tony Porter wrote in the programme of the joy and sorrow of the Easter message. Beautifully, he described the words of Jesus from the cross as "stunning in an angry world".
He may have smiled to hear both managers echoing some of those words after the match: "They know not what they do."
First, there was Dave Jones, lamenting Wolves' inability to run down the clock when leading into injury-time: "If the ball is 80 yards from goal they can't score without a cannon." Then there was Arthur Cox, standing in for Kevin Keegan who is still nursing a back problem: "We've a lot of players who are used to winning things. For the first time I sensed nervousness in the dressing room."
Cox, must now settle or stir his underachievers for today's game at Tottenham. It will not be easy. City have won only twice in 21 league games. "We didn't play with any conviction," said David James, conceding three goals for the first time at City. "Any more performances like that and we're in deep trouble. At the moment we can't afford to play for the draw." This was their third running. Six more would take them to 39 points.
Saturday's comebacks owed most to Wolves' lapses of concentration. Paul Butler was outjumped to the crosses that took City from 0-2 to 2-2; and Shaun Wright-Phillips's shot should never have got through a packed penalty area for 3-3.
Jones agreed that "a point is no good to anybody". Even four wins would get them to only 37. But they take on Bolton today heartened by their command here. They were fleet where City were flat. Isaac Okoronkwo, in his first start, was blameless in defence; Mark Kennedy, diligent on the left, scored first, Carl Cort second.
But the highlight was Henri Camara's electricity against Steve Dunne's static. It led to the penalty, that James saved from Colin Cameron; and, as James palmed out Kennedy's free-kick, Camara was first to the rebound to make it 3-2. And then came Wright-Phillips's intervention for the draw.
"God's not smiling on us," lamented Wolves' Paul Ince. "Maybe He is saying we're not prepared for being in the Premiership and we should go down and start again." Only the chaplain may take issue.
Guardian Service
