Swansea vs. Manchester City: 10 Moments That Drove Citizens Fans Crazy

For the first time since October, Manchester City find themselves looking up at someone in the Premier League standings. Despite Joe Hart's inspiring early save on a Swansea penalty kick, Roberto Mancini's men couldn't overcome the home side's smooth passing game.

The match was scoreless until the 83rd minute when a giveaway in midfield sparked a Swansea counterattack. It ended with substitute Luke Moore heading home at the back post.

After a late Micah Richards goal was correctly ruled offside, the Swans were free to celebrate knocking the league leaders off their perch.

Those are the things you'll see in the highlights. But we're going deeper. These are the 10 moments when an inch this way or an inch that way could have kept Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

A Horrific Beginning

Swansea dominated first-half possession from the opening whistle. It took only six minutes for that possession to yield a dangerous opportunity.

A nicely weighted ball sprung Wayne Routledge free on goal. City keeper Joe Hart raced off his line as Routledge closed on the ball. Routledge won the sprint and his touch around the keeper put a sliding Hart in serious peril.

The Swansea midfielder dragged his legs across Hart and the referee gave the penalty.

Scott Sinclair stepped up to take the kick for Swansea. Hart could be seen barking at him in the preparation. The mind games appeared to work as Sinclair's weak effort proved a relatively easy save.

They'll have been relieved, but it can't be how City fans wanted to start their afternoon.

Mario Balotelli Wastes One Early

Unable to get any significant time on the ball, chances came few and far between for City in the first half.

One of the most promising came in the 23rd minute when a long ball played over the left side of Swansea's defense found Mario Balotelli sprinting in on goal.

Balotelli drifted to a tight angle as he chased the ball down and frustrated Citizens watched his shot fly high over goal.

Yaya Toure Goes High

Starved of the ball, City had yet to warm up their shooting boots as halftime approached.

So perhaps Yaya Toure can be forgiven for smashing his shot over the bar after a cross ping-ponged to his feet eight yards from goal.

The half couldn't come quick enough as the blue side of Manchester needed considerable liquid strength to come to terms with the fact that Swansea had commanded 64 percent of first-half possession.

Sergio Aguero Stubs His Toe

Sergio Aguero replaced a none-too-pleased Gareth Barry late in the first half as Mancini looked to find a shape that would allow City a touch of the ball.

As the second half began, Aguero received a diagonal ball from Balotelli that saw him one-on-one with a defender down the right. The Argentinian took a touch, lined up a shot around his marker and scuffed a tame roller past the near post.

David Silva Forces It

David Silva was not sharp at any point during the match against Swansea. His passes didn't find their targets and his movement didn't create significant problems for the Swans.

So it was, when in the 57th minute, a City counter found Silva pushing the ball down the left. Balotelli pulled up at the top of the area begging for a cutback, Aguero was late arriving at the back post, but Silva played the cross in behind Swansea's defense anyway.

All three City players were frustrated as they watched the ball skip harmlessly out of play.

Balotelli Goes Down in the Box

Just a couple minutes later, Mario Balotelli received the ball centrally, 20 yards from goal. The Italian turned deftly and exploded to his right into the Swansea box.

Swans midfielder Joe Allen desperately tried to recover goal-side. As he skipped across the back of Balotelli, he appeared to clip the striker's heels.

Balotelli went down, referee Lee Mason waved him off, and City fans threw their pints at the television.

Sergio Aguero Passes One Up

Perhaps haunted by his earlier miss, Sergio Aguero found himself with a bit of deja vu in the 65th minute.

Receiving the ball down the right center, Aguero found himself and Balotelli two-on-two against Swansea's central defensive pair. Rather than push the movement forward, or take the strike on himself, Aguero attempted to pull the ball back to a trailing David Silva.

The pass was cut out by the backtracking Swansea midfield and the chance disappeared.

The Substitute Makes the Difference

Some players take a little while to get in the flow of the game. Others step foot on the field and make an immediate impact. Swansea's 80th-minute substitute, Luke Moore, was the latter.

Just minutes after Moore's entry, a sloppy pass in midfield from City center-back Stefan Savic sparked a Swansea counter.

The ball made its way to Wayne Routledge down the right side. He surveyed his options, got his cross in, and watched as Moore rose at the back post to put the Swans out front.

It would provide little comfort for City supporters to remember that Savic was only playing due to injuries to Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany.

The Equalizer That Wasn't

City were chasing a saving goal in the 89th when Gael Clichy swung a cross in from the left.

Micah Richards rose beautifully to meet it on the far side. Swansea keeper Michel Vorm tried to come for the ball, but didn't quite make it. The right back's header bounced slowly into the back of the Swansea goal.

Richards thought he'd scored. Vorm thought he'd conceded the equalizer. They would have had very different reactions to the sight of assistant referee Sian Massey's raised flag.

Edin Dzeko's Last Glancing Chance

Added time was running short, but a flurry of City crosses gave supporters one last desperate glimmer of hope.

Mario Balotelli played a ball in from the left and late substitute Edin Dzeko climbed to reach it. The Bosnian striker's glancing header sent the ball toward goal, but a diving Vorm got two solid hands to it and pushed it out.

Whether the final whistle saw them pay their tabs or stay to drown their sorrows, City fans are now getting acquainted with the brand new—but all too familiar—feeling of having to look up in the Premier League standings to find their Manchester neighbors.