CITY suffered a third home defeat as strugglers Rochdale came from behind to snatch victory.

T&A chief sports writer SIMON PARKER was at an angry Valley Parade last night and provides the match stats and his player ratings.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Abo Eisa is looking the part after scoring his second goal in as many games. Confident finish to open the scoring and was very unlucky not to earn a penalty in the second half.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

The double whammy of the penalty that wasn’t given and the one that was. It transformed the pattern of the evening.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

City can curse the referee but at 1-0 up they needed to push for a second goal. Not for the first time, they paid a heavy price for not killing off an opponent when in front.

TACTICS

Mark Hughes made the one enforced change from the starting line-up that beat Salford on New Year’s Day.

Abo Eisa, the match-winner from the bench that day, earned the nod to fill the hole left by Tyreik Wright’s departure. He partnered Vadaine Oliver up front as Hughes stuck with the formation that had served City well for the previous two games.

New recruit Thierry Nevers came straight into the squad as a substitute.

REFEREE: Paul Howard (London)

BOOKINGS: Crichlow (City); Seriki, O’Donnell, Rodney (Rochdale)

ATTENDANCE: 16,653

SHOTS ON TARGET: City 3 Rochdale 6

SHOTS OFF TARGET: City 9 Rochdale 6

CORNERS: City 5 Rochdale 4

FOULS: City 11 Rochdale 14

PLAYER RATINGS

CITY: Lewis 6, Halliday 6, Platt 6, Crichlow 6, Foulds 6, Smallwood 6 (Pereira 90min), Gilliead 6, Sutton 7 (Cook 83min), Chapman 6 (Walker 66min), Eisa 8 (Nevers 90min), Oliver 6. Subs (not used): Songo’o, East, Doyle.

ROCHDALE: O’Donnell 6, Seriki 6 (Diagouraga 88min), Taylor 6, John 7, Ebanks-Landell 7, White 7 (McNulty 90min), Keohane 6, L Kelly 7 (Odoh 82min), Rodney 7, Lloyd 6 (Kelly 82min), Henderson 7 (Quigley 89min). Subs (not used): Sinclair, B Kelly.