Hughes on brink at City despite thrilling win

Roque Santa Cruz settled a seven-goal thriller as Manchester City beat Sunderland 4-3 at Eastlands here on Saturday, but the victory might not be enough to keep Mark Hughes in a job.

Hughes’s future as City manager has been the subject of intense debate since Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Tottenham, which meant that the club had won only once in 10 Premier League matches.

And even during Saturday’s amazing game the speculation continued, with reports coming out of Italy that the former Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini is close to a deal to replace the Welshman.

During the match, City announced that they would be calling a news conference for 1930GMT on Saturday.

Hughes took the City job in June 2008 and last week said he was targeting Liverpool’s place in the top four.

But despite only seeing his side lose twice on the Premier League stage this season, it appears time is running out for him.

Hughes, who left out Emmanuel Adebayor and Robinho from his line up, has been here before.

After being held 1-1 by Hull City three weeks ago, City’s seventh successive draw in the league, there was widespread speculation about his future.

Yet back-to-back victories over Arsenal in the League Cup and Chelsea appeared to silence the doubters before the tame surrender at Tottenham turned the visit of Sunderland into a must-win match for the manager.

And for the first 15 minutes events appeared to be going well for Hughes as his side raced into a 2-0 lead.

The hosts went ahead in the fourth minute, Santa Cruz netting his first league goal in a City shirt following a sweeping move involving Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy.

Hughes, who spent the entire game standing in his technical area, expressed no emotion whatsoever and he again had a blank look when Tevez doubled the lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later after Nyron Nosworthy clipped Bellamy just inside the area.

Tevez had pleaded with the club’s owners before the game to keep faith with Hughes, the Argentina international insisting he is “100 percent” behind the manager.

And, after a short delay, the striker did his bit by keeping his composure to beat keeper Marlon Fulop, Tevez’s ninth goal for the club.

Seemingly cruising towards three points, City saw goalkeeper Shay Given fishing the ball out of his net after John Mensah’s header went unchallenged following a 16th minute cross by Andy Reid.

Suddenly, the confidence seeped from City and Sunderland drew level in the 24th minute.

Once again City only had themselves to blame after a mistake by Kolo Toure allowed Jordan Henderson to rifle in an equaliser.

Hughes was furious and even Bellamy’s sixth goal for his club this season, which made it 3-2 in the 35th minute, failed to change his mood.

Bellamy, one of Hughes’s most loyal lieutenants, restored the lead with a crisp shot after a low cross by Shaun Wright-Phillips.

City piled forward in an attempt to kill the game but another chaotic piece of defending allowed Sunderland to make it 3-3 in the 62nd minute.

Substitute Kenwyne Jones was allowed to ghost in and head past Given from close range from Henderson’s cross.

Fortunately for the hosts Sunderland’s defence was as porous as City’s and in a crazy game, played amid falling snow, Santa Cruz stabbed home after good work by substitute Pablo Zabaleta and Gareth Barry.

Sunderland finished with 10 men after Michael Turner was shown a straight red card for elbowing Barry in stoppage time.