2012–13 Manchester City F.C. season

The 2012–13 season was Manchester City Football Club's 111th season of competitive football, 84th season in the top flight of English football and 16th season in the Premier League.

Season summary
Manchester City began the season as defending champions, clinching their first Premier League title and third top-flight title overall after a dramatic win on the final day of the previous season.

In the Premier League, they finished 11 points behind champions and local rivals Manchester United and were eliminated from the League Cup in the third round by Aston Villa. The club played in the UEFA Champions League for the third time and only the second since the competition was rebranded in 1992, and were drawn in a group with Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax. Quickly labelled the "group of death", City went winless in the group – recording three draws and three defeats – and finished bottom, failing to advance either to the knockout stages or the Europa League.

On 14 April 2013, Manchester City defeated holders Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals and reached the final where they would face relegated Wigan Athletic. It was City's tenth final appearance and second in three years (after their triumph over Stoke City in 2011). The final was played on 11 May, where City suffered a shock 1–0 defeat at the hands of the Latics due to a late goal from Ben Watson. Pablo Zabaleta was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, making him only the third player to be dismissed in a final. As a result, City ended their season without any silverware, with the exception of the Community Shield at the beginning of the season.

On 13 May 2013, two days after the FA Cup final defeat, Roberto Mancini was sacked from his role as manager after a three-and-a-half-year tenure, with Manchester City stating that he had "failed to achieve any of the club's targets, with the exception of qualification for next season's Champions League". His assistant, Brian Kidd, took charge until the end of the season.

Kits
Supplier: Umbro / Sponsor: Etihad Airways

Kit information
Umbro made their last kits for Manchester City this season.


 * Home: The home kit featured black trimmings, inspired by Manchester City's first ever home kit when it became known as West Gorton in 1884.


 * Away: The away kit was officially called "zinfandel", an attractive shade of maroon with golden trimmings.


 * Third: The third kit was black with shadow stripes and sky blue accents.


 * Keeper: The three goalkeeper kits were green, purple and yellow.

Points breakdown
Points at home: 45 Points away from home: 33

Points against 2011–12 Top Four: 10 Points against promoted teams: 13


 * 6 points: Aston Villa, Fulham, Newcastle United, Reading, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic
 * 4 points: Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City, Swansea City, West Ham United, Chelsea
 * 3 points: Norwich City, Southampton, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United


 * 2 points: Liverpool


 * 1 point: Everton

Biggest &amp; smallest
Biggest home win: 5–0 vs. Aston Villa, 17 November 2012 Biggest home defeat: 2–3 vs. Norwich City (19 May 2013) and vs. Manchester United (9 December 2012) Biggest away win: 4 by a 2-goal margin Biggest away defeat: 3 by a 2-goal margin

Biggest home attendance: 47,386 vs. Everton, 1 December 2012 Smallest home attendance: 45,579 vs. Queens Park Rangers, 1 September 2012 Biggest away attendance: 75,498 vs. Manchester United, 8 April 2013 Smallest away attendance: 19,623 vs. Wigan Athletic, 28 November 2012

Player statistics – overall
Appearances include all competitive league and cup appearances, including as substitute.

Playing statistics
Appearances (Apps) numbers are for appearances in competitive games only, including sub appearances. Red card numbers denote: numbers in parentheses represent red cards overturned for wrongful dismissal.

Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


 * Last updated on 19 May 2013

PFA Team of the Year
The combined best 11 from all teams in the Premier League chosen by the PFA.

Premier League Golden Glove award
Awarded to the goalkeeper who kept the most clean sheets over the 2012–13 Premier League season.

Etihad Player of the Year
Based on votes polled by official supporters' clubs and fans online.

Etihad Player of the Month awards
Awarded to the player that receives the most votes in a poll conducted each month on the official website of Manchester City.