Shaun Goater scored a last-gasp goal - his first in the English Premiership this season - which secured ten-man Manchester City a point against Blackburn Rovers yesterday.

City had been 2-0 down to their Lancashire rivals but Frenchman Nicolas Anelka pulled a goal back 11 minutes from time.

Then with the clock running down the Bermudian scored in typical Goater fashion, his shot going into the net off defender Lucas Neill and goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

The day had not started well for City with the announcement that Irish international defender Richard Dunne had been suspended by the club for "a serious breach of conduct", and matters got even worse when they went two down and had firebrand Australian Danny Tiatto sent off for stamping on Rovers' David Thompson after 67 minutes.

Tiatto had only been introduced off the bench along with Goater six minutes earlier as City sought to correct the damage brought about by goals from Thompson and Andy Cole.

It marked the third time in three games that the Blues had had a player dismissed.

The unlikely fightback began with Anelka netting and was completed when Sylvain Distin pulled the ball back for Goater to send the fans at Maine Road into raptures.

"When Danny got sent off it was always going to be an uphill battle," said Goater afterwards. "But it gave us a kick up the backside."

City boss Kevin Keegan said he would fine disgraced Tiatto as much as he was allowed and compared his character with that of Goater.

"The contrast between the attitudes of Shaun Goater and Danny Tiatto couldn't have been more marked. Shaun has more of a case for being annoyed than Danny," he said, referring to the player being left on the bench so far this season. "But he came on with a positive approach, which is exactly what I expected."

City are 11th with seven points from their opening six games. Their next game is against bottom of the table West Ham next weekend.

Macclesfield manager Dave Moss has laid down the gauntlet to Kyle Lightbourne telling the Bermudian striker: Show me your worth.

Transfer-listed Lightbourne scored a sublime goal in Macclesfield's 4-1 rout of Barnsley in the Worthington Cup last week and his performance has earned the boss' praise.

It is a far cry from Moss' condemnation of the player earlier in the season.

"Kyle's attitude has been good but his performances have been too patchy," he said after the loss to Lincoln some weeks ago. "I thought he was very poor even in the win against Hartlepool.

"He's not worth a place in the starting line-up but I may continue to use him as an option to come on later in the game from the bench."

Contrast those comments with his assessment of the player following the Cup win.

"Kyle was magnificent," Moss purred. "His confidence has returned. He's showing me and the crowd just what he can do now . . . I think he can expect a run in the team."

Lightbourne was given a standing ovation by the home crowd when he came off at end of the Barnsley game, but Moss said there was still some work to be done.

"Players can flatter to deceive," he said. "Now he must continue to produce the goods."

Macclesfield lost 1-0 at Southend on Saturday with Lightbourne having his side's best chance in the 31st minute when his eight-yard strike was cleared off the line.