Liverpool were left bitterly disappointed as Manchester
City snatched a draw at Anfield in a game the Reds really should have won.
After City dominated the first 15 minutes, Liverpool took
control and opened the scoring with Martin Skrtel’s thumping header 11 minutes
before half time. An error from Martin Kelly got City back in the game on the
63rd minute as Yaya Toure turned the ball into the net.
The score was not level for long, as it took only three minutes
for Suarez to curl in a sublime free-kick after former Evertonian Jack Rodwell
had blocked a shot with his hands. However, any hopes of coming away with three
points were dashed as Skrtel played a blind back-pass to Reina, which Carlos
Tevez pounced on and slotted into an open net after rounding the goalkeeper.
It was a harsh lesson for Liverpool’s defensive unit to
learn, as two individual mistakes essentially cost the entire team the three
points. There was nothing wrong with the general play or the tactics; it was
just lapses in concentration which cost them.
Brendan Rodgers would have been pleased to see the team
embracing his style of football as the Reds dominated possession for long
periods of play and pressured City extremely high up the field and winning the
ball back in the opposition half on numerous occasions.
Reina had a decent game in goal, fielding the ball well
and showing his excellent distribution. He flapped a bit at Tevez’s cross for
the first City goal but he could have done nothing about the second as he was
left completely exposed.
With Jose Enrique still struggling with his fitness
levels and named on the bench, Kelly again deputized at right-back with Glen
Johnson moving to left-back. Kelly struggled against West Brom last week but
got an excellent assist in midweek against Hearts, which seems to have done him
the world of good. He was much more confident against City, and his mistake
aside, he had a good game. Johnson also had a very good game down the left-hand
side of defense until Enrique came on and he was moved to right-back. His
calmness on the ball is remarkable and he has a deceptive turn of pace.
Martin Skrtel will have mixed feelings about the game
after scoring an emphatic header only to cancel it out with his poor back-pass.
Still, he was composed and solid at the back against a very potent City
strike-force. Sebastian Coates was named ahead of Jamie Carragher and he
justified Rodgers’ faith in him by hardly putting a foot wrong all game while
looking like he belonged in the Liverpool back line.
Liverpool’s midfield was dealt a blow only 4 minutes into
the game with Lucas hobbling off due to a thigh injury to be replaced by
youngster Jonjo Shelvey. Joe Allen was immediately pushed back into the more
defensive role in midfield and did it with aplomb. Allen was undoubtedly man of
the match, only giving away the ball on one or two occasions over the entire 90
minutes. His incisive passing both kept the team ticking and kick-started
attacks. He is already making himself a firm fan favorite.
Shelvey was much improved after his midweek performance against
Hearts as he competed well with the City midfield and his passing was
excellent. He still looks slightly raw and is too rash in the tackle, but he
will become a top player once he matures. Steven Gerrard was also much improved
after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to West Brom last week. He whipped in some
absolutely delightful crosses and was always desperate to get attacks moving.
The big shock in the line-up was a first league start for
17-year-old Raheem Sterling. Many fans questioned whether a high-profile game
such as this one had come too early for the starlet, but he did himself proud
and gave the likes of Stewart Downing some food for thought. He constantly took
on his man, be it Pablo Zabaleta or Kolo Toure, and whipped in some very
dangerous crosses – one of which Fabio Borini should have finished. Sterling
ran the City defense ragged and showed that he deserves to be considered for
every first team game.
Suarez, aside from his sumptuous goal, had a fairly
frustrating afternoon. He saw a lot of the ball but was quickly pressured by
the City back-line and lost possession more often than not. He tried his best
to make something happen out of tight situations but overall he struggled for
once. Borini again played on the right hand side of the attack, and he once
again worked his socks off for the team. However, he still looked slightly out
of place playing out wide, with many fans calling for him to be played through
the middle with Suarez out wide.
In the end it was a disappointing result but many fans
would have taken a draw before the game. The atmosphere was electric and the
entire team showed a real willingness to win the game, something that wasn’t on
show against West Brom. Nuri Sahin must be delighted with what he saw, and once
those final few additions are made to the line-up Liverpool will surely start
putting teams to bed.
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