The fallout from Manchester City’s guilty verdict on 114 out of 115 charges has cast a negative cloud over the Premier League and the entire footballing world. Liverpool’s fanbase has used this as fuel, showing their disdain for Manchester City as well as their pride in the club, emphasising the fact that we have won it all “without cheating”. Scarves with “cheats” printed in bold were simple but powerful. The fans were vocal before kick-off, and this energy translated directly onto the pitch.

Credits: BBC

Story of the Match

A strong sense of pride was shown by the crowd and was directly channelled by our players, who were raring to go from the outset. There were widespread boos every time City touched the ball, and in the first five minutes they were backed into a corner. Unable to build any attacks, City found the direct approach from the Reds suffocating.

Victor Munoz played a large role in the early stages, showing some great energy and being very direct going forward. Koumas was also proving to be a nuisance up top, revelling in the occasion and holding the ball up very well. Inevitably, the high tensions pulsating through Anfield were going to warrant a response on the pitch, and a small brawl broke out after a challenge on Koumas by Ruben Dias. City may have been notably nervous due to the occasion, but they were certainly putting up a fight.

The early dominance was so suffocating that, even though City began to get on the ball more, they couldn’t progress very far, and they had 0 final-third touches in the first 10 minutes. The connection between the midfield and attack for City was stifled due to the suffocating pressure from our midfield trio.

Mac Allister and Gravenberch were both very eager to get the ball back, and at the heart of the midfield you could tell that the team wanted to strike early and capitalise on the momentum they’d come into the game with. Gravenberch continued this momentum with a powerful stride that led to a chance on goal. Confidence and power were being displayed, which was very refreshing to see. The players were enjoying their football, which has been dearly missed.

Rayan Cherki showed that the game could turn at any moment due to the sheer quality at City’s disposal, and he showed some threat going forward. Antoine Semenyo has also been a good outlet, and Araujo hasn’t handled him very well defensively, allowing him to get to the byline too quickly. From early on, we looked vulnerable out wide. Even though our midfield was solid, the game was decided by how well City utilised their wingers.

Jeremy Jacquet has been strong in his tackles, carrying on his strong form. He has truly benefited from partnering with Van Dijk in defence, picking up on the captain’s composure. Van Dijk has been level-headed and reliable as usual, and his instincts as captain were on display. He was pushing forward from defence to help the front line press Man City’s defence whilst they were on the ball, sensing that an error was on the cards. He was right, as his pressure led to a defensive mistake and a pass in behind to Munoz. The Reds were knocking on the door.

Munoz’s strength and forward runs have been a nightmare for City, consistently making himself available as an option for attacks. His quick feet and ability to shift the ball into space after beating his defender allowed him to create chances, and he registered a strong shot on target.

Erling Haaland was living on an island for the majority of the first half and had no service, being very well contained by the defence. Nothing seemed to be going City’s way, and the frustration began to come out in more aggressive challenges from their players, with Elliot Anderson making harsh tackles on Mac Allister and Wirtz. City were forced to shoot from outside the box, with Semenyo shooting wildly over the bar and Enzo registering City’s first shot on target.

Liverpool were not perfect either, as there was a lack of imagination and decisiveness from Bradley, who has been disappointing overall, failing to decide when one-on-one on the wing, getting the ball stuck between his feet and making panicked decisions. Good build-up play is helpful, but for domination in possession to be effective, attackers need to create chances when in the final third, and this has failed to happen.

Credits: BBC

The second half started with Liverpool coming out on top again with 3 shots in 51 seconds. The attacks were relentless, and this time Donnarumma was being tested. At the other end of the pitch, Araujo was still struggling with Semenyo when City did manage to go forward. Even though Liverpool were dominating, there were signs that City could capitalise on a counter-attack if the defensive lapses continued. Haaland does not need many touches of the ball to be a threat, and his shot that narrowly missed the target was a haunting warning.

Ultimately, too many chances were wasted, and by the hour mark they should have been 2-0 up. After Gravenberch was shown a second yellow after a tackle on Doku, albeit a very harsh decision, their complacency in front of goal proved to be damning. Resilience and strong character needed to be shown with a man down, and even though the squad worked hard, the loss of Gravenberch was a catalyst for complete capitulation.

Nyoni came on for Florian Wirtz, who is beginning to be a concern. A mixed first season is forgivable, but he hasn’t been able to be what the team needs. We are crying out for a creative playmaker, and he routinely fails to meet the club’s standard.

Doku came on for Ndiaye and attacked Araujo directly, sensing that he might not be up for the challenge. After a shot was deflected, Haaland was lurking in the box and capitalised on the loose ball with a resounding finish. We were immediately punished after going a man down, a devastating turn in the game.

The Final Whistle

Shortly afterwards, Doku scored to make it 2-0, cutting in strongly and finishing with finesse after attacking Munoz, who gave him too much time and space. The red card caused a shift, which was expected, but Doku has been electric since coming on.

Man City were playing with luxury and time on the ball, creating triangles around the box. A beautiful dummy by Cherki allowed him to find space and finish off an exceptional goal, as he was poised in front of goal, making it 3-0.

The chances you miss are the goals that get scored against you, and Liverpool’s wastefulness came back to bite them. After a tough red-card decision, Man City’s strength going forward proved to be too overpowering.

Player Ratings

Allison – 6

Araujo – 5

Jacquet – 6.5

Van Dijk – 7

Kerkez – 7

Gravenberch – 7.5 

MacAllister – 6.5

Barcola – 5.5

Wirtz – 5

Munoz – 7.5 

Koumas – 6.5