Does Raheem really deserve an increase in pounds Sterling?

By Emmanuel Phillips

Does Raheem Sterling really deserve parity with Daniel Sturridge?  It seems £100,000 per week is too low for the England International despite a £65,000 per week pay hike.

Since taking over from Hicks and Gillet, John W Henry and his Fenway Sports Group cohorts have placed a firm hand on the tiller implementing financial controls inside Liverpool Football Club to pull it back from brink of collapse.

It’s meant a lot of soul searching in moving on older players and instilling a belief system in young players coming through the ranks, bringing in players like Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge who career wise had failed to fulfil their promise and implement a style of play which means that pace, skill and technique are the key ingredients throughout the club.

Sturridge is a top quality goal scorer and in a sport where goal scorers pay the rent heads the pay scales.

With Suarez having moved on the ex-Chelsea and Man City forward was the automatic selection to be Anfield’s new King.   But, as good as Sturridge undoubtedly is as a striker and very skilful footballer, the one thing missing from his make-up is a robustness to get through a progranme of games without injury.  His Liverpool career has so far been littered with finicky injuries (14 at the last count) and Brendan Rodgers will have to buy-in some top class support and cover.

Sturridge’s problems this season have hastened the progress of Sterling with the youngster exhibiting talents in a multitude of positions and literally carrying Liverpool on his shoulders in the first half of the season.

The difficulty for the club is that they on the verge of breaking through to the top table with Europe’s elite clubs and cannot afford to let Sterling move on.   The football club doesn’t want to be a hostage to fortune, but the player and his advisers know they hold all the aces which is almost certainly the reason why contract negotiations are on the back burner until the end of the season.

It’s a fallacy that a destructive talent like Sterling is often asked to play at wing-back when a position more further up the pitch or centrally seems s better fit, but on the other hand should Raheem not play where he is asked?

In the last decade Liverpool have lost a succession of top players, but to lose a player they have groomed from the age of 15 would be a hammer blow.  We have struggled to buy top class players over the years, thus the loss of Sterling is incalculable to our future and even a transfer fee of £70 -80 million sends out the wrong signals.

The answer is yes, like it or not, Liverpool have to pay the player what he wants because in terms of ability it will cost much more to replace a player who will only improve and the thinking should be to improve the squad with top class players to play alongside him.

The transfer committee’s policy has brought Liverpool close to success without the celebratory cigar and Champions League football is a key ingredient for the club to remain on target and continue to be a cogent force in enticing world-class players to the club.

It is imperative that Champion’s League qualification is achieved.  If not, then the likes of Sterling, Henderson and Coutinho must stay at the club and if that means paying top dollar to achieve it then so be it.   In addition, with a fit Daniel Sturridge this is Liverpool’s future and I believe the board must change the dynamic and increase the parameters of their transfer policy to add world class talent to the core we already have the club.

The loss to Man United was a devastating blow.  It put us firmly on the back foot and as a consequence we are now without Gerrard, Skrtel and Sturridge going forward which once again puts into focus just how much we rely on the talented feet of Sterling who will now probably lead the line until the end of the season which says a lot about the supporting cast of Balotelli, Lambert and Borini.

Liverpool 1 Man United 2: Gerrard sorry for moment of madness which sees Liverpool lose ground

We knew it would take a big performance to win this game, but what we weren’t prepared for was for the majority of the game it would be us chasing shadows as Man United controlled huge chunks of possession with Liverpool unable to lay a figurative glove on the away side.  Van Gaal’s side targeted Emre Can with the aerial threat of Fellaini and using the Swansea template to squeeze Liverpool.

It was a game that Man United deserve to win, but in saying that throughout all their domination, Lallana’s miss was a key moment in the game.  Liverpool counter-attacked, Henderson delivered a glorious curling ball into Sturridge who cushioned his pass into the path on the oncoming Henderson to unbelievably shoot wide from close range.  A goal at that stage will have stung United after dictating play for so long and on the cusp of half-time.

United scored the type of goal the Anfield throng have been used to over the past two seasons.  A killer through ball by Herraira inside Moreno with Skrtel playing Mata onside and the ex-Chelsea player expertly putting Man United into the lead.   In a match where the atmosphere is usually fever pitched Man United quietened the home crowd to a large extent throughout the half.

Liverpool came into the game in the final ten minutes of the half, but Mata’s goal and Lallana’s miss were the only real chances of the first-half.

The need to regain control of the game forced Rodgers to bring on Steven Gerrard for Adam Lallana. 

Liverpool needed a Captain Fantastic performance in the country’s biggest derby.  What we got was a rash stamp by Gerrard on Herreira within 40 seconds of his entrance and a red card to leave his team a goal down and full half of football to play without him.

Understandably, Gerrard will have wanted to pick his team up by the scruff of the neck and he did with his first tackle on Mata, but Liverpool now languish some 5 points behind Man United without his input for the next three games, the next of which is against Arsenal.

Philippe Coutinho fired in a couple of long range shots to keep De Gea on his mettle, but on 56 minutes Mata took the game away from Liverpool with a stunning goal of unadulterated class.

Mata played a short pass into Di Maria who returned the favour with a floated pass back to Mata, undetected by Moreno the Spaniard acrobatically volleyed into the corner of the net past Mignolet.  It was a crushing blow and Rodgers realising the game was slipping away brought on Balotelli for Moreno.

Man United sat back allowing Liverpool possession and with very little pressure on the ball Coutinho was allowed time and space to fine Sturridge in a goal scoring position for the first time.  The striker fired in a shot which took a slight deflection of Jones past De Gea.

If Liverpool fans were thinking game on with 20 minutes to go, they were to be disappointed.  The game petered out with Man United playing within themselves for a well-deserved win and leaving Liverpool to look back on a sub-standard first-half performance and Steven Gerrard on an unbelievable moment of madness which leaves Liverpool a lot to do to gain a Champions League place.

Man of match:  Daniel Sturridge – lived off scraps with very little supply, but his deft pass should have seen Lallana equalise and like the top class finisher he is with his first real chance breathed life back into Liverpool.

Critical eye:  Liverpool were unbelievably poor in the half, lacking intensity and time and again failed to contain the threat of Marouane Fellaini in the air and his strength on the ground.  It took 35 minutes for Liverpool to get into the game and in a game of few chances Lallana missed a glorious chance to go into the interval all-square.

One felt Liverpool lacked impetus and a cutting edge with Sterling languishing out on the right and it was surprising Brendan Rodgers chose to leave out Markovic for Lallana or using the option of Johnson to help with the threat of Fellaini.

The Liverpool midfield was disappointing.  Their inability to cope was one of the prime reasons Liverpool were unable to get a foothold and as good as Joe Allen has been lately he may well be looking over his shoulder with the returning Lucas as was caught on the ball a tad too often.

I have often supported Mario Balotelli on here, but he unwillingness to ‘bust a gut’ for the cause with his team one man down was disappointing.  With Man United looking to run down the clock he could often being seen sauntering around the middle when we required all hands to the pump. 

Time maybe running down on his Anfield career if it hasn’t already.

Line-ups:

Liverpool starting formation 3-4-3

22 Mignolet, 23 Emre Can, 37 Skrtel, 17 Mamadou Sakho, 31 Sterling, 14 Henderson, 24 Allen, 18 Moreno (Balotelli - 66 mins), 20 Lallana (Gerrard – 45 mins), 15 Sturridge, 10 Coutinho

Substitutes: 1 Jones, 2 Johnson, 4 Kolo Toure, 8 Gerrard, 9 Lambert, 21 Lucas, 45 Mario Balotelli

Man United 4-1-4-1

1 De Gea, 25 Antonio Valencia, 12 Smalling, 4 Jones, 17 Blind (Rojo – 90+4 mins), 16 Carrick, 8 Mata, 21 Herrera (Falcao – 83 mins), 31 Fellaini, 18 Young (Angel di Maria – 55 mins), 10 Rooney

Substitutes: 32 Valdes, 2 Rafael, 5 Rojo, 7 Angel di Maria, 9 Falcao, 11 Januzaj, 44 Pereira

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Attendance: 44,405

Steven Gerrard comments: "I need to accept it, the decision was right. I have let my team-mates and manager down today, even more importantly I let all the supporters down and I take full responsibility for my action."

"I tried to jump his tackle, I saw his studs and I reacted wrong. I've been in the game long enough to know when you do something like that, especially at the timing of the game, at half-time with 45 to play, a great opportunity to get back in the game, I take full responsibility for it."

Asked what caused his anger to boil over, Gerrard added: "I don't know. Probably, just the reaction to the initial tackle, I don't think I should say too much more on it, I came to speak to apologise to everyone in the dressing room, all the supporters, all the players because I take full responsibility for today's result."

Swansea 0 Liverpool 1: Henderson fluke secures hard earned win over Swans

By David Douglas (dedlfc)

With Man Utd and Arsenal both winning over the weekend, Liverpool approached the game knowing a win was vitally important to keep the pressure on in our chase for a top four place.

The team selection saw the return of Mamadou Sakho to the starting line-up for the first time since his injury alongside the recently concussed Martin Skrtel.  Emre Can re-joined the more experienced pair in the back three for a defensive selection not witnessed since the home victory against Besiktas in the Europa League.  Steven Gerrard returned to the squad after a month out injured and Mario Balotelli missed out owing to illness.

We initially pressed hard in the first ten minutes and it was quite impressive but were unable to sustain as the home gained an impressive foothold.  Swansea City had the better of the early exchanges but not by too much.

We remained disciplined in defence without offering much in attack as the intensity in our pressing dropped.  Swansea increased their territorial advantage and possession, beginning to squeeze the tempo out of Liverpool and our only shot of worth in the opening half hour amounted to little more than Daniel Sturridge's scuffed effort from 20 yards early on.

Simon Mignolet was forced into fine action saving from Bafetimbi Gomis on 31 minutes and Gylfi Sigurdsson on 38 minutes, keeping Liverpool in the game.  In between, good football from the home side ended with a shot over from Sigurdsson.  Swansea were dangerous and pushed for the opening goal approaching the interval.

Half-time thoughts: We were fortunate to be level but still had not conceded a goal away since the disappointing trip to Old Trafford in mid-December.

Swansea were the better side, controlled the game, and had the better chances.  Simon Mignolet was the busier keeper and we were somewhat sloppy in possession and our game play was too slow and lethargic.

Jordan Henderson does it again

Ki Sung-Yeung and Jack Cork impressed in midfield with our 3-4-3 formation unable to pose a problem tactically for Swansea.

A cagey first five minutes of the second half was followed by a more enterprising and alert performance from our lads and for ten minutes or so before a brief lull with Raheem Sterling now causing problems for Neil Taylor down our right as Swansea started to misplace a few passes.  Sterling's cut back to Philippe Coutinho resulted in a smart save by Lukasz Fabianksi at his near post on 58 minutes.

Steven Gerrard was introduced with around 25 minutes to go as Brendan Rodgers sought inspiration from our club legend.  Four minutes later, Liverpool were ahead through a bit of good fortune but a goal had been coming.  Jordan Henderson was the beneficiary as a defensive clearance bounced off his shins and into the net after being put through by a clever Sturridge through ball.  

Sturridge, showing his full-repertoire outside the box, played in Sterling who clipped his shot over when he should have done better.

The last ten minutes were a little tense as Jefferson Montero brought troubling pace and trickery from the bench against a less than composed Emre Can.  Steven Gerrard's experience and composure was useful with his range of passing helping Liverpool to control possession alongside the impressive Joe Allen.  Sterling continued to be a reliable and regular out ball on the Liverpool's right.   

Liverpool were unlucky not double their lead after a late counter attack saw Sturridge feigning to go left in the area before delicately clipping the ball passed the defender in front of him to clip the post and going wide.  We saw out the rest of the game and now have the visit of our hated rivals on Sunday to get us into prime spot for the top four place we are working so hard for. 

Full-time thoughts:- 

Our control from half time was impressive and was a credit to our manager changing the formation into a diamond to mirror Swansea and gain control of the game.

We had to really fight hard for that win, but again showed we have the character, resilience and determination to win and what a big win this could turn out to be in the context of our season.

Man Utd next in our biggest home game of the season – let’s keep this winning run going.

Man of the match - Simon Mignolet - made two vital saves in the first half to keep us in the game at half-time. 

Although, Brendan Rodgers deserves an honourable mention having shown the flexibility and adaptability to change his formation and has imbedded a hard working veneer to his side which makes difficult fixtures away fixtures winnable

In the 13 league games since the calamity of losing at Old Trafford in December, Brendan Rodgers side have won 10 and drawn three and formidably have not conceded a goal in their last six away games equalling the club record set some 43 years ago under the great Bill Shankly.

Swansea: Fabianski, Naughton, Amat, Williams, Taylor, Ki (Dyer 80), Cork, Shelvey, Gomis, Sigurdsson (Emnes 89) Routledge (Montero 73).

Subs Not Used: Britton, Nelson Oliveira, Rangel, Tremmel.

Liverpool: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Sakho, Lallana (Johnson 88), Henderson, Allen, Moreno, (Gerrard 64), Sterling, Sturridge, Coutinho.

Subs Not Used: Jones, Toure, Lovren, Lambert, Markovic.

Booked: Henderson, Sterling, Moreno.

Goals: Henderson 68.

Attendance: 20,828

Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)

Manager's views:-

Rodgers said: "It was a wonderful demonstration of the character and resilience in the team, especially [after] how we played in the first half.

"Any system you play in the game doesn't work unless you have that ability to work, and we just weren't anywhere near it in the first half. But that resilience and character kept us in the game.

"We knew we were going to be better in the second half, we changed the structure of the team a little bit and then I thought in the second half we really dominated the game."

Expanding upon his analysis, the boss added: "People who know me and have watched my teams regularly from when I was a youth coach, my teams have played 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 diamond.

"Everybody talks about fourth but it was the same last year - we want to do the best we can do and I think Manchester City's result at the weekend gives us an opportunity to finish second.

"Our growing maturity, and the run we are on and the confidence it is building, we can take that into the games that are left and see where it takes us."

Liverpool 0 Blackburn Rovers 0: Blackburn hustle and harry to gain well deserved replay

Seventy per cent of the ball and 21 shots, but by full-time the telling fact was that Liverpool were unable to break down a stubborn and well-structured Blackburn who came to Anfield with a game plan to deny Liverpool space in key areas and stuck to it to such an extent that by the end Raheem Sterling cut a frustrated figure after being well marshalled by Conway and Henley.

Liverpool went into the game without Allen (rested) and Moreno (bench) one wondered whether there was necessity to change a winning team following the ease which Brendan Rodgers side summarily dispatched Burnley.

The suited Steven Gerrard watched on from the stands potentially only two games away from the finality of a goodbye game at Wembley.

Rodgers may now be wishing he’d rested arguably his must effective player of the season Martin Skrtel after he suffered concussion following a heavy fall after a mid-air challenge from Rudy Gestede.

If Liverpool’s players had thoughts of an easy ride, Blackburn victors over Swansea and Stoke made their intensions known from start pressuring at the choke points, through Liverpool’s key plays and allowing the less cultural players time on the ball.   Gestede proved a constant threat aerially throughout.

Concern as Martin Skrtel lies injured     Picture by Jan Thomson

A whipped in ball caused Glenn Johnson playing as the right sided centre-half to chest just past his own upright with Mignolet scrambling to cover.  Another slick move from left to right saw Cairney leave Glen Johnson for dead with a superb dummy and Kilgallon shooting wide.

If Liverpool were fast and sure of themselves against Burnley, against Blackburn they were ineffectual and ponderous on the ball lacking speed and movement to stretch a methodical Blackburn midfield and defence from enveloping their creative flow.

Markovic was one of the main culprits, giving away cheap ball on too many occasions and for some reason shying away from attacking the full-back in one on one situations.

Sturridge, starved of quality ball, found himself some room after being found by Sterling before seeing his powerful shot palmed away by Eastwood.

Baptiste then saw his header from a Blackburn corner brilliantly tipped over by Mignolet at full stretch as the ball looped over the head of Lallana on the line.

Liverpool then should have taken the lead when Kolo Toure latched on to Coutinho’s free-kick whipped in from the left only to head against the outside of the post from barely five yards.

It was as close as Liverpool were to get struggling to adapt to the close attention they received throughout.  Becoming impatient they punted aimless balls forward with Lallana and moreover Sterling frustrated by the lack of room being double-teamed time and again.

Man of the Match: Simon Mignolet – Overcame some sticky early moments to produce a stunning save to stop Liverpool going one down.

Critical eye: Brendan Rodgers was totally out manoeuvred by Gary Bowyer who came to Anfield prepared to do a job on the home team, but also to get forward and score if the chance presented itself.  Rodgers apart from bringing on Mario Balotelli, failed to adapt his formation and tactics to deal with the different problems manifesting themselves from a very fit and extremely well organised Blackburn team who deserved a replay.

Brendan Rodgers comments suggest that his premier defender Martin Skrtel is okay and his treatment was more about following procedures.  Hopefully, that is the case because one wouldn’t want to depend to readily on Lovren and Glen Johnson for the rest of the season.

For Liverpool it’s a disappointed result which adds another game on to a congested fixture list, but with Wembley so close we can have few complaints.

Teams:

Liverpool: 22 Mignolet, 2 Johnson, 37 Skrtel, (Kolo Toure – 11 mins), 6 Lovren, 50 Markovic (Balotelli – 59 mins), 23 Can, 14 Henderson, 31 Sterling, 20 Lallana, 15 Sturridge, 10 Coutinho

Substitutes: 4 Kolo Toure, 9 Lambert, 17 Sakho, 18 Moreno, 45 Balotelli, 49 Williams, 52 Ward

Blackburn Rovers: 13 Eastwood, 2 Henley, 15 Baptiste, 4 Kilgallon, 14 Olsson, 17 Williamson, 29 Evans, 32 Conway, 10 Cairney 12 Marshall (Taylor – 68 mins), 39 Gestede

Substitutes: 3 Spurr, 9 Brown, 11, Rhodes, 19 Taylor, 23 Henry, 26 Lenihan, 30 Steele

Referee: Andre Marriner

Attendance: 43,820

Liverpool 2 Burnley 0: Henderson the decisive factor

If Champions League football is to grace Anfield for the second successive season Brendan Rodgers side may just have to do their own ground work.   In addition to Southampton’s win the previous evening, the remaining six of the top seven all won.

Liverpool made only one change with Sturridge starting ahead of Markovic.  The striker linked up with Raheem Sterling and Adam Lalllana in the opening minute before firing in a shot from 12 yards which Heaton brilliantly pushed round the post.

Burnley showed enough early on to ensure it would not be a total walk over, but Liverpool controlled possession without much goal threat from away team and the Liverpool linked Danny Ings.

Liverpool were carrying the threat and Henderson’s first time volley from Heaton’s punch following Coutinho’s free-kick flashed over.   The England midfielder was a man on a mission, receiving Sterling pass he shot was tipped around the corner by the busy Heaton.

Henderson would not be denied and in the last few games has really taken on the mantle from his club captain.  Coutinho ducking in from the left saw his shot blocked by Keane, latching on to the breaking ball Henderson in a style and technique comparable to that of Steven Gerrard against Olympiakos, hit a blistering strike on the half-volley fading away from Heaton into the net.   Henderson is excelling in all facets of his game and the confidence is exuding through his passing and in particular his shooting.

Liverpool were playing with ease and control.  Philippe Coutinho almost repeated his goal against Man City with a curling effort which only just failed to come back enough.   Burnley’s efforts to build any sort of momentum were limited by the domination of the Liverpool midfield.

Coutinho sent Sturridge through on goal only to see effort brilliantly blocked by Heaton and Joe Allen shot just over from nearly 35 yards.

If there was one gripe it was that with the chances amassed Liverpool should have been home and hosed and Brendan Rodgers would have felt ill at ease at the break.

Liverpool’s supremacy was unremitting in the second-half and it didn’t take long for driving force Jordan Henderson to show his class with a beautifully clipped ball to the back post for Sturridge to emphatically head past Heaton. 

Any hopes of a Burnley comeback disappeared with that goal although Sean Dyche’s side still had the occasional most moment.  Barnes pulled his shot wide of the goal after some decent build-up play. 

Make no mistake Burnley are a decent side and it doesn’t take any great stretch of the imagination to see them having some say in the fight for Champions League football.  Their next four games are against Man City, Southampton, Spurs and Arsenal and a win against one of these could hit hopes and help their own struggles toward survival.

Liverpool controlled the last half hour coasting through without much alarm.

Brendan Rodgers side have the momentum, unbeaten in 12 matches since the lost at Old Trafford and winning seven out of the last eight Premier League games.  Many will point to the return fixture against Man United as a crunch fixture, but its Blackburn next and chance put themselves firmly into the mix for a Wembley final.

Man of the Match: Jordan Henderson – Brilliant performance by the midfielder showing poise and power in abundance.  His goal was reminiscent of Gerrard’s explosive drive against Olympiakos and I can think of no bigger compliment than that.

Like Liverpool’s club captain he leads by example and as his manager remarked upon after the Man City game he is playing with an injured foot at the moment which says a lot about his mentality.  The cross for Sturridge’s goal showed vison and a lovely weight of touch and it demonstrates how much his game has developed beyond his renowned running power.

Critical eye:  Liverpool controlled Burnley from start to finish and if they had scored five it wouldn’t have flattered the score-line.  Sturridge getting on the score sheet will be a weight of his mind with his first League goal since the last day of January and he could so easily have scored two more.

Yet another clean sheet and the back three shackled the much vaunted and Liverpool linked Danny Ings, although he showed good close control and a willingness to run for loss causes.

The performance of Dejan Lovren will have done no harm in restoring his confidence.

Teams:

Liverpool 3-4-3

22 Mignolet, 23 Emre Can, 37 Martin Skrtel, 6 Dejan Lovren, 31 Raheem Sterling, 14 Jordan Henderson, 24 Joe Allen, 18 Alberto Moreno, 20 Adam Lallana, 15 Daniel Sturridge, 10 Philippe Coutinho

Substitutes: 2 Glen Johnson, 4 Kolo Toure, 9 Rickie Lambert, 45 Mario Balotelli, 49 Jordan Williams, 50 Lazar Markovic, 52 Danny Ward

Burnley 4-4-1-1

1 Tom Heaton, 2 Keiran Trippier, 25 Michael Keane, 5 Jason Shackell, 6 Ben Dee, 21 George Boyd, 14 David Jones, 37 Scott Arfield, 11 Michael Kightley, 30 Ashley Barnes, 10 Danny Ings

Substitutes: 4 Michael Duff, 7 Ross Wallace, 9 Sam Vokes, 18 Steven Reid, 19 Lukas Jutkiewicz, 22 Matthew Gilks, 23 Stephen Ward

Referee: Lee Mason

Attendance: 44,717

Liverpool 2 Man City 1: Dazzling Coutinho keeps Liverpool marching on

Following yesterday’s Global Scouse Day Liverpool served up dish of such high quality in the second-half that the home crowd were treated to a five star performance with Man City serve up on a platter.

Again without Gerrard and Lucas in the engine room Liverpool went into the game on the back of their disappointing and nonchalant Europa Cup exit knowing that defeat was not an option if they were to keep up the pursuit in the race for a Champions League place.

Brendan Rodgers still keen on managing Daniel Sturridge starts after his long lay-off, hence the match-winning striker being benched.  Emre Can returned to the back three after flirting in a central midfield berth against Besiktas.

City looked impressive pressurising the Liverpool defence with their two man strike force of Aguero and Dzeko pressing high up the pitch.  Lovren looked shaky and team mates started slowly as if suffering the after effects from going out of the Europa Cup.

A wonderful ball by Coutinho sent Lallana through into the area to toe poke straight at Hart.  The move stung Liverpool into action as Coutinho picked up second phase ball on the left of the City area before firing in for Lallana to control, turn and strike from an acute angle only to see his goal struck off having been adjudged to have strayed into an off-side position.

Coutinho on his ‘A’ game nipped in to beat Kompany’s fly-hack before finding Sterling.  The Liverpool frontman passed to the supporting Henderson who cleverly used the defender in front of him as a shield before making room cut inside to curl an unerring shot into the top corner past the flailing Joe Hart.

City still looked potent in the final third and Silva found Aguero with a ball over the top causing Mignolet to hesitate and was lucky to see Aguero’s shot come back out of the inside of the post.  Liverpool played some intricate stuff led by Coutinho without being able to dominate as City began to control the game through David Silva floating between the midfield and attack and it was he who instigated the equaliser.

Picking up the ball centrally he glided in behind Jordan Henderson feeding Aguero running superbly between the lines and coming in from the right before slipping in Dzeko with a stunning reverse ball to shoot under Mignolet for a goal of pure class.  Emre Can in retrospect may wonder why he failed to cover Dzeko’s run in on goal.

At times it was a rear-guard action from Liverpool with City probing and oozing quality with their sensational movement.  But it was Liverpool who had the remaining chances in the half.  Lallana latched on to Markovic’s chipped pass over the defence to hit his half-volley just past the far post and with the half-time whistle beckoning an impressive move down the left flummoxed the City defence,  Sterling needing an instinctive strike over elaborated before seeing the chance of a strike snuffed out.

City almost snatched the lead in the first minute after the resumption.  The Argentinian assassin Aguero snaked in untracked to header Zabaleta’s cross past the upright.

Liverpool then proceeded to get a grip on the game dominating in midfield with Henderson and Allen coming to the fore.  In a season which has seen derided players Lucas, Mignolet and Sakho become integral parts of the team, Joe Allen who has been on the end of ferocious criticism, especially from this blogger, began to show some of the quality which his £15 million price tag more than hinted at.

The Liverpool front three of Sterling, Lallana and Coutinho were putting Man City in a world of hurt with movement, delicate touches and thrust making the City defence appear cumbersome and lethargic as if it was they and not Liverpool who played on Thursday.

Adam Lallana had a goal again chalked off after collecting Martin Skrtel’s header from Henderson’s free-kick and tucking the ball way on the far post after Skrtel was deemed to have infringed in extricating himself from some close attention.
The domination Liverpool were enjoying was now total with wave upon wave of attacks.  Silva and YaYa Toure who in the first-half were City’s creative force were now on the periphery of the game seeing very little of the game and being harassed by Liverpool’s Rottweiler’s pressing every which way.

City were being pushed back and forced into mistakes and Brendan Rodgers to his credit sensed that the away were there for taking.  Looking for the knockout blow Sturridge was sent to warm-up.

The goal when it came was good enough to win any game.  Sterling linked up with Coutinho on the left corner of the area, and his staccato stop start style bought him the space to cut in and deliver a rapier of a whipped shot which sped past Joe Hart in the corner of the net.  It was a goal only a very gifted individual could have manufactured.

Brilliant Coutinho electrifies Anfield

City realising the precariousness of the situation with their season now in possible freefall began to see more possession, Aguero always dangerous came close fizzing a shot across goal.

Then a moment which typified Liverpool’s hunger as Henderson hunted down Yaya Toure forcing the Ivory Coast captain to play an injudicious back pass which fell to Daniel Sturridge to shoot disappointingly wide.

Yaya Toure powered forward taking on the Liverpool midfield and central defence single-handed.  The result saw the ball somehow coming off a tackle to Silva who shot wide when a goal seemed the only possible result for a player of his quality.  With it went the last real opportunity of the match and a huge dent in City’s drive to take back to back Premiership titles back to the Etihad.

Liverpool, on the otherhand are gathering momentum at the right time and with three of their next four games at home are in the position to apply pressure to those ahead.

Man of the match:  Philippe Coutinho – Steven Gerrard throughout his time in the first team has for the most part been considered the heartbeat of the side.  At the moment when Liverpool are playing well the brilliant no 10 is the man with his hands on the tiller, prompting, probing and creating in the last third.   He is now delivering in spectacular style.

He was involved in everything that was good and the way he linked up with Lallana and Sterling, especially in the second-half was devastating and to which ends City had no answer.  His goal was brilliant and good enough to win any game and although his absence from the Besiktas was detrimental to the cause he seemed to benefit from the rest.

It was good to see Adam Lallana on top of his game and hopefully he can get some continuity into his Liverpool career by staying away from the injuries which have so far frustrated him and curtailed his progression.

The engine room of Henderson and Allen worked a treat, especially in the second-half and it was good to see the much maligned Allen produce a top-class performance helping to combat a physical and powerful Man City side.

Again, this was a Liverpool win without Gerrard, Lucas, Sakho and with Daniel Sturridge starting on the bench says a lot for Liverpool’s future with a starting eleven consisting of only one player, Skrtel, over the age of 26.

Teams:

Liverpool: 22 Mignolet, 23 Emre Can, 37 Martin Skrtel, 6 Dejan Lovren, 50 Lazar Markovi, 14 Jordan Henderson, 24 Joe Allen, 18 Alberto Moreno, 20 Adam Moreno, 31 Raheem Strerling, 10 Philippe Coutinho
 

Substitutes: 52 Danny Ward, 4 Kolo Toure, 9 Rickie Lambert, 15 Daniel Sturridge, 29 Fabio Borini, 45 Mario Balotelli, 49 Jordan Williams

Manchester City: 1 Joe Hart, 5 Pablo Zabaleta, 4 Vincent Kompany, 20 Eliaquim Mangela, 11 Aleksander Kolarov, 8 Samir Nasri, 42 Yaya Toure, 25 Fernandinho, 21 David Silva, 16 Sergio Aguero, 10 Edin Dzeko
 

Substitutes: 6 Fernando, 7 James Milner, 13 Willy Cabellero, 14 Wilfried Bony, 18 Frank Lampard, 22 Gael Clichy, 26 Martin Demichelis

Referee: Mark Clattenburg
 

Attendance: 44,590