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