This was Lallana at his impish best not just prompting and probing, but actually delivering. He’s often accused of over elaborating in a Liverpool shirt, but this was not one of those times, he like the team were superb from first to last.
Jon Flanagan set the tone early on with an crunching tackle on Raheem Stirling which seemed to set City back on their heels. He followed on by overwhelming the ex-Liverpool with a physical approach which sent the winger into his shell and eventually into an early half-time bath.
Unlike the Capital One Final Liverpool were feisty, pressing City all over the pitch with Origi leading the line with a physical presence which had Kompany and moreover Otamendi at full tilt to cope with his vibrant approach.
With Navas, Stirling and Silva only fleetingly bearing their collective creative teeth, Sergio Aguero fought alone battle in the first-half upfront starved of service, that being said Liverpool themselves struggled to create anything significant in the first half hour.
The first goal when it came was a surprise to all in the stadium as well as Joe Hart. The Man City keeper went down so slowly as Adam Lallana’s long range left footed drive surprisingly caught him in a time warp and with barely any velocity behind it with he failed to get anywhere near it as entered the net.
Liverpool refused to give City time to think with Milner and Lallana supporting the full-backs and the attack.
If the first goal was a comedic in terms of lack of mph on the ball, the second was poetic in its smoothness and quality. Lallana drifting out to the right superbly controlled the ball in an instant before showing excellent awareness by back heeling the ball in the path of Firmino who found Milner motoring in the box to control and finish in the mould of a quality striker.
City with their Premier hopes hanging by a slender thread, replaced Stirling with Bony. Stirling’s return to Anfield was a damp squib and the England international seemed in need of a life raft drowning under the weight of expectation and the barracking he received from the home crowd.
If Manuel Pellegrini thought a change to two strikers up top would change matters it was not to be as Liverpool’s surge would not be denied.
The third Liverpool goal killed off City. Lallana latched on to the ball after hesitancy brought on by the heavy metal frenzy of Liverpool’s play driving forward before swerving away from the challenge to time his pass into Firmino who curled the ball beyond Hart and possibly causing mortal damage to City’s title challenge.
Man of the Match: Adam Lallana – Delivered the type of performance which makes a lottery of his struggles so far in a Liverpool shirt. He was Liverpool’s main creative force having a hand in all three goals closely followed by James Milner.
Emre Can was a powerhouse in midfield overpowering the City midfield and driving the team forward, while Divock Origi physically imposed himself on the City backline keeping Vincent Kompany busy.
The Liverpool full-backs, particularly Flanagan deserve major plaudits in keeping control of City flying wingers. Flanagan also marked at different times Silva and Iheanacho with equally measured assuredness.
Abiding memory in the match is of Kolo Toure refusing to give up and chasing down Sergio Aguero before nipping the ball away from the champion striker as prepared to get City back into the game.
If Liverpool could only bottle this high intensity and clinical finishing for the final running then a European place would not be beyond the realms of possibility.
The next game against Crystal Palace is a huge test of character on a ground where Liverpool have suffered painful losses in recent times.
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