A break away from the usual player ratings, we recap Liverpool’s convincing 3-0 win over Manchester City
I need to be honest with you all. The reason Liverpool won last night also happened to be the reason I actually missed the match. You see, I was off watching ‘Let It Be’, which is a respectable tribute in honour of Liverpool’s own superstar group – The Beatles. Therefore, the magic generated from watching the fantastic foursome from Liverpool (sort of) must have somehow transfered to the players out on the pitch, inspiring them to play so well.
Clearly, I don’t really think that, but it’s interesting that every single result (apart from Manchester United’s lucky win) fell in our favour the one night I missed all the football. So unfortunately, I’m in no place whatsoever to provide ratings for every player who featured in our team. If I did, with the knowledge I’ve gained from watching Match of the Day and reading up about the game in today’s news, I’d probably give the entire team a 9 overall – which just isn’t realistic. Instead, I’ve decided it’s best to just recap the match, honouring the things I think stand out.
Let’s start with the result…
For the second time this season we’ve smashed City, which makes us responsible for 6 of the 10 points they currently sit behind league leaders Leicester City. I’ve seen several of City’s early chances, that hinted at a threat while failing to provide one (most notably Raheem Sterling’s pathetic long range effort). Adam Lallana opened Liverpool’s scoring, slotting the first into the bottom right from ridiculous range. Admittedly, this goal seemed preventable, but City were caught off-guard and slow to react, gifting Lallana the space to fire at goal.
James Milner of all people put one past his former club, making it two in favour of the reds. His control with one foot and finish with the other deserves respect, and the ever reliable Milner received praise from the likes of Alan Shearer after this performance. He praised his work effort, mentioned how reliable he is, and even noticed his adaptability in all positions – things that I mentioned in my ‘You shouldn’t hate James Milner’ article.
For the third and final goal, Adam Lallana cropped up once again to slot the ball nicely through to Roberto Firmino. Firmino then curled the ball into the bottom right with ease before running off to shove the ball up his shirt. The funniest thing about this goal were Joe Hart’s attempts to take the ball from Firmino as he celebrated with his teammates – something I feel Hart should have just let him do.
Taking from the match overview on BBC Sport (written by Phil Dawkes), it’s evident Liverpool came out strong for this one. Phil writes, “From the kick-off they harried City, snapped into tackles and sought to push forward at every opportunity, with Lallana and Milner particularly energetic driving forces.” Even from Match of the Day you can see that James Milner worked exceptionally hard, as he block Sergio Aguero’s header in Liverpool’s box.
Now on to the players I think deserve some praise…
After hearing that Sterling was subbed out during half-time I laughed. Hard. In all honesty, I was fearing the worst, expecting our former player to score, celebrate, and bring more hatred upon himself. I’m sure that I read a quote in which the Manchester City manager declared his 100% trust in Sterling, and I think it was painfully ironic that he needed to be removed. Anyways, I’m not here to talk about a snake like Sterling, but the reason I mentioned him was because the player that deserves most praise is Jon Flanagan.
Flanagan absolutely pasted Sterling like he would wallpaper, sentencing the former red to some well deserved time on the floor. Liverpool fans were quick on Twitter, firing off jokes about how
Sterling spent the night in Flanagan’s pocket
. Here’s the only video I could find, and be sure to look at the joy on Jordan Henderson’s face!
Moving on from our feisty defender. Another player that I feel should be praised happens to be Jordan Henderson. I’ve criticised and judged our captain for his poor performances in the past few weeks, but all I’ve read is praise about his game against City. I feel his free kick, which was just (just) wide of post, deserves recognition. It was the most ‘Gerrard like’ thing Henderson has done in months, which I consider brilliant.
Moving on again, this time to Adam Lallana – who was given Man of the Match. His important opening goal and involvement in the third were crucial to Liverpool’s victory, and despite talks of him being sold this summer he really impressed.
Milner deserves another nod here too, simply because the guys gone and scored in 41 Premier league matches – never losing in a game he’s scored in. Roberto Firmino also deserves praise, having both scored and assisted in three of his last five Premier League appearances.
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In conclusion…
We bagged another three points in the league, which helps us keep hope that some sort of miracle could propel us back up the table. The bragging rights gained from a second big win against City are amazing, beating them 4-1 and 3-0 in the league this season. The team were hungry for revenge, and it was outstanding to see them go out and earn it.