Manchester City – Liverpool 3-1 Match Report

Match Gallery

Match stats

Att: 45,471
Goals: City: Jovetic (41, 55), Aguero (70). Liverpool:

Player ratings:

Hart: A couple of good saves. Punched one cross that Joe Corrigan would have caught in days of yore, but it would be churlish to be overly critical, especially in wet conditions: 7
Zabaleta: Good positioning in defence. He was blowing quite hard in the first half as he regains his match fitness after a late start to pre-season training. When he is fully fit and back up to speed, we will see more of him as an attacking force: 7
Kompany: Typically assertive defending from the skipper: 8
Demichelis: A sturdy part of the defence for the most part but a central defender should not get knocked off the ball like he was for Liverpool’s goal: 7
Clichy: Decent defending throughout, though he, more than most struggled to clear his lines in the first half: 7
Nasri: Played his part in the first goal and set up the second. Delighted with the way he came inside to make the play: 8
Yaya: Played with such time on the ball and grace: 7
Fernando: He really has settled in quickly and is very impressive. He provided a very effective shield in front of the back four, and he used the ball well, recycling possession. He is mobile and disciplined. At £12m he looks like a real bargain: 9
Silva: As ever, the inspiration behind so much of City’s best play. The ideal team player, he works so hard in defence too. His one aberration was to head a clearance back into the danger area in the first half but that was a rare mistake. 8 Dzeko Held the ball up well though he might have scored or set up a 2nd goal had he acted more decisively. Hopefully his injury will not keep him out: 7
Jovetic: Made a very strong case for a regular start with these two goals. He was so powerful in his running and finishing and thoroughly deserved his goals: 9 (Man of the Match)

Subs:

Navas (for Silva 65): His pass on the run for Aguero to score was top class. Worked hard: 8 Aguero (for Dzeko 70): His terrific finish was testament to his class: 8 Fernandinho (for Jovetic 79): n/a

Best Oppo: Sturridge: Given stick again (“one greedy b******”) but he has never shown disrespect to City. He got the best financial deal for him, like most players would do. His mistake! He was Liverpool’s best hope of a goal in this game and he never gave up. Such a pity that Mark Hughes wasn’t able to use him enough, as ait might have persuaded him to stay: 8

Refwatch: Michael Oliver: Weak: 4

SWEET VICTORY

It is particularly sweet to beat Liverpool after the way their fans behaved last season. The Liverpool support including their pundits in the media got carried away and celebrated a little but too prematurely. Worse still, Brendan Rogers hadn’t helped by irresponsibly saying they would “unleash” the fans on us, and a significant minority took this far too literally. Merseyside has always been a dangerous place to go to but last season, on the visit to Anfield, the unprovoked, violent attacks on City supporters, before on after the game (when they’d won) were beyond the pale. The way much of the media reports City is a disgrace: a pattern has emerged with very few exceptions. They are either negative about us or ignore our success. So for City to win games like this and titles is extra sweet.