Europa League: Manchester City and Liverpool both held to draw
Both Manchester City and Liverpool produced an uncharacteristically lackluster performance in their respective Europa League outings that earned them not more than a point. Manchester City needed Adam Johnson’s strike to cancel out Vincenzo Iaquinta's early
strike which secured them a draw against the European giants, Juventus at Eastlands.
Liverpool were even more pathetic as they were held to a goalless draw in Utrecht. It was clearly disappointing for them to grab a single point on a venue where they had won their last six matches. Reina was the unlikely hero as his brilliant saves kept
Hodgson’s Liverpool unbeaten run alive in Europe’s second-tier competition.
Manchester City’s good fortune saved them from dying minutes’ scare as Alessandro Del Piero’s free kick hit the underside of the bar without going inside. A goal in the last minutes would have been catastrophic for Robert Mancini’s City. Earlier, City’s
winger, Adam Johnson had cancelled out Iaquinta’s long rage effort to save his team from blushes on their home turf.
However, City’s Italian manager was content from his team’s display. Commenting on their performance, Mancini said: “Juve started the game well, especially in the opening 20 minutes, and scored the goal with Vincenzo Iaquinta. Then, we started to improve
and in the second half, we maintained the initiative throughout. It's true we ran a few risks on the counter-attack, but we should be more incisive in the box.”
Meanwhile, Adam Johnson praised his manager for his training which led him to score the goal in the match. He also praised his new team-mate Yaya Toure, whose precise pass enabled him to score the goal. Johnson asserted that his team was a better outfit
but it was resolute defending from Italians which denied them more goals.
On the other hand, Liverpool’s winning run came to end in Utrecht as it was held for a goalless draw. Liverpool lacked spark as they were dominated by the hosts. Jose Reina’s heroics and a goal-line clearance from Raul Meireles earned them a clean sheet
and a point from their trip. With this draw, Liverpool’s winning streak comprising of 5 matches comes to an end in Europa League.
The absence of Steven Gerard was clearly felt despite featuring of some big names in the starting 11. This is the 5th consecutive match for Liverpool without a victory in all competitions. Nevertheless, Roy Hodgson still seemed pleased on grabbing a point
at Stadion Galgenwaard. Commenting on the match, former Inter Milan manager said, “It was a good point because we knew it was going to be a tough game. I thought the problems we had, if we had any at all, and the occasions when they created chances were of
our own making. We created some good chances ourselves and it wasn't a dull 0-0. There was activity at both ends of the field.”
Hodgson relished the fact that his team is at the top of the table with four points but he also praised his Dutch opposition. Liverpool came into this match after winning four qualifiers and one league match. Last year’s finalist with Fulham, Hodgson believes
that his team has enough capability and ammunition in their arsenal to withstand such blips. He stated: “It's the first time we've not won one of these games but it is four points from two matches. We are at the top of the group with four points, then Utrecht
and Napoli with two and Steaua Bucharest with one. So, it is already quite close and the way it is panning out it will be close right until the end.”
Utrecht looked far more pleased from the result as its players applauded all four sides of the ground after the final whistle. It was indeed a great achievement for a club from Netherlands to secure a draw against a European heavyweight.
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