Premier League: Manchester City v Liverpool full time report
Manchester City 3 Liverpool 0
Manchester City blew Liverpool away in front of owner Sheikh Mansour at Eastlands.
The impressive Adam Johnson and James Milner linked up well for City’s opener, with debutant Milner pulling the ball back for Gareth Barry to sweep home the opener after 13 minutes.
Captain Carlos Tévez struck twice in the second period to confirm a dominant City’s victory, first appearing to get the slightest of touches to a Micah Richards header from Johnson’s corner, before converting a penalty after Martin Škrtel had tripped Johnson.
A poor Liverpool laboured for most of the evening, although Steven Gerrard’s stinging effort did come back off a post, before Joe Hart produced a superb double save to deny first David Ngog and then Fernando Torres.
The Reds were a clear second best for most of the evening though, and slipped to a potentially damaging loss, making it just one point from six available from their first two matches of the season.
It was billed as a clash between two sides whose fans have experienced wildly different emotions with foreign takeovers in recent years, or ‘New Money v No Money’ as some had put it. City owner Sheikh Mansour, attending his first match at Eastlands, was given a hero’s welcome by the home faithful.
Liverpool – missing midfielder Javier Mascherano, who had reportedly refused to play in a bid to force through a transfer to Barcelona – started promisingly, and with strike partners Torres and Ngog starting a Premier League game together for the first time and linking well, the French forward struck a tame effort from range that was comfortably saved by Hart.
At the other end, there was nothing tame about a Johnson effort from distance that flew just wide of Pepe Reina’s right hand post, and City were soon to take the lead thanks to their former Aston Villa connection.
After good interplay down their right, Johnson’s pass set Milner away, and the debutant pulled the ball back to his former Villa team-mate Barry, who slotted home into the far corner against a club that he could have joined two summers ago.
Tévez was soon firing into the side-netting as City searched for a quick second, and with the hosts looking lively, Barry fired an effort wide before Johnson – from whom all of City’s good work was emerging – flashed a shot wide of Reina’s goal, Tévez saw a shot blocked and Richards headed wide.
Sheikh Mansour would have been enjoying his team’s display, but for all of City’s good football they were unable to get in behind Liverpool very often, and the Reds – who had struggled to pass the ball well for the majority of the half – finally became a more cohesive attacking force, and Gerrard drove two long distance efforts wide shortly before half time.
In truth the break probably came at the wrong time for the visitors, and despite Roy Hodgson’s men starting the period well, the hosts would soon double their advantage.
Johnson’s corner was met by a towering Richards, and Tévez was on hand to bundle home an effort from close range right in front of an exposed Reina.
Liverpool now had the toughest of mountains to climb, but they set about their task manfully, and after Gerrard saw an effort deflected over, the skipper then hit the post from distance before Hart had to react brilliantly to deny first Ngog and then, somehow, Torres when the Spanish forward appeared certain to score from close range. Following on from his man-of the-match display against Tottenham on the Premier League’s opening weekend, this was inspired goalkeeping from the England hopeful again, and the importance of the saves were soon to become apparent.
Winger Johnson wriggled into the box, and after he went down under a Škrtel challenge, referee Phil Dowd pointed to the spot. Tévez, City’s captain in their first two league matches this season, sent Reina the wrong way with the penalty.
Despite Liverpool’s brief resurgence, City really were full value for their lead, although their summer target Torres was soon turning well and firing narrowly wide, before he was replaced by Ryan Babel, who was soon testing Hart with a well struck effort.
As the rain lashed down in Manchester, Liverpool must have wished that they were anywhere else, but to their credit they kept going, and Babel tested Hart before Glen Johnson blazed over.
Mercifully for them, the final whistle wasn’t far away, and new boss Hodgson will be left with a lot of thinking to do after this display.
It was City’s night though, and after their first significant step on what they hope will be a road to success this season, the big spenders should be lauded for such a clinical display.
Perhaps Sheikh Mansour should come more often.
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