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MOTD: Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City

By on March 2, 2016

It says a lot about this nonsensical Premier League season that league leaders Leicester City dropped two points again West Bromwich Albion yesterday, yet ultimately gained ground on all their title rivals. Tottenham Hotspur were defeated by West Ham United, Arsenal lost to Swansea City at home and Manchester City succumbed 3-0 in a pitiful defeat to Liverpool.

The Reds’ verve overwhelmed a disjointed City team in a performance that was considerable revenge for their Capital One Cup defeat to Manuel Pellegrini’s men on Sunday. City lost Yaya Toure to a foot injury and cup hero Willy Caballero returned to the bench, whereas Liverpool’s changes from the weekend added worked on the night, particularly Adam Lallana and Kolo Toure, despite missing Daniel Sturridge, who was rested after the Cup final.

It was City’s third successive league defeat, their worst run since in seven years, and the loss leaves their title campaign in tatters. They’re ten points adrift off the top of the table, tied on points with cross-town rivals Manchester United in fourth (albeit with a game in hand).

City have suffered three consecutive defeats and won just once since it was announced on the first of February that Pep Guardiola would take over for Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season. The Spaniard’s impending arrival is casting a long shadow over Pellegrini’s final months at City, and their spineless performance tonight suggests that it may be too late to salvage their league campaign.

Pellegrini’s midfield collapsed under the incessant pressure from Liverpool and the home side cut through City with the ease of a hot knife through butter. Adam Lallana gave Liverpool the lead on the half hour mark and James Milner added a second before the break, before Roberto Firmino sunk City with a third goal on the other side of the half.

When Lallana broke the deadlock in the first half, Anfield had a second’s silence before comprehending the full extent of what had just happened. The Englishman had cut in from the right after losing Fernandinho and had acres in space in front of him to drive a low effort towards the bottom-hand-corner of the net. He slightly snatched at the effort, but where it lacked in pace it made up for in accuracy. Hart was partially blind sighted and fully caught up in his feet and the ball nestled into the back of the net before the goalkeeper could come close.

Milner was clearly fired up to face his old team, driving Liverpool’s midfield engine and bagging a second in the fortieth minute when Firmino slipped him right down the center of the box. The midfielder took a brilliant first touch to get the ball out form under his feet and poked it past the oncoming Hart and into the back of the net.

In stark contrast to Milner, Raheem Sterling wilted upon his return to Anfield, and the home crowd jeered the news that he would not be returning from the dressing rooms for the second half.

The visitors were in disarray and Divock Origi forced Hart into a smart low save with a powerful low effort from a tight angle to the right of goal. Origi’s form has been patchy so far this season, but on occasions like these he makes strong case to become an integral part of Jürgen Klopp’s team.

Liverpool made it three in the fifty-seventh minute when Nicolás Otamendi was caught out with a terrible trap and Lallana got in behind the center-back. Lallana played the ball into the path of Firmino, who curled a lovely finish around Hart and into the bottom-right-hand corner of the net from fifteen yards out.

Milner then came close with a stinging effort from the top of the box, which Hart acrobatically tipped over the crossbar, and his slightly off-balance effort after some neat footwork found the side netting in the sixty-third minute.

Jordan Henderson curled a beautiful free-kick inches wide of the post with six minutes to go and Joe Allen’s fierce, dipping volley went just over as City neared full-collapse.

Man of the Match: James Milner

Homepage photo credit: John Jones, via Wikipedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.