Liverpool vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Liverpool avenged the demons of their Capital One Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Sunday by taking them apart to the tune of a 3-0 scoreline at Anfield three days later.
Adam Lallana opened the scoring with a low effort from 30 yards that trickled into the corner, then James Milner finished off a scintillating team move to make it two early just before the break.
Roberto Firmino made it three following excellent work from Lallana just before the hour mark, effectively ending the contest, and the Reds cruised to victory from that point on.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Adam Lallana, Liverpool
1 of 5
Adam Lallana was, without doubt, the best player on the pitch at Anfield on Wednesday.
Not only was he the most aesthetically pleasing, jinking and dribbling his way around players and between the lines, but he also offered end product, scoring the first, having a hand in the second and laying on the third.
His quick feet absolutely flummoxed Manchester City's back line, and Fernando—poor, poor Fernando—was left trailing in the wake of his darts and runs.
Imagine if he played like that every week?
Loser: Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City
2 of 5
It's difficult to pinpoint one area in which Manchester City were especially poor because they were so bad across the board. When that happens, you can't help but criticise the manager.
The away side's starting tactics left massive gaps between the lines—gaps Liverpool did not hesitate to exploit—with the space between the midfield and defence especially problematic.
After falling behind, Pellegrini's only solution was to simply sub on more strikers, throwing Wilfried Bony and Kelechi Iheanacho on. There was no real plan to it, no formation, and the only player who seemed able to breach Liverpool's press and lead counters—Fernandinho—was substituted off 10 minutes into the second period.
Pellegrini, who is regarded as an astute manager, will have markedly better evenings in the dugout.
Winner: Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool
3 of 5
Liverpool will have been hurting following their Capital One Cup final loss to this very same opponent on Sunday, but they came out firing here, desperate for revenge. Credit must go to the players and, in particular, to Jurgen Klopp for geeing them up and laying the foundations for the result.
The Reds pressed like maniacs in the first half, closing off Manchester City in possession and choking the passing lanes. They created many turnovers and pounced upon the mistakes; the self-belief exuded from their playing style belied the fact that, three days previous, they'd lost at Wembley Stadium.
The game plan was spot-on, and the rate at which Klopp mentally reset his players after such a disheartening experience last weekend was extremely impressive.
Loser: Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester City
4 of 5
Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany were both very poor on Wednesday evening, looking all at sea against the movement on offer from Liverpool.
It's true that they were, once again, given zero protection by their defensive midfielders, but they both continually made rash decisions when stepping out and trying to intercept high up.
Otamendi was the worst of the two by a shade, committing a shocking touch that led to one of the goals and then, late on, wincing away from a Jordan Henderson free-kick from his position in the wall. Unforgivable stuff.
Winner: Jon Flanagan, Liverpool
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We could credit any number of other Liverpool players here—James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Emre Can, Divock Origi and Dejan Lovren all impressed—but we've opted for Jon Flanagan.
Making his first league start since December 2014, he took 15 minutes to get going, understandably, but once he'd found his groove, he put in a very good performance from right-back.
He came up against three different opposing left-wingers and shut them all down, rising to the challenge of stopping Raheem Sterling—Anfield's least favourite person on the night—from pulling off any upsets.
He produced one key moment when he tracked Sterling's run into the box and blocked off Sergio Aguero's cutback—a ball that, had it made it to the winger, would surely have been placed home.
