Was City Victory a Watershed Moment?

The calm, ruthless and efficient way Man City brushed away side Liverpool at the City of Manchester Stadium could be significant in the futures of both clubs.
For Mancini and co, it was a sign that they can comfortably mix it with the country’s best and shouldn’t feel overawed by a title challenge this season. The Premier League odds suggest they could even land the title.

For Roy Hodgson he faces the same problem that Rafa Benitez had last year – namely the over reliance of star duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. With Joe Cole suspended City successfully and easily snuffed out Liverpool’s attacking threat. As soon as Gareth Barry opened the scoring there only looked to be one winner.

With a week remaining before the transfer window closes Hodgson is running out of time if he wants to find that extra spark and creativity that is needed at Anfield. A second season of struggle could inflict long term damage on the club, especially with finances tight until any take-over is completed. Hodgson will have to use all of his experience to guide the Reds through what could be rough seas this campaign.
The game also marked the first appearance at the City of Manchester Stadium by City owner Sheikh Mansour, who has transformed the fortunes of the club since his takeover in 2008.

It perhaps shows how rich Mansour is that he can pour more than £300million into the club over two years without ever seeing his investments in the flesh. Given the style of the performance it must have been worth the wait for the oil billionaire and surely won’t be his last trip to Manchester.

Four points from their opening two games against perceived Champions League rivals represents a satisfactory start and one that gives them a solid platform for a genuine title tilt. The fact three or four players were still missing from the squad shows the strength in depth available for Mancini. The football odds suggest they will win things.

This was year the year many expected City to claim a place in the top four, but on the evidence of their first two games, they could do even better than that this season.