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| Aguero scores from what seems an impossible angle |
Report by Year 13 Correspondent Liam Corrigan
Manchester City are now 9 points behind leaders Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title after Liverpool claim a point at the Etihad Stadium.
When Edin Dzeko put Manchester City ahead in 22nd minute both sets of fans must have thought ‘Here we go’ but what followed in the rest of the game might possibly change the fans views on what there respected team can achieve come the end of the season. Manchester City fans would have thought that would be, go on to stroll through the rest of the game considering Liverpool haven’t beaten a team in the top 8 of the premier league this season, reds fans probably would have felt the same, but there players had other ideas.
A week that started with a humbling and embarrassing FA Cup defeat at league 1 Oldham, a game in which there frail defence were bullied, a distinct lack of desire and a lack of strength of depth in the squad showed. Heavily criticised by boss Brendan Rodgers they went to the Emirates on Wednesday to dominate for 62 minutes against a poor Arsenal team in which they led 2-0, but for all their exciting attacking play their defensive frailties again showed and Arsenal turned the game around within 3 minutes. Leaving the players and fans disappointed at throwing away a lead but willing to take a point after holding on towards the end. This afternoon again a lead was, lost after a costly mistake by keeper Reina, but there are more positives to take for all connected with Liverpool than there was on Wednesday night.
Missing Yaya Toure who is away at the African cup of nations and captain Vincent Kompany who is injured, City had lost their drive, the strength their leaders, the backbone of the team. If those 2 were present in the team, Liverpool would have faced an entirely different proposition at the Etihad. Instead of facing a physical battle, they had to contend with a team full of trickery and guile oozing with class. However, Liverpool showed they had class of their own. Roberto Mancini probably will bemoan the result but he should have no complaints, Liverpool dominated the game with his team playing second fiddle for long spells and should be relieved at a point with the task of retaining the title looking more and more unlikely. Mancini will argue and take comfort that his side recovered from a similar points gap last year and went on to win the title, but this year his team is missing that something, that va va voom, which needs to be brought back to stand any chance of repeating last year's fete.
City's lead came on the 22nd minute against the run of play as Liverpool dominated, Silva linking up with Milner to sweep in a delicious ball across the 6 yard box which Edin Dzeko gobbled up leaving Agger on the floor in a heap. City rarely threatened with David Silvas volley in the 1st minute the only shot on target for the visitors up until then. Then the controversial moment of the game, goalscorer Dzeko was left on the floor in his own half after a tackle by Agger, seemingly through the back of the forward but no foul was given by referee Anthony Taylor who deemed it wasn’t a head injury to Dzeko nor serious enough to stop the play, so allowed Liverpool to continue to attack. City fans vented their anger at referee Taylor for either not giving the foul or not stopping the game, probably a combination of the two. The further Liverpool travelled up the field, the more the anger was directed at the reds players for not putting the ball out of play, but they had no obligation to.
Within seconds Liverpool had equalised, 6 minutes after city went ahead, Sturridge struck home a lethal shot 20 yards out, after winning the ball off a sloppy, unaware Javi Garcia who couldn’t get it out of his feet quick enough. A player struggling to come to terms with the intensity of the premier league. Sturridge however is loving life at Liverpool, with a Man of the Match display, increasing his tally of goals to 4 in 5 games in all competitions.
Sturridge's left foot strikes puts Liverpool level
City we're looking to get to half time still level, and they achieved that with only minor scares after shots by Suarez and a dodgy back pass by Zabaleta which wrong footed Joe Hart and trickled just wide of his post.
The second half was more of the same, fast flowing counter attacking football which suits both teams, soaking up the pressure then breaking both with devastating effect. Again not too many clear cut chances but absorbing end to end football with the typical pace and intensity which optimizes the Premier League. Manchester City threatened from corners with Nastasic and Maicon both heading over but Liverpool came the closest in the second half with Suarez feeding the ball across the six yard box but Lescott turned behind before Jamie Carragher of all people could tuck away. Mancini changed things with the introduction of Kolarov for Nastasic early in the second half to adopt a 3-5-2 formation which he thought would turn the tide in his favour but Liverpool saw to that by taking the lead.
If people ever questioned whether Steven Gerrard could still turn in match winning performances for Liverpool then the form he has discovered since early December certainly puts that conspiracy to bed. Finally adapting to Rodgers way of playing he has freed himself since the return from Injury of Lucas. A strike of the highest quality of which Gerrard has become known for put the reds ahead in the 72nd minute, bouncing away from Joe hart, the England stopper had no chance. The technique was phenomenal a half volley from 25 yards is no easy feet just to get on target, never mind score. The goal didn’t have the same dramatic feel as the goal against Olympiakos in 05 or 06 in the FA Cup final versus West Ham but in the Rodgers era it was the most dramatic goal to be scored. A goal that ignited the bench and travelling liverpool fans, could the young, inconsistent team claim a memorable victory away at the champions? Well it looked as though they could, City weren’t at their best, it looked as only a mistake by a Liverpool player would get City back into the game and that was gifted to them in the 77th minute.
Gerrard's Volley puts Liverpool ahead
Sergio Aguero one of the most gifted players around at the moment put Pepe Reina to the sword as the critics sharpened their knives on his form after rushing out to left edge of his 18 yard box misjudging the flight of the ball allowing Aguero a sniff of an opportunity.And that was all it was, a sniff, from a seemingly impossible angle he curled the ball into the far corner, with Aguero wheeling away celebrating Reina looked on.
The Spaniard's form the past 18 months has not been the form at which he lit up the league and was challenging Iker Casillas for Spanish number 1. You could have put him in the top 5 stoppers in the world under Rafa Benitez’s time at Liverpool, but since then 3 managers later, he has made the most costly mistakes in the Premier League this season, 8, which have led to costly goals conceded. Rumours of a move for Jack Butland in January died away with him going to Stoke, but rumours of a new stopper coming in the summer will certainly resurface leaving Reina and Rodgers with some tough decisions to make. So a tense last 10 minutes ensued but no team could find a winner, with the managers shaking hands on a hard fought 2-2.
Who will be more happy at the result? Manchester City? Surely not after dropping valuable home points? Liverpool? Most probably after showing they are no pushovers at the Etihad. But certainly the real winners will be the team across the way from the Etihad at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson surely won’t let his players lose focus and a lead of 9 points again? As for Liverpool, there season has been defined in a week, no cup run as the squad isn’t big enough and strong enough cope and as for 4th place well, it looks like a case of good but not good enough, inconsistency is going to cost them.
