Manchester City vs Liverpool a few quick thoughts
Dan Tracey
September 10, 2017
1,914 Views
- The biggest headline from the biggest game of the biggest game of the day was undoubtedly Sadio Mane‘s sending off
- Initially I thought it was an incorrect decision from referee John Moss but after many viewings there is little argument that the Senegalese international can have
- Whether it ruined the game can be argued, that really can only be the case when the player should stay on the pitch but Liverpool will have been reeling after an emphatic defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
- Ederson was wiped out by the high boot and although Mane had his eye on the ball it was a reckless attempt to play the ball
- But at the same time he has got every to go for the ball as if he succeeds he levels proceedings
- A high risk move that unfortunately for the former Southampton man did not come with a high reward
- Pep Guardiola’s men went joint top of the Premier League at the end of the day after a crushing 5-0 win
- This division is a very strange beast, Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-0 and the lose to City by an even bigger scoreline in the next fixture
- Just how much of a bearing Sadio Mane’s sending off would have had on the outcome of the game can be argued but Manchester City certainly took full advantage of the numerical on pitch advantage
- They also had two goals chalked off for offside in what was a miserable lunchtime fixture for Liverpool
- Gabriel Jesus is particularly good at scoring goals that are offside
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a debut to forget as he was ineffectual in the second half
- He has now been part of two thrashings in as many matches while conceding seven goals in the process
- But it is Liverpool’s defensive personnel that will come for criticism. Ragnar Klavan had a terrible afternoon and did little to justify his selection
- To be honest none of Liverpool’s team earned any real credit from yesterday’s performance
- Mohamed Salah was particularly wasteful in front of goal yesterday especially when the game was eleven men versus eleven
- That has seemed to be a common trait for the Egyptian in his early Liverpool career
- Better finishing early on yesterday and the complexion of the game could have been a whole different
- Manchester City’s back three had a different look to it what with Vincent Kompany absent after picking up an injury on international duty
- Danilo slotted into the back three along side John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi but he looked assured in an unusual position
- Bernard Mendy looked particularly impressive at left wing back and looked well worth the £50m or so that was spent to acquire his services in the summer
- Jordan Henderson had a torrid afternoon, his sloppy header lead to the first goal as Kevin De Bruyne received possession and then threaded the ball through the eye of a needle to Sergio Aguero who in turn rounded Simon Mignolet to open the deadlock
- And it would be the Belgian who would be on hand to assist again as this time he provided an inch perfect cross for Gabriel Jesus just minutes after Sadio Mane’s sending off
- Jesus would get his second of the game when he and Sergio Aguero combined to make it three
- Aguero could well have taken the shot on himself but it was testament to just how well this partnership is working as the Argentine laid it on the plate for the Brazilian
- That would be the last of the young Brazilian’s contribution of the game as he was replaced by Leroy Sane
- The German would get in on the act with a brace of goals of his own as the icing was put on the cake in what was nothing short of a thrashing
- City found their groove in what was easily their best performance of the season – 10 goals now for the season, an average of 2.5 a game
- They scored the same amount of goals yesterday then they had in their first three matches
- While Liverpool’s positive goal difference was wiped out in foul swoop
- Both teams will now focus on midweek Champions League action
- Manchester City will look to continue their momentum
- Liverpool will just want to put it all behind them
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