Liverpool Stun Manchester City and Their Own Supporters

Let's be honest here.  Even the most ardent supporter of Liverpool FC had to be worried about facing Manchester City at the Etihad.  People can be positive all they want, but in many heart of hearts people had to know defeat was immanent.  People would have been right to believe that.  Still no Christian Benteke or Daniel Sturridge to start.  Dejan Lovren was in for the injured Sakho.  Also, Liverpool had not won at City since 2008.  A draw would be a spectacular result.

How little we know.  Yes, there will be those that thump their chests and say they knew the result that happened was always what would come forth but few (if any) would have predicted what would transpire.   Liverpool came out to a very aggressive start and took the game to their hosts.  Apart from an early Sergio Aguero run into the box, City had little in the way of attack in the opening 10 minutes.

Despite their early pressure, Liverpool didn't trouble Joe Hart much but still came out of those same 10 minutes with the lead.  Yes, it came off an own goal.  Yes, Mangala probably should have sorted his feet out better.  However, Liverpool created the goal with tenacious backtracking by Coutinho and then a good slotted ball for Firmino.  Firmino's ball may not have been the greatest cross, but he put it into a dangerous area and was rewarded.

Those are the things that have to happen for a team such as the Reds.  They don't have the best player in the league at every position.  Some would say none of their starters are the best player in the league at that position.  Regardless of all that conjecture, they came out as a team to start.  They defended together, moved across field together and pushed forward together.  It was something not seen in quite some time from this Reds' squad.

The second goal was definitely something to excite the fans.  It was extremely reminiscent of the type of goals scored in Luis Suarez' final season with Liverpool.  In the 23rd minute, the Brazilian connection that supporters have been hoping for since the summer finally came to fruition.  Firmino took a bouncing ball over to the right, slotted it back across the box toward the penalty spot and it was neatly finished off by Coutinho as he went through the wickets of Hart.

The Reds just seemed to get better with each opportunity.  The lead up to the third goal included at least five passes.  Several of the passes came on the edge of the box, including a cheeky backheel by Emre Can that was fielded by Coutinho who then just tapped it to Firmino, who was standing in a more advantageous position.  To top it all off, all of that happened in the first half hour and it could have been a fourth in the 35th minute when Firmino was robbed by a sprawling  Hart and then shaved the post a minute later.

Unfortunately for the Reds, the first half couldn't be all roses and sunshine.  Liverpool got a tiny bit careless with the ball in the 44th minute and the turnover led directly to an Aguero cracker of a goal.  Simon Mingolet, who was rarely challenged had no shot to save the smash.  City continued their turnaround in the opening minutes of the second half as well, pushing forward right out of the gate.  It was not to be their night though.

City could have and should have brought the score to 3-2 in the 64th minute after James Milner's backpass was intercepted by Raheem Sterling who then played a ball for Aguero.  The following shot was delayed just a moment which allowed Mingolet to scramble back and make a great save.  Then Liverpool crushed all hope of the home fans when Martin Skrtel struck one sweetly off the shoelaces in the 81st minute.

Liverpool fans will soak up this victory and all the good feelings and bragging rights that come with it.  Once that is done, the questions will now arise.  Football is a fickle sport, but which Liverpool is the real one?  Are we more likely to see the LFC seen in a defeat to Crystal Palace or the one on the field for the victory over Manchester City?  Can Liverpool really contend for a top four spot or was this just one good performance a flash in the pan?  Only the players and manager can tell the answers now.  Clearly fans don't know, because so many did not expect this result in the first place.

Random Thoughts:
- You have to hope for the best but expect the worst in regards to Coutinho's potential injury.  Liverpool just can't seem to keep anyone healthy the last few years.  Just when the team seemed poised to have a solid scoring partnership, it seems the way things turn out for the Reds to have it dashed by another injury.

- It was surprising to see Firmino in the forward slot with no Benteke or Sturridge, given the focus on the latter two training prior to the match.

- Liverpool obviously had a few players out on international duty, but I think the extra week of nothing but training had to help.  As mentioned at the end of the article, only the players know if this was a one-off or the start of the true Liverpool but they need to hold onto whatever mentality they used to win this contest.  It will come in handy when the games start flying at you during the holidays.

- How sweet was it that Sterling was kept so quiet in this game?  Yes, he has lived up to much of the potential seen in him.  He is going to be a great player despite what any of us fans wished or thought.  Nevertheless, for one night, it was the kind of performance or lack thereof that Liverpool fans take extra pleasure from.  It was the cherry on top.

Walk On