Manchester City 1 Liverpool 4, match report: Calamity for City as Liverpool demolish them in their own backyard

Manchester City 1 Liverpool 4, match report: Calamity for City as Liverpool demolish them in their own backyard

November 21, 2015
Man City's Eliaquim Mangala sits dejected after scoring an own-goal to put Liverpool ahead
Man City's Eliaquim Mangala sits dejected after scoring an own-goal to put Liverpool ahead Photo: Reuters
Raheem Sterling may yet have the last laugh on those Liverpool supporters who taunted the Manchester City winger at the end of this destruction of the title favourites at the Etihad, yet he will not be able to say his former club have missed him.
Sterling, whose acrimonious exit from Anfield in July ended one of the most unsavoury transfer sagas in recent memory, was subjected to chants of ‘One greedy b------‘ by the Liverpool supporters as the clock ticked down on this 4-1 rout, but the only surprise is that visiting fans actually noticed their former player on the pitch.
Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho celebrate Liverpool's first goal
On a day when the full potential of Jurgen Klopp’s team was borne out, Sterling was not the only City player to go missing.

Possession stats

Premier LeagueMan City v. LiverpoolPossession21.6%47.3%31.1%58.7%41.3%
But if he left Liverpool because the five-time European champions were not good enough for him, he was offered an emphatic reminder that big clubs always have the ability to hit back as Manuel Pellegrini’s players were humiliated.
But for England goalkeeper Joe Hart, City could have conceded seven, such was the calamitous nature of their performance.
Philippe Coutinho scores the second for Liverpool
Half-time afforded Pellegrini the time to untangle the mess of his starting line-up and the Chilean quite rightly withdrew the hopelessly ineffective Yaya Toure and Jesus Navas, replacing the pair with Fernandinho and Fabian Delph.

Attacking stats


36.1%23.7%40.2%
33.3%31.2%35.5%
The changes made City more compact, but did little to inject attacking impetus, yet they at least enabled the home side to claim a foothold in the game in the knowledge that the next goal would be crucial.
Firmino scores Liverpool's third
A Liverpool goal and the game was over, but City’s track record of late fightbacks would clearly have signalled the jitters for the visitors if the hosts reduced the arrears further.
Chances became few and far between, though, with the stakes so high, but it was Liverpool who had the first clear opportunity of the second-half, with Firmuno once again shooting directly at Hart’s leg.
Sergio Aguero pulls a goal back for City
It was a bad miss, but moments later, Sterling lacked the courage and conviction to score when one-on-one with goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Instead of shooting, Sterling passed the Aguero, whose shot from the edge of area was saved.
Skrtel scores Liverpool's fourth
The goal Liverpool deserved came on 80 minutes, moments after Hart had denied Christian Benteke, when Martin Skrtel’s volley almost burst the back of the net.
Martin Skrtel celebrates scoring Liverpool's fourth


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