Manchester City & Scathing Attacks
Dark clouds have been hovering over Manchester City since the Club was found guilty on 114 out of 115 counts of financial irregularities, and though the Club has appealed and has strongly put forth its innocence, the attack on City has been scathing and from all sides.
Despite Doubts, Man City Players Turn In A Sensational Performance
Last evening’s match against Liverpool away to Anfield was the first competitive match played by Man City after the release of the findings. I am sure there were several around who wanted City to lose. There were several who had doubts about the players’ mental make-up and that their future with City was on the line. But what transpired on the pitch was one sensational performance from the beleaguered sky blues.
Liverpool Begin Well, But City Stay Resilient
Liverpool began well and gained ascendancy early on, but City too made their inroads, as the first half remained goalless. The Reds were good, but the Sky Blues were resilient too.
The Second Half – An Entirely Different Story
The second half was an entirely different story marked with controversy and a ferocious City front line which made Liverpool pay for all their hiccups.
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Gravenberch is Red Carded
Gravenberch got two yellow cards in quick succession. First for bringing down Elliott Anderson and then the back from injury Jeremy Doku. It was the 62nd minute of the game, the point at which the game turned on its head.
Haaland, Doku and Cherki Make Liverpool Pay
Erling Haaland, cool as if meditating, received a deflected shot from Doku, and powered a left-footer past Alisson Becker to give City the lead in the 65th minute. Doku, one of the finest left wingers in the game, produced a brilliant goal just 3 minutes later. His right-footed curler from the edge of the box stunned the Anfield crowd. Liverpool were slipping. Ryan Cherki, with his incredible ball skills, fired a third in the 78th minute to seal a stupendous away win for City.
City Run Over Liverpool
Manchester City virtually ran over Liverpool once Gravenberch was red-carded. The 10 Reds on the pitch could not stop a rampant City gifted with players of tremendous ability.
Kudos to Maresca…
It has to be said that Enzo Maresca had worked tirelessly on his players to keep out the noise and focus on the match. It must not have been easy, as the players were surely under the pump despite being nowhere involved in the entire financial irregularities controversy. No wonder he has earned my respect.
… And The Players Too
The players too gave a great account of themselves. In fact, they appeared to be motivated and wanted to pull off something spectacular to kill all the noise around. Truly incredible.
Return of Doku A Big Plus For City
The return of Doku is a great boost for Manchester City. Once he arrived on the pitch, the left flank just turned up the heat on Liverpool. His speed and skill make him one hell of a player to keep quiet. And the goal was simply sublime.
City Stay on Top As Liverpool Plummet
City have now won 6 out of 6 this season and stay atop the EPL Table. Liverpool fell to their first loss under Andoni Iraola and plummeted to a disturbing 9th position.
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