In the most emotional of weeks for the city of Liverpool, it felt inevitable, poignant even, that Anfield would play host to what may be the defining game of the 2013/2014 Premier League season. On reflection the cash on Sunday was perhaps one of the most exhilarating games the Premier League has ever seen with 5 goals shared apiece 3-2 in Liverpool’s favour.
The expectant Liverpool crowd roared from early, as Anfield Road had began to fill before 11am. The crowd were there to welcome the team bus to Anfield for what was boasted to be the game of the season, Liverpool’s most important domestic game in decades. The most unexpected title challenge was real and it wasn’t long before Manchester City knew it.
Liverpool lined up unchanged from the side that narrowly beat West Ham last week. Sakho remained in the defence alongside Skrtel while Sterling played in behind Sterling and Suarez in a diamond formation. Manchester City meanwhile, lined up in their new 4231 formation with the surprise inclusion perhaps Dzeko starting over the newly-fit Sergio Aguero. Interestingly, after Man City won the coin toss before kick off, the opted for Liverpool to attack the Kop first half – one would assume the Anfield Road end has seen more first half goals this season than anywhere else in Europe.
Liverpool started fast – lighting – just as Manchester City would have expected. What was somewhat of a surprise though, was how sluggish Man’ City looked from the outset. Sterling continually found space in between the lines and ran the Man City backline ragged time and time again. It wasn’t long before a typical early Liverpool goal became inevitable.
The first goal came from an electric-paced Liverpool move. Luis Suarez was at the heart of Liverpool’s first truly influential moment of the game, where he played Raheem Sterling in on goal as he slipped behind Vincent Kompany. Sterling took control of the pass, slowed it down where Kompany came back in front of Sterling where he coolly dragged the ball to the right and slotted the ball past Hart for Liverpool’s first goal of the game to put Liverpool 1-0 up within seven minutes.
Another typical break saw Liverpool get a succession of corners which lead to Liverpool’s second goal of the game. First Coutinho crossed to Steven Gerrard who was completely unmarked in the middle of the box and met the corner ferociously but hit it down the throat of Joe Hart who knocked the ball over his net for another Liverpool corner. The second corner was taken by the captain Steven Gerrard which was met by Martin Skrtel who knocked the ball on to beat Joe Hart and put Liverpool up 2-0 inside 27 minutes.
Critically, Yaya Toure left the pitch soon after, with what looked as an innocuous groin strain. What has followed though, is strong rumours the Ivorian powerhouse midfielder’s season may have seen a premature end at Anfield.
What followed was the beginning of the pressure Manchester City would force on the Liverpool goal for the rest of the game with Silva increasingly at the heart of every decent chance Man City would create. Nevertheless Liverpool had a sublime chance to make it 3-0 in amongst the Man City pressure as Daniel Sturridge failed to put away a chance 8 yards out from goal following a brilliant cross by Raheem Sterling.
Man City got close to receiving a penalty too, as Mamadou Sakho tackled late on Edin Dzeko. The first half though, would end 2-0 with Liverpool hanging on toward the end. Nerves were aplenty for the Kopite crowd.
The second half began with Man City doubling up on the pressure the put on the Liverpool goal in the first half. Liverpool’s passing wasn’t as crisp as seen previously and the whole team struggled to keep up with Man City’s superior physicality. Milner, who came on for Jesus Navas, had slipped behind the Liverpool defence and cross at the by-line for David Silva who was able to slip the ball past Simon Mignolet to make the score 2-1.
The pressure continued no doubt, with Man City smelling blood. Dzeko played his way down the left hand side before cutting the ball back for Milner. He threaded the ball into the box for Nasri. The Frenchman played the ball on Silva who’s cross-come-shot at the far post is turned into the net by the toe of Johnson to go in as an own-goal.
Next Sturridge left the field hobbling and was replaced by Joe Allen, though in truth Sturridge looked way off the pace all game as he has done in the past few games for Liverpool. Liverpool began to create some half chances, minutes later he was denied what looked like a penalty following a lazy challenge by Vincent Kompany. Next Aguero replaced Dzeko – a sorry sight for many Liverpool fans at the time.
The next time minutes saw Liverpool subtly reassert themselves upon the game, with Joe Allen key to all good things for the home side. With ten minute remaining it was the diminutive Brazilian midfielder Phillipe Coutinho who scored the winning goal. Johnson took a throw near the corner flag on the right. It landed on the head of Clichy and he headed it back to Kompany. What happened next is almost inexplicable from a defender of Kompany's quality. He completely miskicked his clearance and instead of it landing in the Liverpool half, it landed at the feet of Coutinho, who ran onto it and then curled the ball with power and precision into the corner of the City net.
Late on Man City inevitably piled on the pressure. As five minutes were added on in the end Jordan Henderson seen red and was sent off for a very late strong challenge on Samir Nasri.
Nevertheless Liverpool held on, and the crowd finished the day like they began – signing as loudly and proudly as they have in many a year. You’ll Never Walk Alone rang throughout the ground as the final whistle rang like the release of a lifetime for players and fans alike. The emotion of the day as a whole seemed to get too much for Steven Gerrard who shed tears as the crowd roared. Next he gathered his troops around him and ordered them to ‘Do exactly the same against Norwich’.
Although the idea that any team ‘deserves’ the league more than any other, it’s hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind of a season occurring on Merseyside.
After over 15 years of playing for Liverpool, it seems Steven Gerrard’s dream may be on the cusp of realisation.
(Images courtesy of Getty Images)