Jurgen Klopp’s side took Manchester City’s defence apart in the first half and shored up their own in the second. (Source: Reuters)
Jurgen Klopp could not contain his joy in the first half hour, as is normally the case when Liverpool are scoring goals and winning games. And this was not even normal, Manchester City have made a mockery of the Premier League, so often called the toughest and the most competitive league in the world and they trampled Basel as if they don’t even matter in the Round of 16. But Liverpool came in and took them apart in the first half an hour of the match. In the second half, they shored up their defence to such an extent that City, who have scored 88 goals in 31 league matches and 19 in the Champions League, could not get a single shot on target. Why in the world would anyone expect Jurgen Klopp to be able to contain his joy.
Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City, UEFA Champions League quarter-finals: Match highlights
Wave after wave of City attacks in the second half but Liverpool maintain a clean sheet. If the first half was all about Liverpool's attacking pedigree, the second half showcased how good they can be defensively. City could not get a single shot on target throughout the match. It is yet to be seen how serious Mohamed Salah's injury is but for now, all that matters is this, Liverpool have taken a 3-0 lead in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City. In the words of Jurgen Klopp himself, "BOOM!"
City are pushing for that away goal and Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a tour de force in stopping those left sided attacks. One just gets the sense that if there is any team who can come back from this, it is Manchester City, just like Barcelona last season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been taken off for Alberto Moreno. Jordan Henderson has also received a yellow card which means he will miss the second leg at the Etihad. Since Oxlade-Chamberlain has been taken off, let's take a look at that goal again (like we need an excuse) "Ox from outside the box," is how Martin Tyler described it from the commentary box.
Sane receives a ball from Silva and drives into the box from the left, he turns it in and Jesus puts it into the back of the net but Sane is offside! He is as offside as Salah was when he scored his first goal. Plus Jesus was given a yellow card earlier. Guardiola won't have too many good things to say about the referee after the match.
Sterling races down the right flank and receives a ball from De Bruyne, he puts in the cross with Gabriel Jesus the target. It is just behind the Brazilian who tries to get in the shot anyway but it is off target.
Dominic Solanke is brought on for Firmino and he immediately makes a run to the right and receives a lofted pass. He then complete the cut-back and Otamendi gets it away from the arriving Sadio Mane. That is the closest Liverpool have come to scoring in this second half.
Sane is making repeated in roads through the left and Liverpool look to relieve some of the pressure. They end up losing the ball and it would have been a sticky situation for them had it not been for some shrewd work from Alexander-Arnold to stop Sane.
Sane drives into the box from the right, Liverpool shirts hovering all around him like flies around a stinking pile of garbage, he ends up losing the ball and Karius easily collects it. City's forays into the box are increasing in frequency.
Mohamed Salah went over to the Liverpool bench seeking attention and has now been replaced by Giorginio Wijnaldum. This is a worry for Liverpool. Meanwhile, City continue to press, De Bruyne sends the ball in from a corner right side and it gets lost in a blur of legs, it finally comes to Ilkay Gundogan who takes a shot that is deflected away. The resulting corner leads to nothing.
There have been lots of boos ringing around the stadium and that is because City have been dominating possession. Sane tries something between a shot and a cross from a tight angle left of goal, it flies away safely.
The club has issued an apology for its fans hurling projectiles at the bus. "The club condemns in the strongest possible terms the scenes which preceded our Champions League quarter-final, which resulted in damage being inflicted on the Manchester City team bus during their arrival at Anfield. We apologise unreservedly to Pep Guardiola, his players, staff and officials caught up in the incident." Full statement:
Daniele De Rossi has scored a rather strange own goal provoked by ....... Lionel Messi. Barcelona are leading 1-0 against Roma.
And here is the Oxlade-Chamberlain goal:
Runaway Premier League leaders? No problem. The first half started the way one would have expected it to go really, with City having more possession and keeping the Liverpool defence busy. Then came Salah (who may have been just a tad bit offside) for the first, Oxlade-Chamberlain for a stunner of a second goal and Sadio Mane for a third. What is more interesting is that Liverpool could have had at least one more goal before and after that third goal.
City win a free kick (believe it or not) around 30 yards away from goal just right of centre , De Bruyne takes it, the ball looks menacing and Kompany gives chase, in the end he is unable to get to it. City are trying to keep the ball in the Liverpool half now.
Mane picks the ball in the left flank, gets past Otamendi and then tries to put in a cross, it is blocked away. In the last match between these two sides, Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mane and Firmino had scored Liverpool's four goals. Only Firmino is left to score here and he tried to change that with a shot from Oxlade-Chamberlain-esque distance. It was off target this time.
Robertson intercepts a pass inside his own half and then charges forward, gets past Otamendi, and he takes the shot, Fernandinho is there to block him.
Sensational, stunning, incredible, unbelievable - goodness knows which adjective can describe what is happening here. Liverpool are absolutely reducing Manchester City into pieces. Firmino wins the ball and gives it to Salah, his shot is blocked but he makes his way into the box from the right and puts in a cross, Mane rises and turns it into the net. Manchester City, runaway leaders in the Premier League, have been hung out to dry at Anfield. How can any team get back from this?
Yesterday, there was the Ronaldo bicycle kick , today it is Oxlade-Chamberlain's thunderbolt. The quarter finals are providing content after content for highlight reels. Manchester City are looking anything but the side that has taken the Premier League for a ride this season. They are unable to hold on to the ball and are losing possession to some very silly mistakes, Liverpool meanwhile almost got a third had it not been for Mane not able to control a cross.
SCREAMER ALERT! Oxlade-Chamberlain whips it in from around 25 yards out and the ball crashes into the top left corner. Manchester City have been Liverpool-ized. Milner passes it to Oxlade-Chamberlain and no one, absolutely no one, was ready for what happened next. The shot was so powerful that it had already bounced off the net by the time Ederson moved.
They need just one little break don't they. Mohamed Salah picks up the ball from midfield and races down the right, gets inside Laporte and makes his way into the box before passing it to Firmino whose shot is blocked. It comes to Kyle Walker but he takes maybe a second too long to turn and clear it, Firmino toes the ball to Salah in that time and the Egyptian fires it into the middle of the net. Liverpool ahead.
There have been a few forays into the box from Manchester City but Liverpool haven't let them a clear way through so far. City have done the same to Liverpool.
....on the bus bashing more than anything else. Jurgen Klopp says that he doesn't understand that, "I really don’t understand that" because when they came through it was very positive, and that City came after them, "When we came through it was very positive and we didn’t know what had happened before - City went ahead of us." Well the difference might be that they are Manchester City and you are not. But he does say sorry for Liverpool. "For Liverpool I have to say sorry.”
Pep Guardiola thanks Jurgen for his words, "I want to say thank you to Jürgen for his words." He says that they did not expect this after what happened at Dortmund last season and that fortunately no one is hurt. "We did not expect this [attack] after what happened last year at Dortmund. Fortunately no one’s health has been hurt." But of course he knows that this is not Liverpool. "I know that is not Liverpool. I know the history of the club is much bigger than these four, five or ten guys.”
More images have come since that first update. While they do look quite stunning, projectiles have been hurled at it too. We can see something dripping down the windshield of the bus in one of the images. Don't know if Liverpool will have some answering to do after all that.
Anfield had got him properly riled up during City's last visit and, at first glance, Guardiola may have been taking a preventive measure here, considering Liverpool fans are more rabid than they were the last time. But the tactical side of it is understandable, Guardiola would want more muscle to cut out the supply lines to Liverpool's Bobby, Mo and Saddy. It will be interesting to see what Sterling would do if he does come on later in the match.
Liverpool: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mané, Firmino, Salah
Subs: Mignolet, Clyne, Masterson, Wijnaldum, Moreno, Ings, Solanke
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Kompany, Laporte ; Gundogan, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, D Silva; Jesus, Sané
Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Delph, Stones, Sterling, Zinchenko, B Silva
Manchester City have conquered practically every club in the Premier League this season, except for Liverpool (at Anfield at least). Even if they went behind and a win, or even a draw looked impossible, they have somehow found a way back and, more often than not, come away with all three points, except against Liverpool. Their slick, almost hypnotic build up has been so lethal that oppositions have looked almost reluctant to stage an attack themselves while playing against City, except Liverpool. The Reds are the only team to have beaten Manchester City in the Premier League so far, and only the third team after footballing heavyweights like Shakhtar Donetsk and Wigan Athletic.
That this is going to be a real feast to the eyes, is a known fact to anyone who have followed even a little bit of Premier League football this season. Meanwhile, Liverpool fans are letting the City players know that this match is different from the one they had played a few days ago. For example, this is what the Premier League leaders' team bus had to navigate on its way to the stadium (Image Source: Reuters)