Liverpool 3 - 0 Manchester City (Talking Points)

This strange season continued on Monday when Liverpool completely outclassed the Billionaires plaything that is Manchester City. Right from the kick off Liverpool attacked their opponents by passing the ball quickly and fighting with total commitment to win the ball back whenever possession was conceded. Were the performance versus WBA the previous week had been pedestrian, bereft of effort and totally flat, this performance was full of verve with every player putting in the required 100% to ensure this victory. The performance was all the more impressive due to the absentee’s, Liverpool were deprived of 4 players who have been regulars in our starting line-up but that wasn’t obvious from the display. Manchester City may have a bottomless pit of cash at their disposal and 2 of our goals came our most expensive ever signing but this result showed that money is not the be all and end all, hard work and passion can still win the day.

Sweet Carroll 9:

Following the WBA game i heard a lot of commentators beginning to mention the fact that Carroll had not yet gotten off the mark, completely ignoring the fact that he is still recovering from injury. This of course was ridiculous criticism but due to his price tag pressure, even if it was unreasonable, was beginning to gather. As soon as the ball hit the Anny Road net all that pressure disappeared. The fact that it was a screamer and a great show of what he can bring to the side was just a bonus. Liverpool fans weren’t worried about the time when his first goal came but pressure is a funny thing, the longer it goes without a first goal the harder it can become (Just ask Chelsea’s number 9). To get it out of the way now just buys him some more space to acclimatise at his own pace. His first goal was actually fairly similar to the one he scored against us earlier in the season and the second was a gal which is more typical of his reputation. He was taken off by the King with a minute to go which meant he received a deserved standing ovation from the Anfield faithful.

You can rely on Dirk:

We were without our talismanic captain for this game, we had players who were still bedding into the side and had a few youngsters in the line up, we needed someone to set the tone and lead by example, as ever Dirk Kuyt stepped up. Its pretty widely acknowledged that Dirk is a big game player as he proves this time and time again but a friend pointed out something to me that his girlfriend had noticed during the game, Dirk seems to perform well when Gerrard is out of the side. It made me think that while its not something i have paid much attention to up to now there could very well be some truth in it. Either way in this game Dirk showed all his qualities, he was simply everywhere, with Martin Tyler even remarking at one point “are you sure there is only 1 Dirk Kuyt on the pitch tonight?”He deserved his goal, a goal which means he now has scored as many goals for Liverpool this season as Torres has. He was also chosen by Sky to present Andy Carroll’s Man of the Match trophy, an award which he probably should have won himself, but Dirk wont be bothered by that. He will know the award will mean more to Andy Carroll as he beds in.

Lucas keeps proving his critics wrong:

Lucas is still a cause of disagreement among Liverpool fans. Depending on what side of the fence you sit he is either an integral part of our squad who breaks up play and keeps the ball moving or he is a waste of space who epitomises everything that is wrong with our squad right now. Me? I personal am a big fan of our Brazilian midfielder. I’m a fan of him as a player and even more so as a man. This is a player who has been vilified by many from the moment he arrived at Anfield. He has even been boo’ed by sections of his own supporters but always he kept his dignity by just plugging away and doing the job he is there for. He has now been trusted by 3 different Liverpool managers and has become an important member of the Brazil national team since the world cup. His performance in this game showed a lot of his qualities. He still gets caught on the ball pretty often but it’s important to remember that he is still only 23. He has improved every year since being at the club and he has just been awarded a new contract which means he should still be wearing red as he enters the prime of his career.

Youth is the way forward:

John Flanagan, an 18 year old Liverpudlian made his debut at right back and looked like he’d been in the team all season. Due to our current injury crisis in defence Flanno was given an opportunity he probably hadn’t expected yet but my word did he prove the decision right? Its always difficult with young players because you cant really tell if they are ready until they are given a chance. This is even more true with youngsters who play in defence because the slightest mistake can lead to a goal conceded. Flanno looked comfortable when in possession and never panicked on the ball, he also showed for the ball at every opportunity which is encouraging. He made important tackles at times and showed strength against much more experienced players. Jay Spearing had another encouraging performance in Centre Mid. He still has a lot to learn, and he needs to be more consistent game to game but he has shown enough this year to convince that he may be able to force his way into the team. This is of course going to be more difficult for him next season after Kenny has had a chance to spend some money but if he is good enough he will get more opportunities, and its up to him to keep proving himself.

Its great to see smiling faces again:

Of course I’ve spoken before about how Kenny’s return has re-united the squad but isn’t it great to see the players all smiling again, especially a smiling number 9, God knows its been a while!