Reds pick up stunning three points in five-goal thriller
Liverpool thumped Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last night thanks to an emphatic performance from summer-signing Roberto Firmino.
Before the game, Manchester City knew they had a chance to go top of the Premier League table, and after seeing Arsenal lose away at West Brom, the incentive was there for them to take.
As for Liverpool, they were in 12th place beforehand, but after an emphatic victory, they jumped to 9th in the table and just six points behind City.
Match Summary
In truth, the game was over inside 32-minutes as Jurgen Klopp‘s men romped to a 3-0 lead leaving the hosts completely shell-shocked.
Eliaquim Mangala set the tone after just seven-minutes when he turned the ball into his own net past Joe Hart, before cool finishes from Philippe Coutinho and Firmino gave Liverpool a stunning 3-0 lead.
Sergio Aguero put the game back in contention right on the stroke of half-time with a goal on his return from injury, but it only ended up being a consolation.
The game was put to bed nine minutes from time when Martin Skrtel thumped home a fourth and final goal from an incredible game at the Eithad Stadium.
The defeat leaves City third in the table, behind Leicester City and Manchester United, while Liverpool rise to 9th.
Manager Reaction
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini: “Today we did it all wrong – the performance, the way we defended, the way we went forward. It was a fake night, a fake game. It is difficult to understand.
“If we meant to do it on purpose we couldn’t have done it that badly. We tried to make changes and have some options to score. We tried to fight but continued making so many mistakes with the ball.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: “It feels perfect. The game was not perfect but it was very good.
“City couldn’t start like they want but that is important for us. We played with big passion and that’s the most important thing for us.
“The good news is that we can do better. At half-time I told the boys they were surprised to be winning 3-0, and we must do better in that situation.
“We have quality, we could have more goals but 4-1 is perfect. The boys can believe now that they are stronger than many people think.”
