Man City 2-2 Liverpool
Premier League
Sunday, 3rd February 2013
Goals: Dzeko 23, Aguero 78; Sturridge 29, Gerrard 73.
Liverpool produced arguably their finest performance of the season away to Champions Man City but had to settle for a point – the second 2-2 draw of the week after the trip to Arsenal on Wednesday.
Brendan Rodgers made just one change from the team that drew at the Emirates, with Jose Enrique returning from injury to replace Andre Wisdom. Tactically though, Luis Suarez played a more central role, with Jordan Henderson occupying a wider left side role.
Despite dominating the early exchanges and looking comfortable in possession, but went behind against the run of the play when Edin Dzeko finished from close range after James Milner got in behind the Liverpool defence on the left side.
The equaliser arrived from the boot of new-boy Daniel Sturridge, a former City academy product, when he rifled past Joe Hart from the edge of the box after half an hour.
Liverpool took the lead in the second half with another wonderful strike – captain Steven Gerrard hitting an absolute screamer of a volley past Hart from 25 yards. Gerrard maintained his record of playing in every minute of every League game this season and is showing his best form for years.
Chances came and went at both ends, but it was another individual error that cost Liverpool their first victory against a team currently in the top half of the table.
Martin Skrtel and Pepe Reina left the ball for each other down the side of the box, with Reina now out of his box and Sergio Aguero expertly turning to fire across goal from an impossible angle. At full-time Reina looked disappointed with his part in the goal but in all honesty, Aguero’s sheer excellence should be the main talking point.
Jamie Carragher kept his place in the side and was again impressive in defence, Jordan Henderson excelled in midfield, Lucas Leiva produced his best performance since return from injury and Glen Johnson was superb down the right. Sturridge and Suarez linked well and stretched the opponents defence. There were plenty of positives to take from the game.
Ultimately, this was another disappointing result, having again lead the game and dominated for long spells. But the performance will leave Liverpool looking to the rest of the season with much optimism.
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Nastasic (Kolarov 56), Lescott, Clichy; Barry (Nasri 88), Garcia; Milner, Silva (Maicon 74), Aguero; Dzeko.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique (Skrtel 75); Downing, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson; Suarez, Sturridge (Allen 90).
Subs not used: Jones, Shelvey, Borini, Sterling, Wisdom.
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