April Fools Day Massacre
Manchester City 4 Liverpool 1, 1st April 2023.
Manchester City 4 Liverpool 1, 1st April 2023.
There was a period of ten minutes or so, though it felt like an eternity, mid-way through the second half this afternoon, when the defending Premier League Champions Manchester City simply didn’t allow the visiting Reds from Liverpool a kick of the ball. At 3–1 up after trailing 0–1, City had simply slowed the game to a snail’s pace of utter footballing control whereby there seemed to be 12 or 13 light blue shirts on the field and there was always, always a spare man ready to receive the next pass around and through a bedraggled, beaten and thoroughly demoralised Liverpool. Then Ilkay Gundogan, the Manchester City captain, scorer of their third goal and arguable “Man of the Match” ahead of so many others vying for that title today in a light blue shirt, impudently sprayed yet another imperious cross field pass to eventual goal scorer, and City’s fourth, Jack Grealish, on the left wing. Following his instant control and lay off pass to an overlapping Kevin De Bruyne, scorer of today’s killer second goal just seconds inside the second half, Grealish continued his run past Trent Alexander-Arnold to receive the Belgian’s return pass before sweeping a majestic finish past a helpless Alisson Becker in the Reds goal.
This goal, City’s fourth and final in an April Fools Day massacre and footballing masterclass, was just as mercurial, just as brilliantly created, just as majestically swept cross field from one side of the pitch to the other, just as much of a team goal as the other three that had come before it and the final seal on as comprehensive victory as you could wish to see. If, that is, your heart is light blue rather than my beaten red one. Grealish could have made it a nap hand of five with a far post volley on 82 minutes that forced Alisson Becker into yet another instant and smart stinging save, but equally this fifth goal could have arrived minutes earlier when Grealish forced Becker into another brilliant save with a curling effort destined for the far corner of his goal. The much maligned 27 year old Englishman is blooming under the guidance of Pep Guardiola and whilst I naturally have no sporting love for him, he was outstanding today, pipping his captain, fellow midfielder Rodri, Julian Alvarez, scorer of his team’s equalising goal on 27 minutes and even the incredible performance of Riyad Mahrez, to BT Sport’s “Man of the Match” award but in truth, it could have been any one of these five men in Manchester blue.
As much as it pains me to say or admit, the Reds got exactly what they deserved today. The stark truth is they scored, albeit a brilliantly created team goal of their own, with their only shot on target in the entire game. And that came on the counter-attack in the 17th minute of a game they hadn’t even started or been competitive in up to that very early juncture.
Another stark truth is that Manchester City are arguably the most accomplished and best club football team in the world, a position held by Liverpool just four short years ago and, lest we forget, a position they were a point away and the width of a Parisian post away from attaining just mere months ago. This Manchester City team can inflict such domineering football brilliance on anyone, at anytime, and are currently vying for a treble only ever achieved by their city neighbours, and a team the Reds dismantled 7–0 just weeks ago.
After a defeat such as this it has become a lazy tradition in which to castigate singular players and their performances, but that won’t be happening here. Alisson Becker denied Rodri in the 15th minute with a sharp save to add to the two in the second half from Jack Grealish and had it not been for the Brazilian goalkeeping custodian the score could have been that nap hand of five or six or indeed worse. Ibrahima Konate looked good, Diogo Jota had an impressively energetic first half and Cody Gakpo continually dropped deep to play between the lines of midfield and attack to an impressive degree. The team as a whole were criminally “caught cold” in the opening seconds of a second half in which they then folded, miserably, and the far, far better team exploited their frailties with ruthless efficiency.
Alas the prized 4th spot and qualification for next season’s Champions League again looks a long, long way off, and the Reds have to dust themselves down, quickly, for it’s Stamford Bridge and the mega spending “Galacticos” of Chelsea in just three evenings time. Although I greatly admire their coach Graham Potter, the team he’s inherited and the big money signings that have dropped into his lap are woefully underperforming and quite frankly dreadful.
But I fear another defeat come Tuesday evening in West London.
The sword of Damocles continues to descend perilously close to the team in red I so adore.
Afterword from The Boss, Jurgen Klopp, courtesy of www.liverpoolfc.com
“The first half was OK, not just because of the result but because of the performance as well. Of course, City had more possession and these kind of things, but that always happens when we play here. We scored a wonderful goal, could have scored a second one in a really good counter-attack. Then, I would say the situation was rather unlucky when Kevin De Bruyne gets a touch on the ball and rolls through Robbo’s legs. From there, of course City was doing really well. So, 1–1, that’s OK, that’s a basis, and then you come out of half-time there is an open ball in midfield and you don’t even have a challenge”.
“We were not there anymore; we were completely open, we were too passive, too deep, too far away from everything. If you look at the game, I think we had around about four performances which were OK: the two midfielders with Hendo and Fab worked a lot, tried to close gaps, Cody especially in possession and Ali, of course, and then that’s obviously very difficult. If you want to get something from here, then you have to play 11 players, 14, 15 players have to be on the top of their game and that was not the case again”.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I watch things, I analyse things, then I go again. My emotions were never my problem. There are moments on the side line where it is my problem, but not after a game. I know what I have to do but I have to make sure it arrives in the right places”.
Thanks for reading. There is a wealth of past and present articles on Liverpool FC within my library here or alternatively, here are my three most recently published articles from this season:
Montaña de Madrid demasiado empinada para Rojos galantes
Real Madrid 1 Liverpool 0 (6–2 on aggregate), 15th March 2023.medium.com
Billing too costly for a lacklustre Reds
Bournemouth 1 Liverpool 0, 11th March 2023.medium.com
Reds in Seventh Heaven as they cast the Manchester Devils into the night
Liverpool 7 (SEVEN) Manchester United 0, 5th March 2023.medium.com