There are nights when everything just comes together for a
football team. Each of the players knows their role and executes it perfectly,
spurred on by a crowd in full voice, against an opposition cowed by the perfect
storm of the hostile atmosphere and the class of what they have found
themselves up against. This was one of those nights. Liverpool is synonymous
with European nights, and City felt the full force of that pedigree as they were
simply blown away by one of the all-time great performances in the Champions
League.
It is hard to know where to start in analysing the win, as
every single player in a red shirt did all that could be expected of them and
more. However, even amongst this sea of quality, Trent Alexander-Arnold
deserves to be singled out for praise. He was recently made to endure torrid
times against both Anthony Martial and Wilfried Zaha; prior to the game, many
were worried about how he would fare against Leroy Sane, a front-runner for the
Young Player of the Year award and an undeniably mercurial talent. Not only did
he cope, he completely pocketed the German – it was plain that Guardiola had
sent his men out to target Alexander-Arnold’s flank, but the local boy ensured
that this decision would be one the manager came to regret. Any full-back who
put in such a performance would have had praise heaped on them: for it to be a
19 year-old, in the context of a relatively rough patch of form that brought
his performance on this biggest of stages under significant scrutiny, is
nothing short of remarkable. It is testament to his character as well as his
ability, and it reinforced the point that he has the attributes to make that
spot his own for many years to come.
It would be remiss to praise the full-back without also
giving credit to both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gini Wijnaldum. In the first
half, it was the former Arsenal man who was tasked with doubling up on Sane to
ensure that he could get no joy. His discipline was relentless, and when Trent
was covering the winger Oxlade-Chamberlain was never far away. The first ten
minutes in particular highlighted his immense versatility – City dominated
possession in the early stages, and the summer acquisition essentially sat in
as a right wing-back directly in front of the conventional full-back to ensure
there would be no overload down the flank. Once the crowd had roared Liverpool
into the ascendency, unperturbed by City’s attempts to calm things down,
Chamberlain showed just what he had to offer going the other way: after the
industry of Firmino and the composure of Salah had made the first goal, he
positively rifled in the second from long range. It was a sumptuous strike,
leaving Ederson helpless: everything about his performance was deserving of
such a goal. Wijnaldum took over the role for the bulk of the second half,
following Salah’s precautionary withdrawal. Few players have the diverse skill
set that makes Oxlade-Chamberlain so useful, so it was far from a given that the
Dutchman would be able to step up and ensure Alexander-Arnold remained
well-protected while still offering something going forward. However, he
performed the task equally well. At times this season he has looked lost on the
pitch, floating around without seeming to know his purpose – on the night he
was machine-like, carrying out his instructions methodically and perfectly.
Sane did not get any more joy after the introduction of Wijnaldum, and when
Liverpool did manage to recover the ball he was instrumental in surging out of
the defensive third and relieving pressure. It is refreshing to know that
Liverpool have a degree of depth in the squad that allows such tidy players to
be called upon when needed.
The final player worth singling out for special praise is
the scorer of Liverpool’s third goal, Sadio Mane. The goal itself was
impressive: an inch-perfect floated cross from Salah was met emphatically by
the Senegalese winger, who powered a textbook header past Ederson. However, it
was the overall performance that was most admirable. His touch, the one thing
that has looked consistently less than its best for him this season, was
largely faultless. His runs were direct and positive, the best of which left
Otamendi on the floor. His decision-making was spot on, never running down
blind alleys or ignoring passing options. A Mane in this sort of form is just
as unplayable as his Egyptian counterpart on the other side – certainly City
were not equipped to handle either of them.
Ultimately, though, not one player let the side down. Every
last man put in one of the performances of their lives, and those that think
the atmosphere had no part to play just don’t grasp football. James Milner took
a video of the coach’s arrival, from inside the team bus itself: pulling in
through streets lined with fans wielding banners and flairs, singing the
praises of the Liverpool players on that bus, could hardly fail to inspire
them. Equally, City cannot have enjoyed the wall of jeers that first met them
on Anfield Road and continued throughout the ninety minutes inside the stadium.
It was intimidating, the kind of support City could only dream of conjuring up,
the kind of support that only really comes with true European pedigree. Nobody
would deny that football is about fine margins, so if the crowd can give their
players that extra level while even just slightly overawing the opposition then
it is of course capable of making all the difference. This is what was
witnessed at Anfield.
It would be easy to forget just how good a side Manchester
City have proved themselves to be this season. This very weekend they will have
the opportunity to formally wrap up the league title with more than a month to
spare, and only one club – you guessed it – have been able to beat them in the
league all season. The case can be made that they are the best technical side
in Europe: indeed, many were making that case before their drubbing at the
hands of Klopp’s men. If they can be dismantled in this way, so can any of the
teams left in the competition: Liverpool will go to the Etihad not only
confident that they can see the tie out, but that they have the potential to go
all the way. Of course, the hardest work is yet to come, but when he came to
the helm Klopp called for fans to be believers rather than doubters: that is an
easy call to answer after a night like this.
- James Martin (@JamesMartin013)
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