Liverpool produced an emphatic performance at Anfield to blow off Manchester City inside 30 minutes, as goals from Mohamed Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane ensured that Liverpool came out with an almost unassailable lead in the tie. They were fantastic on the night and put in a great shift to preserve their lead and see off Manchester City’s attack.
Tactical Breakdown:
- Liverpool pulled off pressing traps to perfection by staying compact in a 4-3-3 shape and forcing City into playing in an unsteady rhythm. The midfield trio of Liverpool’s have done a fantastic job thus far in covering the space. City have yet to find an answer for this
- Liverpool hit City in counters by exploiting City’s frailties in defensive transitions. -De Bruyne given a relatively free role, despite being a pivot in build up -Absence of a player in the center when the ball is lost in transitions
- Leroy Sane was kept quiet throughout the game and this was down to a number of reasons -Limit the number of times direct switches from the center were made -Make Sane receive the ball lower down the pitch rather than high up -Have the RCM cover the half space
Conclusion:
It was a fantastic result for Jurgen Klopp’s men as they yet again prove to be the kryptonite for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. It has to be said that the way Livepool and Trent Alexander Arnold in particular handled Sane and the left sided dynamics of Manchester City to shut them out. It played a major role in ensuring that the score line remained intact from a Liverpool perspective while their offensive play in transitions were top notch in the first half hour. The three goal lead gave Liverpool the option of sitting back and playing out the match at a pace they found it comfortable. Despite City going up a gear or two in the second half, the match was always in Liverpool’s control, with Salah’s injury the only blip on this wonderful result.
