Five Famous Liverpool Wins Against Manchester City At Anfield: Including A 6-0 Thrashing And An Andy Carroll Brace
11th April 2011
LIVERPOOL (3) 3 (Carroll 13, 35, Kuyt 34)
MAN CITY (0) 0
LIVERPOOL: Reina; Flanagan, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio; Kuyt, Spearing, Lucas, Meireles; Carroll (N’Gog), Suarez
MAN CITY: Hart; Boyata, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; Milner (Silva), Barry, Toure, Johnson; Dzeko, Tevez (Balotelli) (de Jong)
Liverpool were four months into a new reign under Kenny Dalglish as new owners had brought in Anfield legend in attempt to stabilise the club. The League form had improved picking up 21pts from the last 10 matches, including a 3-1 home win against leaders, Manchester United. In January, Liverpool sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea and replaced him with Luis Suarez from Ajax and Andy Carroll from Newcastle. Carroll had yet to open his goal account for his new club having only appeared in 3 league games to this point, and Suarez had only scored twice so everyone was desperate for things to take off.
Manchester City were in third place desperate to win something and justify the spending on their squad, but mindful of the threat to a Champions League place from sides below them. When they arrived at Anfield they had one eye on an upcoming FA Cup Semi-Final against United, but if they were hoping for a nice easy confidence-building warm-up, they got anything but.
The night belonged to Andy Carroll, who finally looked like the player Liverpool thought they had bought. Thirteen minutes in a Dirk Kuyt’s throughball hit Kompany and bounced back into the path of Carroll, about 20 yards from goal. Carroll hit it first time with his left foot and couldn’t have caught it sweeter. The shot, hit low, curved away from Joe Hart’s outstretched hand although the City keeper could be forgiven for being surprised Carroll hit it so well. City then suffered a further blow when Carlos Tevez went off with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Balotelli.
Ten minutes before the break Liverpool surged forward again and City desperately tried to repel each shot but when the ball fell to Dirk Kuyt, free on the right-hand side of the area, his carefully placed shot beat Hart in the far corner. City were a beaten team already and soon the game was over as a contest. Raul Meireles crossed right-footed from the left wing and Carroll got up first to head the ball past Hart and that was that. Finally, Suarez and Carroll had begun to click as a partnership and the difference between them and the City attack was stark.
Liverpool won comfortably and definitely looked more of a team than City, who resembled a disparate bunch of expensive players assembled for the amusement of men with too much money.
Liverpool finished the season in 6th and City ending 3rd and winning the FA Cup.
Matches: 80
Liverpool win: 48
Man City win: 13
Draws: 19
Liverpool goals: 169
Man City goals: 99