Oh my, we were now dancing in Deano’s flat, Liverpool had been totally out-played and out-fought but not over-awed or out-thought; Liverpool had simply absorbed all the pressure like a sponge and had hit City with two rapier like counter-attacks.
‘Just keep it to nil’ I urged, as Dean concurred at one point. We all knew that if Liverpool could keep City out then they had a chance to re-group at the interval and hopefully come out and play better in the second-half.
The sweets were going down as quick as the cola as we collectively, along with Anfield, went ‘Phew’ when Michael Oliver, the ref blew-up for the interval. Just what would the second half contain?
It was more of the same. The interval may not as well have happened.
City again had all the ball. Suffocating Liverpool and continually threatened to score.
‘Get hold of the ball!!’ we screamed more than once.
Liverpool did keep it for a few seconds as they pussy-footed around with it – passing it back to Alisson through Trent, then Robbo, then Virgil van Djke, then Alisson back to Virgil van Djke, Alisson to Dejan Lovren – it did take the sting out of the game but it was still giving us heart attacks, as one slip and City would have been in.
‘Get at them!’ Dean urged, commenting how weak City were at the back. Liverpool finally heeded all our advice.
There came a three – minute spell maybe when Liverpool properly passed it around, popping it in midfield, like we owned it, like against Spurs at home. With Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum, getting into some groove and then Jordan Henderson drove down our right tram-line and he must have been listening to us, because when he got to the edge of the Kop End area, near the goal-line, he hooked in a delicious, inviting, please head me, cross, to the back stick, and there was Sadio Mane to dive (opps, sorry Pep, did I say dive – well, Sadio did then and he meant it alright) with his head where it hurts, hurtling the ball to the right of Bravo, to make Pep Guardiola eat his words, as Sadio Mane made it 3-0.
We all cheered to the rafters.
No wonder Manchester City were losing it. Kylie Walker their right-back had a go at Andy Robertson who just wound the City player-up even more by smiling at him. Raheem Stirling continually tried to entangle the reds defence in a succession of knots but was un-successful, despite his efforts and diving theatrics.
Liverpool actually got on top for a little while and looked menacing as the whole ground, which included Sean Cox, the Liverpool fan who had been battered to a pulp by Roma thugs nearly two years ago, roared the reds forward, with at one point, a clear rendition of ‘Every Other Saturday’ booming out (God I love that song).
Sergio Aguero went off and Jesus came on and with about a quarter of an hour to go, City finally scored. The ball came across from Liverpool’s left and there was Bernardo Silva, to shoot low and hard, to make it 1-3.
We all looked at each other – in fear.
City still had time to get something out of the game but Liverpool, with James Milner on in place of the exhausted Jordan Henderson, somehow kept City at bay, despite those corners which were played short and popped into the box. City should have scored from one of them and it was a miracle they didn’t.
I kept looking at the time and as the ball flew across our six-yard box for the umpteenth second I just desperately wanted the game to end, there and then, just like I had at the break.
Anfield’s crowd kept the tired 11 red-men going, being their 12th man as they hung-on, despite having a two-goal advantage. After all is said and done (in my best Nessa, ‘Gavin and Stacey’ voice!) it was Manchester City we were playing against – probably the best side in the world.
At the end, I just felt relief.
It had been such a tense and enthralling, emotional game that we had all been magnetised to it…
12/11/19 1815.
Andy's Anfield Articles 