FOOTBALL Live

Sunday October 5, 2008 Finished City of Manchester Stadium

Logo 2 - Logo 3

Manchester City

  • Ireland 19’
  • Garrido 41’

Liverpool

  • Torres 53’, 73’
  • Kuijt 90’
  1. Kuyt wins it for Liverpool

    Kuyt wins it for Liverpool

    Dirk Kuyt scored another late winner as Liverpool fought back from 2-0 down to beat Manchester City 3-2 in an entertaining clash. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Manchester City
    • Liverpool
    • - Thanks for joining me this evening; make sure you stick with me for all the latest news from around the Premier League.
    • 96 FULL-TIME: Stunning second-half performance from Liverpool, who seal a remarkable win!
    • 92 GOAL! KUYT WINS IT FOR LIVERPOOL! Torres sees his effort blocked by his own man Keane, but the ball falls to Kuyt who fires home from five yards out!
    • 90 SIX MINUTES OF ADDED TIME! A long injury to Skrtel, carried off on a stretcher, means City have plenty time to hang on yet...
    • 86 Skrtel is down injured, clutching his knee after slipping in attempting to clear a long ball forward, with Evans putting him under pressure.
    • 85 CITY SUB: Petrov comes on for Elano; bit of pace down the left for the home side.
    • 84 BLOCKED! Keane sees his low shot blocked on the edge of the box.
    • 83 WIDE! OFFSIDE ANYWAY! Keane meets a low cross at the near post, flicking his effort wide...but the linesman has his flag up anyway to the offside of the full-back.
    • 82 WHAT A MISS! Great build-up from Liverpool as Gerrard feeds Keane, who clips over the perfect low cross to the back post...but Torres somehow slides the ball over the bar from three yards out!
    • 80 CITY SUB: Robinho is replaced by Ched Evans as Hughes looks for a bit more physical presence up front. The Brazilian takes his time to leave the field, to great applause from the home fans...
    • 78 Reira fires over a dangerous cross...tipped to safety by Hart.
    • 77 City have got everyone back and their clearances from defence are just coming straight back at them...
    • 76 Liverpool piling on the pressure...one-way traffic at the moment. City can't get the ball back to release the pressure.
    • 75 Robinho is miffed as the referee allows play to go on when he tangles legs with Skrtel as the two chase a long ball forward...
    • 74 City are going to be hanging on for the final minutes...down to ten men, with Liverpool really pushing forward...
    • 73 GOAL! TORRES FLICKS HIS HEADER PAST HART! Great corner from Gerrard, Torres loses his man at the near post to flick past Hart! Dreadful defending from City!
    • 72 Liverpool win a corner as a cross is deflected behind...
    • 71 Meanwhile, Robbie Keane has come on for Fabio Aurelio for Liverpool as Benitez looks for an equaliser.
    • 70 CITY SUB: Fernandes comes on for Jo, who took a knock in a challenge with Skrtel...defensive change from Hughes as City look to hang on in the final stages...
    • 68 How will Hughes reorganise his men now? Kompany dropping back into defence? He will need to bring off one of his attacking talents, surely?
    • 67 RED CARD! Zabaleta is sent off for a lunging tackle on Alonso...he did jump in on the midfielder, how ever much he protests...
    • 65 Still no changes for either side as Liverpool continue to dominate the possession and City try to keep them honest with their thrusting counter-attacks...
    • 64 Will Liverpool be able to make Robinho and City pay for that miss? They continue to threaten...
    • 63 HOW DID HE MISS? SWP does superbly down the right...he easily beats his man for pace before clipping the ball into the middle...SOMEHOW ROBINHO BUNDLES THE BALL OVER FROM FIVE YARDS OUT!
    • 61 Half an hour for City to hold on...they need to improve their passing in midfield, because Liverpool are winning the ball in some dangerous spots...
    • 60 Robinho is caught off-side as Ireland flicks a ball through to him...correct decision from the linesman...
    • 59 ...Gerrard curls the set-piece into the middle...Richards and Torres throw themselves at it...the ball deflects high over the bar...
    • 59 ...Gerrard takes it short...and Liverpool win a corner when the cross is deflected behind...
    • 58 Dunne shoves Torres in the back to give Liverpool a free-kick on the right flank...
    • 57 City aren't helping themselves...they are giving the ball away far too easily in midfield at the moment.
    • 56 Robinho has been bundled off the ball a couple of times in the last few minutes...he hasn't really managed to have much of an impact in this match...City could do with a touch of class to relieve the pressure.
    • 55 Kompany clips a nice ball through the middle for SWP...just too hard for him to collect as he cut in from the right...
    • 53 GOAL! TORRES PULLS ONE BACK! Gerrard sticks in Arbeloa, who fires a low cross into the six-yard box...Torres scrambles home!
    • 51 Gerrard's cross is easily claimed by Hart at his near post...Gerrard hasn't been at his best today.
    • 50 SCREWED! Mascherano makes a rare advance forward...but slices his shot from distance well wide as the City defence backed off.
    • 49 Kuyt flashes a snap-volley wide as the ball drops to him 10 yards out...Hart wasn't troubled with that effort.
    • 48 Liverpool are having all the ball at the start of the second half...City will be desperate to keep them at bay for 15 minutes or so...
    • 47 Kuyt bursts through the middle, chasing a long ball...he goes down a little too easily on the edge of the box as Dunne comes across...nervy moment as everyone turns to the referee...who waves play-on...
    • 46 The second half is underway...what can Liverpool do to preserve their unbeaten record?
    • 45 HALF-TIME: Dream half for City, although Liverpool will be kicking themselves...they have had chances, Kuyt should have scored, but the billionaires of City are sticking it to them!
    • 44 SWP almost flicks a pass through to Robinho after Skrtel failed to clear a bobbling ball on the edge of his box...
    • 43 Reira is just caught offside as a ball is lofted over the top for him...Dunne had come flying over to make a recovery tackle anyway...
    • 42 Difficult to say City deserve to be two goals to the good, but they have defended well enough and taken their chances! Great performance in the first half...and there will be more space opening up as Liverpool press....
    • 41 GOAL! GARRIDO FIRES THE FREE-KICK INTO THE TOP CORNER! The left-back curls the perfect free-kick beyond the keeper and City are two-up!
    • 40 City win a free-kick, 30 yards out, when SWP is barged over by the retreating Reira...Garrido stands over it...
    • 39 ALMOST! Everything positive for Liverpool has come through Reira this afternoon; he fizzes a cross over from the left...inches away from the boot of Kuyt at the back post.
    • 38 Robinho is impressing everyone with his willingness to track back and put a tackle in; he is proving himself no fancy-dan.
    • 36 I wonder if Rafa will be thinking of turning to Keane in the second half?
    • 35 Hughes is looking on contentedly from his technical area; City might lead, but they still don't look great in midfield; Liverpool are winning the central battle.
    • 33 Liverpool win a corner as Garrido deflects a cross behind...Gerrard sends it into the middle...a combination of Dunne and Jo head clear.
    • 32 More Liverpool pressure as Gerrard sends in a deflected cross from the right; Richards and Dunne are having to be on top of their game today.
    • 31 Liverpool are definitely still looking dangerous; they are throwing plenty of players forward, although look a little lob-sidded...everything is coming down their left-hand side...
    • 30 SWP is having a good game for City; his close control allows him to buy an extra yard from his marker and his runs are releasing some pressure on City.
    • 29 Robinho is upset he doesn't win a free-kick after being bundled over in midfield by Mascherano; Brazil v Argentina...
    • 28 Elano shows great defensive awareness to chase back on Reira and put in a crucial tackle...
    • 27 City aren't afraid to throw the ball long from the back...but Liverpool are able to cope fairly easily with the high stuff.
    • 25 Zabaleta manages to scramble to hit feet after a slip almost allowed Reira a shooting chance...the pitch is wet from the recent rain...there may be more slip-ups to come...
    • 23 Nervy moment for Reina as he spills a routine cross into the box after a City break down the left with Robinho.
    • 22 DRAGGED! Elano rather scuffs a long-range effort after collecting the loose ball 30 yards out...he looks disappointed with himself...we saw what he can do from long-range midweek in the UEFA Cup...
    • 21 Jo barges into Alonso in midfield...free-kick to Liverpool, 40 yards out...
    • 20 That goal perhaps came a bit against the run of play, but City have looked threatening in this match; they are loving this new attacking style...so open.
    • 18 GOAL! IRELAND! CITY LEAD! SWP robs the ball high up the pitch...he pulls it back to Jo, shot blocked...but the ball falls to Ireland, who slams a shot high into the net!
    • 18 GREAT PLAY! Robinho skills his way around two challenges as he cuts in from the left flank..but his low cross is deflected into the arms of Reina...
    • 16 OVER! Reira does really well again down the left..he pulls the ball back to Kuyt...but he slams his left-foot shot over the bar from eight yards.
    • 15 ...wasted corner from Elano, who tries to pick out a man on the edge of the box...
    • 15 City win the first corner of the afternoon as Reira blocks Zabaleta's attempted cross; Richards ambles forward from the back...
    • 14 Liverpool have definitely made the better start here; City haven't managed to get any sort of grip on the midfield area.
    • 13 Skrtel has a pop from distance...well struck, but straight at Hart in the centre of the City goal.
    • 12 Solid tackle from Richards on Reira as the winger beats Zabaleta.
    • 11 Gerrard wastes a good chance to put a decent ball into the box with an over-hit cross.
    • 9 SHOT! Robinho controls a long ball forward under pressure from the defender...he spins and hits a first-time shot on goal from the edge of the box...straight at the keeper.
    • 8 Nice crisp passing in midfield from City as Elano wins a foul from Mascherano...another quick move from the quick free-kick, but Zabaleta's low cross is cut out by Reina.
    • 7 SWP leads a City counter down the right; he's so good at making valuable yards upfield to help his side advance...
    • 5 It's been a good start from Liverpool, they look threatening; City are going to have a tough afternoon with Liverpool in this mood...
    • 4 DECENT EFFORT! A long cross to the back post finds its way over to Reira on the back post...he hits an ambitious first-time volley from a tight angle...saved by Hart at the near post.
    • 3 Reira gets round Zabaleta on the left before hanging a cross to the back post...just too far for Kuyt...
    • 2 It's a sunny day in Manchester, although quite cold; we have been lucky to escape the torrential rain that has hit most of the country...
    • 1 We're underway...
    • 0 The players are out, the introductions have been made...
    • - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has sprung a surprise by leaving Robbie Keane on the bench. The Republic of Ireland international was expected to retain his place in the team after scoring his first goal for the club in the Champions League victory over PSV Eindhoven in midweek.
    • - Hi there; welcome to our coverage of this really intriguing clash at the COMS...

  • Team Stats

    Manchester City Stats Liverpool
    33% Possession 66%
    6 Shots 17
    4 Shots on target 6
    0 Saves 0
    1 Corners 7
    12 Fouls 10
    1 Offsides 6
    1 Yellow cards 1
    1 Red cards 0
    26 Tackles 20
    212 Accurate passes 510
    39 Bad passes 99

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Manchester City
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Joe Hart 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 0
      2 Micah Richards 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 19 1 3
      33 Vincent Kompany 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 32 4 4
      15 Javier Garrido 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 29 8 1
      5 Pablo Zabaleta 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 20 0 6
      22 Richard Dunne 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 16 3 4
      8 Shaun Wright-Phillips 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 10 1 2
      7 Stephen Ireland 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 20 0 3
      11 Blumer Elano 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 27 7 2
      14 João Alves de Assis Silva 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 14 3 1
      10 Robson de Souza 0 3 2 3 0 1 0 11 6 0
      19 Gelson Fernandes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0
      28 Daniel Sturridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      17 Martin Petrov 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
      26 Tal Ben Haim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      16 Kasper Schmeichel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      24 Ched Evans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
      21 Dietmar Hamann 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    • Liverpool
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      25 Jose Reina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0
      37 Martin Skrtel 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 61 3 0
      12 Fabio Aurelio 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 51 16 2
      17 Alvaro Arbeloa 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 49 0 4
      23 Jamie Carragher 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 61 17 4
      8 Steven Gerrard 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 43 11 1
      20 Javier Mascherano 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 38 5 2
      14 Xabi Alonso 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 91 16 3
      11 Alberto Riera 0 1 1 2 1 3 0 33 16 0
      9 Fernando Torres 2 5 2 1 4 1 0 16 5 2
      18 Dirk Kuyt 1 4 1 1 0 1 0 33 0 2
      5 Daniel Agger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      21 Lucas Leiva 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      2 Andrea Dossena 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 11 6 0
      19 Ryan Babel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      1 Diego Cavalieri 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      15 Yossi Benayoun 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0
      7 Robbie Keane 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 2 0

  • Summary

    • 92 GOAL! KUYT WINS IT FOR LIVERPOOL! Torres sees his effort blocked by his own man Keane, but the ball falls to Kuyt who fires home from five yards out!
    • 82 WHAT A MISS! Great build-up from Liverpool as Gerrard feeds Keane, who clips over the perfect low cross to the back post...but Torres somehow slides the ball over the bar from three yards out!
    • 73 GOAL! TORRES FLICKS HIS HEADER PAST HART! Great corner from Gerrard, Torres loses his man at the near post to flick past Hart! Dreadful defending from City!
    • 67 RED CARD! Zabaleta is sent off for a lunging tackle on Alonso...he did jump in on the midfielder, how ever much he protests...
    • 53 GOAL! TORRES PULLS ONE BACK! Gerrard sticks in Arbeloa, who fires a low cross into the six-yard box...Torres scrambles home!
    • 39 ALMOST! Everything positive for Liverpool has come through Reira this afternoon; he fizzes a cross over from the left...inches away from the boot of Kuyt at the back post.
    • 18 GOAL! IRELAND! CITY LEAD! SWP robs the ball high up the pitch...he pulls it back to Jo, shot blocked...but the ball falls to Ireland, who slams a shot high into the net!
    • 18 GREAT PLAY! Robinho skills his way around two challenges as he cuts in from the left flank..but his low cross is deflected into the arms of Reina...
    • 16 OVER! Reira does really well again down the left..he pulls the ball back to Kuyt...but he slams his left-foot shot over the bar from eight yards.
    • 9 SHOT! Robinho controls a long ball forward under pressure from the defender...he spins and hits a first-time shot on goal from the edge of the box...straight at the keeper.
    • 4 DECENT EFFORT! A long cross to the back post finds its way over to Reira on the back post...he hits an ambitious first-time volley from a tight angle...saved by Hart at the near post.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Peter Walton

  • Manchester City

    Manager: Mark Hughes

    Captain: Richard Dunne

    Starting line-up

    • J. Hart
    • P. Zabaleta Red Card
    • R. Dunne
    • M. Richards
    • J. Garrido Goal
    • S. Ireland Goal
    • V. Kompany
    • S. Wright-Phillips
    • B. Elano Substitution Out (84′)
    • .. Robinho
    • .. Jo Substitution Out (70′)

    Subs

    • D. Hamann
    • M. Petrov Substitution In84′
    • K. Schmeichel
    • T. Ben Haim
    • G. Fernandes Substitution In70′
    • D. Sturridge
    • C. Evans

    Injured

    • D. Vassell
    • V. Bojinov
    • N. Onuoha

    Suspended

    None

  • Liverpool

    Manager: Rafael Benitez

    Captain: Steven Gerrard

    Starting line-up

    • J. Reina
    • A. Arbeloa
    • J. Carragher
    • M. Skrtel
    • F. Aurelio
    • X. Alonso
    • D. Kuijt Goal
    • S. Gerrard
    • J. Mascherano
    • A. Riera
    • F. Torres Goals×2

    Subs

    • R. Keane
    • Y. Benayoun
    • A. Dossena
    • R. Babel
    • D. Agger
    • L. Lucas
    • D. Cavalieri

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None