Manchester City made a short trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg tie. Pep Guardiola made a few changes and opted for a more cautious approach to the game. His plan backfired as the home team took the lead courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s finish from close range. Jurgen Klopp’s side doubled their lead via Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s ferocious strike in the 20th minute. Sadio Mane scored his team’s third goal with a header in the 31st minute to give the Reds a convincing 3-0 lead at half-time.
The Reds came out in the second half but failed to keep possession. However, they defended valiantly to keep the City attackers at bay and ended up winning the tie with a 3-0 scoreline. However, the job is only half done with the second leg at the Etihad Stadium looming on the horizon.
Let’s shed some light on how each Manchester City player fared on the night.
GK: Ederson – 5/10
Not the best performance from the Brazilian, he made a bad mistake to let Liverpool in for the first goal.
RB: Kyle Walker – 5/10
The English full-back tried his best but gave away the ball on many occasions in the first-half.
CB: Vincent Kompany – 5/10
The City captain failed to cope with the speed of the Reds attackers in the first half.
CB: Nicolas Otamendi – 5/10
The Argentine defender struggled to deal with Salah’s guile and wasted a few chances while going forward.
LB: Aymeric Laporte – 6/10
He did relatively well to cope with Salah’s pace and was more adventurous in the second half.
CM: Fernandinho – 5/10
He was hurried on the ball far too often by the Liverpool midfield and was forced to take shots from distance.
CM: İlkay Gundogan – 4.5/10
He was not ambitious on the ball but failed to make any real impact in the game.
LM: Leroy Sane – 4/10
He was totally neutralised by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half. The German squandered quite a few opportunities to score in the final 30 minutes of the game which could ultimately end up costing City.
CAM: David Silva – 6/10
He was one of City’s better players on the pitch. The Spaniard did not give away the ball and tried to conjure up a few chances for his teammates after the break.
RM: Kevin De Bruyne – 6/10
He put in a tireless shift for the Citizens but lacked the creative edge in the final third.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 4.5/10
The Brazilian got cautioned in the second half and failed to provide anything meaningful inside the Liverpool box.
Substitutes:
RM: Raheem Sterling – 5.5/10
He kept the ball well but failed to get the better of Andrew Robertson down the right flank.
