Liverpool gain revenge over Manchester City

It was a game nobody really wanted. Liverpool, suffering after a 2-1 defeat, wanted to see the back of an erratic campaign. Chelsea had an important Champions League task on the horizon and in their ranks was a former Anfield favourite returning for the first time since an acrimonious move.

The pre-game atmosphere was muted. The Kop barely responded to taunts about how they failed at Wembley nor did they have the inclination to make life unpleasant for Fernando Torres. Then, however, the game began and they sensed the chance to make some kind of amends.

So tackles began to fly, the atmosphere changed, the volume rose and a three-goal blitz in nine first half minutes paved the way for Liverpool to win 4-1.

Kenny Dalglish, in his trademark bubble coat, frequently sprinted down the touchline, sporting a smile as wide as the Mersey.

Sound familiar?
If there was ambivalence among Liverpudlians about coming up against Manchester City so soon after losing the Capital One Cup final to them on penalties – it was eerily quiet around Anfield before kick-off – everything changed with 26 seconds.

That was the time it took Jon Flanagan, the redoubtable local defender making his first start in the Barclays Premier League since May 2014, to deposit Raheem Sterling – the night's pantomime villain – into the floor and show his teammates what it meant to be back.

This contest was loaded with the potential for Liverpool to flounder. They are becoming a heads or tails team: you never known what you are going to get when you flip a coin and you never know what you are going to get from Jurgen Klopp's men when they cross the line.

But that challenge from Flanagan – whose performance showed why Liverpool must offer him a new contract before his current deal expires in June – set the tone for a performance that was full of vibrancy, aggression and ruthlessness. From that moment, City were going to get nothing.

All over the pitch, Liverpool swamped a side whom Pellegrini anticipated would use success at Wembley to reignite their pursuit of the Barclays Premier League. Bar one jinking run from Jesus Navas in the 24th minute, City were kept comfortably at bay as their hosts ran riot.

Klopp is planning a summer revamp – a feature in the match programme on Joel Matip, who will arrive on a Bosman from Schalke was the first piece of evidence – and he will use the transfer window to put his stamp on the squad.

So it is not wrong to suggest that many in the ranks will have to show over the next three months that they deserve to stay on board for the ride. Fear can be a wonderful motivation.

Take Adam Lallana. He described his first season at Liverpool as 'pretty average' following a £25million move from Southampton and his second campaign has been ravaged by inconsistency and fitness issues.

Here, though, he was exceptional. This was without question his finest performance for Liverpool, crowned by a goal which embarrassed Joe Hart and an assist for Roberto Firmino. It even ensured his name was sung, after 70 minutes, by The Kop, who appreciated his efforts.

He was not alone. James Milner – whom Klopp described as 'a complete player' after his first game at Tottenham last October – was terrific and also got on the score sheet, as did the enigmatic Roberto Firmino. Dejan Lovren, meanwhile, kept Sergio Aguero comfortably at arms' length.

Perhaps privately Klopp will lament that Liverpool did not produce a performance of this nature at Wembley but this offered proof that, perhaps, next season – with the right investment – will be much more consistent than his first campaign in charge.

"We have to change a lot of things to be successful," Klopp said before this game. "It's not possible in this world of football to be successful in England five or six years in a row. Nobody can win the league five or six years in a row because the financial potential of all the teams is too big.

"But always to be a part of this and to be a challenger is possible. That's what we have to be in the future. To do that we have to make decisions."

The trick now is to get the results when they really matter: not four days too late.

Source: MailOnline

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.