Liverpool’s significant Manchester City victory, only 4 matches to 24 year dream, would be a pity if Chelsea become champion.

Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2:Liverpool’s victory march Hillsborough victims were not forgotten

Only this time the Manchester City defender sliced and shanked it. In attempting to relieve the pressure, he succeeded only in inviting danger.

Philipp Coutinho seized upon the chance. Striding forward he speared an exquisite, first-time finish from the edge of the penalty area beyond the despairing dive of Joe Hart and into the corner of the net to leave Anfield bellowing out another glorious roar.

There is one moment every season, whether it is through a flash of sheer brilliance or a grubby mistake, that the destiny of title is shaped. Today it is advantage Liverpool.

What’s more, they will be increasingly confident of retaining the upper hand with just four games remaining following another statement of their hunger and breathless intent, rounded off by Steven Gerrard’s rousing huddle at the final whistle, to reach the finishing line first.

Norwich next Sunday looms large, but it is the showdown on April 27 with Chelsea and Jose Mourinho, now two points in arrears in second place, that whets the appetite. It will be D-day all over again, but such is the nature of fighting for the top honours.

That the visit of City had reached the point where Brendan Rodgers’ team got everything back, just when it appeared they had given it all away, served to highlight the absorbing nature of a pulsating contest that laid assault to the senses and was a joy to behold.

Liverpool had City cornered inside half an hour only for Manuel Pellegrini’s side to rouse themselves before the error from Kompany, whose fitness had been shrouded in doubt before kick-off and rarely looked at his authoritative best, left the momentum on Merseyside.

After 24 years without a championship success to cherish, perhaps it was always expecting too much for Liverpool to do things the easy way. Still, a tenth consecutive Premier League victory will have seemed pretty perfect to Rodgers and his squad.

There is no one better than City’s Class of 2012 to testify how winning is everything. Yet many of those who remain at the club from back then, left here fearing that shimmering title triumph will remain the exception when it was supposed to be, by now, the norm.

The visitors had been blown away in another of the blitzkrieg starts that have become de rigueur for Liverpool as Rodgers’ warning that more than 40,000 supporters would unleashed upon City was joined by 11 men in red shirts intent upon creating havoc.

Despite the deep emotion of the occasion, a minute’s silence to remember the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster was impeccably observed ahead of tomorrow’s memorial service on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, the hosts played with their heads.

It is the speed with which they construct their attacks that sets Liverpool apart right now. City knew what was coming, but were still powerless to stop this nature of force.

Luis Suarez bounced off Martin Demichelis, and then Gael Clichy, threading an inch perfect pass onto which Raheem Sterling, who had been deployed at the tip of the midfield diamond, tore.

The youngster, whose introduction came in the corresponding fixture last season, was confronted by Joe Hart and Kompany but remained as cold as ice. Sterling looked like he was going to check on his left, but instead wrapped his right foot around the ball, buying himself a yard and making his rivals look stupid, and stroked his effort into a gaping net. Brilliant.

One then became two.

Hart superbly tipped over a bullet header from Gerrard, an immense figure throughout, following a Coutinho corner, but from the resulting set-piece he had no chance. Martin Skrtel gave Kompany the slip and found the target with a clever header.

Liverpool’s appeal lies in their ability to score at anytime from anywhere. Once again this was the SAS, but not as we have come to know it.

Indeed, Suarez, who having been booked for a foul on Martin Demichelis avoided any further punishment when diving in another duel with the Argentine, and Sturridge have now both gone two games with a goal.

That Liverpool have carried on winning, speaks volumes.

Manchester City responded of course. Sterling and then Glen Johnson combined to prevent Kompany’s header from crossing the line and Simon Mignolet produced a smart save to prevent Fernandinho’s volley from halving the deficit in first-half injury time.

It was no surprise that Pellegrini sought fresh impetus from the substitutes’ bench, although it was less predictable that it was James Milner, not Sergio Aguero, who fuelled the comeback.

Liverpool were sliced open as Milner played a clever one-two with Fernandinho and teed up David Silva to convert from close range before parity was restored just after the hour.

Samir Nasri and Silva played tiki-taki in the penalty area and when the Spaniard’s cross struck Johnson, it served to wrong-foot Mignolet and squeeze in the near post.

At that juncture, with City’s title fate back under their own control by virtue of their games in hand, they felt the more assured. Pellegrini no doubt thought that having clambered off the canvas, they would land the punch of a champion.

Indeed, Aguero could have changed the course of the match, and with it maybe the season, had he not delivered a pass that was just too far in front of Silva, causing him to toe-poke wide rather than into the net.

Three minutes later came Kompany’s aberration after Clichy had headed on Johnson’s throw-in and the pendulum swung back.

For Liverpool the final 12 minutes, in which they had Jordan Henderson sent-off for a tackle on Nasri and Skrtel escaped with a handball, will have felt like an eternity.

Henderson’s energy will be missed in three of the next four games and if the hamstring injury that prompted Sturridge’s departure is serious, then Rodgers’ squad will find itself tested.

Yet they would settle for this scenario. They must do it all over again at Norwich, then against Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, and the dream becomes reality.

Next up: Liverpool – Sun: Norwich (a) Premier League. Man City – Wed:  Sunderland (h) Premier League.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Match Stats

Liverpool: Mignolet 7, Johnson 7.5, Skrtel 8.5, Sakho 7, Flanagan 8, Henderson 7, Gerrard 9, Coutinho 9.5 (Moses 89), Sterling 9 (Lucas 90), Suarez 6, Sturridge 5.5 (Allen 66, 7).

Subs not used: Brad Jones, Toure, Agger, Aspas.

Goals: Sterling 6, Skrtel 26, Coutinho 78.

Booked: Suarez.

Sent off: Henderson (90).

Man City: Hart 7.5, Zabaleta 7, Kompany 5.5, Demichelis 7, Clichy 5, Toure 5 (Javi Garcia 19, 6), Fernandinho 7, Jesus Navas 4.5 (Milner 50, 7), Silva 6.5, Nasri 6.5, Dzeko 4.5 (Aguero 68, 6).

Subs not used: Lescott, Negredo, Kolarov, Pantilimon.

Goals: Silva 57, Johnson (og) 63.

Booked: Javi Garcia, Fernandinho, Zabaleta.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Attendance: 44,601.

Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2 Match Video

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Swansea City 0 Chelsea 1:Demba Ba saved Chelsea again

The visitors took the lead through Demba Ba, who struck firmly into the bottom left corner after a pass from Nemanja Matic.

The goal came after the winner he struck against Paris Saint-Germain five days ago that booked the Blues’ place in the Champions League semi-finals.

Swansea played most of the match with 10 men as Chico Flores was dismissed after only 15 minutes of play for a second yellow card after bringing down Andre Schurrle.

Straight down the tunnel and not a word for the press. A win is a win, but a victory like this will do nothing to convince Jose Mourinho that he commands anything other than a battering ram with a blunt nose. He’s said it all before so perhaps there was no point in repeating himself.

True, it is a win that puts Chelsea close to where they want to be. Had he stopped for a chat, he might have even admitted they now have a chance of winning the title.

But this was a laboured win against a side playing with 10 men for 75 minutes, a performance of wasted chances and not many deep breaths. They cantered and strolled, comfortable and occasionally attractive, but not exactly busting a gut and certainly not clinical.

Here, they managed 26 shots and, astonishingly, hit the target with only three of them. A season in miniature? They might have won by five or six, but instead they were perhaps lucky to win by one, Demba Ba’s winning strike taking a deflection before it was helped by some poor goalkeeping.

Maybe they were helped, also, by referee Phil Dowd, who made the right decision in a questionable manner when the game’s key moment arose after 15 minutes. Chico Flores had committed his second poor foul in the space of 84 seconds, and he was rightly booked for both.

But the contention came from the fact that Dowd made a delayed call to show the second yellow, having initially appeared to decide a free-kick was punishment enough. John Terry was part of the swarm around the referee that preceded the change of heart and he later admitted: ‘I told the referee: “that’s a second yellow card for me”.’

Right as the call was, Swansea manager Garry Monk was less than impressed by the persuasive tactics, saying: ‘He initially signalled no, then their bench get in the fourth official’s ear, and their players surround the referee.

‘I was surprised it took so long for the decision to be made. I’m sure the referee’s got a legitimate reason for doing it the way he did.’

On such moments can a season turn and that might apply as strongly to both clubs.

Mourinho has gone to peculiar lengths in writing off his team’s chances in this campaign and the message appears to have been passed down to his assistant, Steve Holland, who said: ‘I think not much has changed. We are five clear of Manchester City who have two games more than us. Manchester City win their matches and they finish ahead of Chelsea.’

Chelsea now trail Liverpool by two points with four games left, but the two teams are still to meet at Anfield on April 27.

Swansea City vs Chelsea Match Stats

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Vorm 5; Rangel 6.5, Flores 3, Williams 6.5, Davies 6; Britton 6.5 (De Guzman 86), Shelvey 6.5; Dyer 6 (Ngog 73, 6), Hernandez 6 (Amat 19, 6), Routledge 7; Bony 6.5.

Subs not used: Taylor, Tremmel, Fulton, Emnes.

Sent off: Flores.

Manager: Garry Monk 6.5

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6.5; Ivanovic 6.5, Cahill 6.5, Terry 6.5, Azpilicueta 6; Ramires 5.5 (Oscar 45, 6), Matic 7.5; Salah 5.5, Willian 6, Schurrle 6 (Eto’o 46, 4.5); Ba 6.5 (Mikel 79)

Subs not used: Cole, Luiz, Torres, Oscar, Mikel, Schwarzer.

Booked: Schurrle, Mikel.

Goals: Ba.

Manager: Jose Mourinho 7

Ref: Phil Dowd 7

Att: 20,761

Man of the match: Nemanja Matic

Swansea City 0 Chelsea 1 Match Video

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English Premier League Match Week 34 Results

Saturday, 12 April

Man United Postponed Hull City

Sunderland 0 Everton 1

Stoke City 1 Newcastle 0

Fulham 1 Norwich City 0

Crystal Palace 1 Aston Villa 0

West Brom 3 Tottenham 3

Southampton 0 Cardiff City 1

Sunday, 13 April

Arsenal Postponed West Ham

Liverpool 3 Man City 2

Swansea City 0 Chelsea 1

Tuesday, 15 April

Arsenal 19:45 West Ham

Tuesday, 6 May

Man United 19:45 Hull City

Barclays Premier League Match Week 34 Table

 

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