Liverpool 4 City 3 - Stats Link & Post Match Reaction & Debate | Vital Football

Liverpool 4 City 3 - Stats Link & Post Match Reaction & Debate

Pep Guardiola to Sky Sports:

"Congratulations to Liverpool for the victory. The game was in our hands at 1-1 but our finishing was not good and then it went suddenly to 4-1. You have to be stable when you concede a goal and we were not solid enough. You have to live this kind of situation in the season.

"The reality is we lose the game, we have a week to recover and prepare for the Newcastle game. All credit to the opponent, we know how difficult it is against a Jurgen Klopp team, so aggressive, at Anfield too. We did a good performance apart from a few minutes.

"After the second goal they scored two in a few minutes and it is hard to recover from that. In every press conference for the last few months you have said that the Premier League us done and I always said no. It is still to be done.

"We will defend our position game by game."
 
A fair result. Liverpool defended from the front very well. Full marks to City for the comeback. We have massive fish to fry in the coming weeks and won’t realise what our football thus far has deserved if we produce more 5 minutes of madness like that again at the back. Absolutely unacceptable from a back line that has been 90% imperious since April. At least the defeat albatross is off our necks. Lazy journalism to suggest in this era that to go undefeated can be done. A word to the ref who I thought had a great game. I expect a severe response against Newcastle after our first week off since October.
 
Robbie Twat Savage

Ex-Leicester City & Wales midfielder on BBC Radio 5 live

I think you are going to have to score three or four goals to beat Man City this season - and luckily for Liverpool - they've got four today. You just wish we can see games like this every week.

Andy Robertson was brilliant at left-back, Emre Can was fantastic in the middle and Jurgen Klopp has got to be delighted with his team today. Credit to Liverpool's defence - even though City scored three.
 
Oxlade Chamberlain to Steve Wilson for MOTD:

“It turned out a bit too frantic for my liking. We were comfortable and controlling at 4-1 limiting them but when it went to 4-2 and 4-3 they got the wind in their sails and it was backs against the wall. To have conceded and only drew at the end would have been a big loss so I'm really proud of the boys.

"I got it right with my goal and picked my spot and it went in. Even at the start of the season when I was coming off the bench I was still having chances. The type of football we play you get chances and it's up to the lads to stick them away.

"When we get the press right and we're winning the ball back with the Anfield crowd urging us on it really gets us going. It's not the first time we've ran riot for five or 10 minutes and we've done it again."
 
Sadio Mane to Sky:

“The points were the main target and we got it. A great performance from beginning to end.

“My left foot is always better than my right. It was not easy because if you score four and they come back to 4-3 you are scared but we worked like a team and we deserved to win.”
 
18:54

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola shared an embrace before Klopp trots on to the pitch to hug every City player, some of whom were smiling. They know they've played their part in a classic.
 
Jurgen Klopp to BBC Sport:

"You can watch it as a manager or as a football fan and I prefer to do that - wow! What a game! Two teams, full throttle.

"This was a historical game you will talk about in 20 years because it looks like City will not lose another one this year.

"People watched this game all over the world and this is why - take your heart, throw it on the pitch and play like this, both teams.

"We played, I don't know which level, caused them problems like hell. I was not scared at the end, not that I didn't think we could concede a fourth, I have known my boys long enough now, it was so intense.

"If you combine quality with attitude you see a game like this. I really loved it.

"You will find someone who wants to talk about defending, no clean sheet, but he can blow up my boots."
 
Have to disagree with you on the ref JB, that was a homer if ever I saw one. Liverpool were full of pushes and little pulls that continously went unpunished, wasn't surprised in the slightest to see one of them shoves result in them scoring.
 
I thought Stones was fouled, but should've been stronger.
No doubt the scribes will do a quick revision of their views following the last three games.
 
Liverpool went into this game second in the form table - this was always going to be a test. Shame we couldn’t have started the comeback a few minutes earlier. A game where I think we missed Jesus - he might have taken some of the pressure off Sergio who was having one of his Land of the Giants Up against two big cente halves.

The Liverpool players executed Klopp’s game plan to perfection aided by some individual defensive errors but also IMO some weak officiating when it came to the shoves and pulls. KDB got a hefty two handed shove in the back when the ball was lost in the run op to the Firmino goal and he got away with a shove in Stones’s back for his goal.

Great resilience to claw those goals back.

Time to begin again next weekend
 
The annoying thing about them little shoves is that City players were penalised for them all the time because the crowd demanded it.
 
Lot's of this lessons to be gleaned from one. We had character coming back from that horror show. There are days when you just don't have it, but fighting to the end shows me what this team is made of. :001:
 
BamaEngineer - 14/1/2018 19:04

Lot's of this lessons to be gleaned from one. We had character coming back from that horror show. There are days when you just don't have it, but fighting to the end shows me what this team is made of. :001:

Spot on, BE.
:026:

 
Stonesy doesnt appeal after getting outmuscled thats what struck me. Ref aside we’ve failed at the back today but it could be the right time to get it out of our system.
We have a week off now. The big question I am asking tonight is should we recruit? My view is yes. More options, more cover to seal success.

Fab left Candlefield on crutches and leg brace.
 
Knee ligament damage seems to be the MCFC ‘injury of choice’ this season. More medial ligaments - 6-8 weeks minimum potentially. Danilo will get some game time
 
Johnny Baguette - 14/1/2018 07:37

Stonesy doesnt appeal after getting outmuscled thats what struck me. Ref aside we’ve failed at the back today but it could be the right time to get it out of our system.
We have a week off now. The big question I am asking tonight is should we recruit? My view is yes. More options, more cover to seal success.

Fab left Candlefield on crutches and leg brace.

Stoney has regressed since coming off the sick. We need him to find his form again, or bring in cover. It's hard to believe we are still so thin at CB, but it shows how hard it is to be dominant at that position.