A Tale of Two Cities

I couldn't have asked for a better start especially since we had lost by the exact same scoreline way back in August 2010 (seems like ages ago these days). It was what you'd expect every manager would say to his team every time they walk on to the pitch. A sort of, Let's Go Out There Lads and Get Them, only this time, everything actually did go according to plan and with 10 minutes to spare to half-time, Liverpool had taken a comfortable lead over Manchester City.

The best thing about the win was the way the team played which was evident in the goals that were scored on the night. Yes, Liverpool are a completely different team when Luis Suarez plays but by the man's own high standards, he probably performed below par. Yes, Andy Carroll would probably (and deservedly) get the headlines in the British press in the morning for his goals but, it was the teamwork and a tenacious desire by all eleven players on the pitch to hammer the opposition into submission that impressed me the most. On many occasions, City's 18-yard box resembled a pinball machine with players moving and passing the ball freely around it with numerous attempts ricocheting off City players and the goalposts.

To top it all off, 18-year-old John Flanagan had a very convincing first team debut at right back. The teenager might not have the fancy tricks and   blinding pace of most starlets but he certainly made up for it with his maturity and confidence (one might even say cockiness) on the ball. There he was playing against footballers with years more of experience compared to him but he just appeared to take it all in his stride and got along with it. One could even argue that Flanagan was so effective that Mancini was forced to take James Milner off in the second half.

It didn't end there though. One look at the bench and at once you get an indication as to how confident the King himself is of his youngsters. With Brad Jones out on loan to Derby, young Hungarian Peter Gulacsi is Pepe Reina's back-up while Danny Wilson gets the nod ahead of veteran Kyrgiakos as cover for either Carragher or Skrtel. Jonjo Shelvey provided some midfield options and thankfully, Fabio Aurelio kept himself injury-free but just in case anything bad happened to him, I wouldn't have mind seeing Jack Robinson getting another appearance for the club.

It's a great feeling to see Liverpool's production line up and running again. Hopefully, the work of all who are involved, both past and present doesn't go unnoticed.