Fernando Torres bagged his second consecutive Premier League brace, but it was Dirk Kuyt who popped up in the last minute to score his first league goal for 11 months as Liverpool came roaring back to beat Manchester City 3-2 on Sunday.
In a hugely entertaining game, it appeared City had signalled their intent for a top four finish as Stephen Ireland and Javi Garrido netted two quality strikes for a 2-0 half time lead.
However, Liverpool have often been at their best when behind this season and Torres led a magnificent comeback, before Kuyt pounced deep into injury time for a miraculous winner.
City will be left fuming by a controversial refereeing decision that saw Pablo Zabaleta sent off at 2-1, but Reds fans will not care as they continue to threaten a real title challenge this season.
The golden moment arrived as substitute Yossi Benayoun drove into the box, and when the Isaeli cut the ball back for Torres, his shot was deflected into the path of Kuyt for a dramatic winner.
Rafa Benitez had included a shock in his team selection for Sunday’s contest, deciding not to let Robbie Keane build on his first goal for the club – the Irishman making way for Javier Mascherano to leave the question: Who would score the goals if Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard were shackled?
Unfortunately for Liverpool the first-half answer seemed to be Kuyt, and the Dutchman just did not seem to want to score his first league goal of 2008.
With former Manchester City boy Albert Riera absolutely roasting Zabaleta at will, the Spaniard twice delivered perfect crosses for Liverpool’s blond bombshell, and twice the end result was groans from the travelling Kop.
By contrast, City have a whole host of match-winners nowadays, and it was they who looked the far greater threat as Robinho and Stephen Ireland linked wonderfully in the opening period with Jo up front.
Robinho sounded two warning shots early with volleys down Reina’s throat, but neither compared to Ireland’s 19th-minute effort that got the City of Manchester Stadium pumping.
Alvaro Arbeloa can certainly claim an assist for his messy attempt at clearing from under Robinho’s feet, but as the ball popped up to Ireland he showed sublime technique to leather the ball high past a stationary Reina.
Either side of the goal had come Kuyt’s chances, the first of which was guilt-edged as he slashed wildly over from six yards after magnificent work by Riera.
City were having more frequent success at getting behind the full backs though, and both Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips had chances to produce better centres from hugely promising positions.
A second goal did arrive before half time, but nobody in the ground could have predicted it would come from the little known free kick-taking expertise of Javi Garrido.
With Reina more concerned about his defenders’ marking than his near post, Garrido capitalized with the perfect curler over the wall for 2-0.
Liverpool were in unfamiliar territory, City were looking slick, a glimpse of the future perhaps for football’s richest club?
Liverpool weren’t ready to accept their fate though, and the whole complexion of the game should have changed inside the first minute of the second half, with Kuyt felled by Richard Dunne when clean through. The referee took a look, the prospect of a red card for City’s captain loomed, the penalty appeals were controversially waved away.
Instead Liverpool had to fight adversity, like they have already done against Middlesbrough, Manchester United and Marseille this season, and back they came.
Inevitably the big two were involved, Gerrard’s first time ball feeding Arbeloa into the box, and his first time cross was pounced on by Torres for 2-1.
Now the game was on a knife-edge, yet Robinho could have killed matters when Wright-Phillips crossed into the six-yard box, but the Brazilian volleyed over with the goal gaping.
A pivotal moment no doubt, but it was soon usurped by referee Peter Walton, who copied the example of some of his Premier League peers by making a headline for himself on 65 minutes.
Having denied Liverpool a clear red card earlier, Walton suddenly adjudged that Zabaleta’s excellent tackle on Xabi Alonso was not only a foul, but worthy of a straight dismissal.
Mark Hughes had a face like thunder. Five minutes later his fury would have flown off the Richter scale.
Backed by the extra man, Liverpool won a corner, Gerrard swung it in and there was Torres for his second Premier League brace in as many matches.
Now it was all Liverpool. Dossena provided extreme width and City were being torn to shreds. Surely one more chance for Torres would do it...No. Keane, fed inside by a delicate Gerrard reverse ball, crossed instantly for Torres – an open goal beckoned – but the stretching Spaniard could only sky it over.
Liverpool continued to press though and, after Martin Skrtel departed the pitch with a hugely serious injury, Benayoun found Torres, whose shot found Kuyt for a massive Liverpool win.
refer : http://www.setantasports.com
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