Manchester United’s engagement in Wales enabled Liverpool to draw level on points with them in second place in the Barclays Premiership. However, Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, admitted to feeling unhappy at the modest margin of victory. It was his team’s third successive 1-0 league win.
In contrast to the bile from the stands and vim on the pitch in the FA Cup tie against United the previous week, this meeting with United’s cross-city rivals was a bland disappointment. TV coverage briefly spliced pictures of the match with footage of the teams arriving at the Millennium Stadium as if to make the point that this was a taster before the main course. A pretty unappetising apéritif to the Carling Cup final it was, too, the 12.15pm kick-off surely contributing to the soporific atmosphere. Time for a Keep Cup Final Sunday Special campaign, perhaps.
City have alternately won and lost their past seven league matches: inconsistency worthy of Stuart Pearce’s managerial predecessor, Kevin Keegan. Or is that a kindly synonym for mediocrity? Manchester United and West Ham United are the only teams presently in the top half of the table that City have beaten this season, a statistic that undermines the progress they have made under Pearce.
Robbie Fowler was ineligible as part of the deal that saw him move from City to Liverpool last month and in his absence Peter Crouch and Fernando Morientes started in attack. Crouch is not built to be a penalty box poacher. If he were reincarnated as the sort of animal featured on wildlife programmes, he would be the startled prey galloping away from salivating predators. Midway through the first half he miscontrolled when sharper instincts might have allowed him to get away a shot.
Of course, Eriksson was here to assess Crouch, not to enjoy the contest, and the forward was bright and busy. A back-flick fizzed just past the post and a dipping half-volley was tipped on to the bar by David James. Evidence enough for the Swede to feel Crouch merits his international status, though there was fuel also for detractors of the forward.
Danny Mills, the former England full back, returned from injury but kept drifting out of position as if there was some magnetic force yanking him towards the centre of the pitch. It cost City the match.
Pearce said that he detected a growing anxiety in Anfield as the first half wore on, but that was eased ater 40 minutes. Steven Gerrard, on the halfway line, saw Kewell unmarked on the left and the winger collected Gerrard’s smart pass and ran on to drill the ball low past James.
There is added bite to the midfield and then there is Barton’s piranha snap. He was dismissed for two senseless fouls, the second sending-off of his career. “He’s got to be a bit cuter and a bit more clever with his tackles,” Pearce said. Barton was booked for a high, studs-first lunge on Daniel Agger in the first half and received his second yellow card after 52 minutes for treading on Sami Hyypia’s ankle after the ball had gone.
City responded boldly to Barton’s dismissal. Bradley Wright-Phillips, a substitute, and Georgios Samaras wasted excellent opportunities while José Manuel Reina palmed away a long-range effort by Trevor Sinclair that was heading for the top corner. “Maybe our nervousness was let go and it was a case of ‘we’ve nothing to lose’,” Pearce said. Liverpool repeatedly went close at the other end, but unless they can learn to be more lethal they are in peril of losing their status as European champions.