"You cannot give Steven Gerrard the ball like that 20 yards out. If you do, all the hard work that has been put in goes down the drain," said the City manager.
"They had thrown everything at us and they were not going to break us down. It was one costly mistake and that is what happens when you are playing a top-four club.
"We set out to frustrate them and did it pretty well. Micah Richards did a great job in an unfamiliar role in midfield and we reduced them to very few chances.
"Not very many sides will get anything at Anfield, but if we produce performances like this on our travels, we will pick up plenty of points.
"But it all boils down to Gerrard's goal. He hardly needed his confidence boosted, did he? We did not need to make it easy for him."