Liverpool were torn from pillar to post for around an hour after Sadio Mane’s red card, losing 5-0 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
A goal from Sergio Aguero had broken the deadlock in a game that looked as if it could swing either way until Mane’s right boot swung into the jaw of Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.
From then on, it was one-way traffic. Say what you want about how Klopp set his tactics up, whether Liverpool worked hard enough, but City were majestic. Cutting Liverpool apart, mainly through the talents of Kevin de Bruyne, braces for Jesus and Sane completed the rout.
Other than tears, tears and more tears, what was there for Liverpool fans to observe?
A controversial red card
By the letter of the law, Jon Moss was probably right to dismiss Sadio Mane in the first-half. Stretching to get on the end of a lofted ball from Matip, a goalscoring chance for Liverpool turned into a game-changer for City. It is dangerous, evidenced by Ederson being stretchered off, but Mane only has his eyes on the ball.
For many red tinted glasses, it’s a wrong decision, but Moss will sip a glass of red tonight safely in the knowledge that those above him will approve of his decision. Mane will feel aggrieved, wondering whether Ederson would have been sent off had he clattered into the Senegalese international, had Liverpool tapped the ball in the meanwhile.
Why things may need to be taken with a pinch of salt
Liverpool were due a loss against a top six side. Despite such a stellar record against our rivals under Klopp, sometimes you lose football matches to good teams. The goal difference takes a hit, but it’s better to lose one game 5-0 than five games 1-0, the saying goes. Manchester City away is a difficult fixture. The fashion of the defeat makes is sickly but many teams will walk away from the Etihad without a point.
Mane’s suspension will also be annoying, but after getting four reds for Southampton, it would have been surprising if he’d gone his whole Liverpool career without getting his marching orders. He could be missing worse games too, only two league games – Burnley and Leicester.
It’s bad, it feels bad, but it won’t define Liverpool’s season.
Praise for Liverpool’s ‘keeper
There were lots of awful performances out there after the red card. Some players weren’t terrible though. Firmino did his best alone up top, Moreno was alright at left-back. Simon Mignolet was Liverpool’s best.
A string of fine saves coming virtually in tandem with goals that he could do nothing about, the Belgian conceded five for the second time in his Liverpool career but can leave Manchester with his head held a little higher than the rest. One particularly impressive stop came from a shot off his own player, Mignolet diving quickly to his right to keep Joel Matip out.
Where does this leave the Reds?
Battered and bruised perhaps isn’t the word, more strangled to exhaustion by a boa-constrictor of a football team. However, Liverpool are back in the Champions League on Wednesday, Anfield under the lights. They’ll have Mane too, and a chance to put things right against Burnley in a week’s time.
FSG deserve this thrashing. To have such an atrocious defence and to not sign defensive reinforcement in the summer was utterly criminal.
Two words. William Carvalho.
I’ve never seen LFC team collapsed like yesterday Match. Mr Klopp has been told on many occasions about our Defence that can defend, it’s only the Goal keeper that save our brushes it could have become 9 or ten. He has to go back onto the drawing board and a long look at the Match itself. Mane was sent off but LFC could adopted to other teams strategies and come out and fight played hard, most teams can still win a match from being one man down.
Not Manchester City bro… when you set up and attack minded formation before the start of a game, and then a key man upfront is sent off… then you are in for it against a guardiola team, with attack minded players everywhere on the pitch. Only chelsea would have survived something like this, who sometimes field four to five natural central halves. There was nothing Klopp, he had to make the changes in second half as he had a crucial game in a few days..
If Klopp has no centre backs whose fault is it? Four transfer windows. Third season.
Klavan and Lovren have no business being at Anfield. Mourinho wouldn’t sign them under any circumstances.
Most cases when one player is sent off the ten men team come out fighting like a wounded Lion and make it difficult for opponent to score more or show they are made of by winning the Match. In our own case our players Quenched and the manager was clueless of what to do. If not the Goal keeper we could be down by ten at the end.
Having an attacking player sent off should not have any effect on how we defend. I appreciate that the out ball is difficult when there is no-one to play it out to but, really, screw that, launch it if there’s no pass, regroup and defend again. We were still trying to play it out from the bloody six yard box on Saturday with stupid little intricate balls that could have got us into even more trouble and, one day, will do just that. We’ve done the bloody transfer issues to death – we have what we have and there’s no point moaning now as it won’t make a blind bit of difference. However, it doesn’t stop us transferring in a new or additional defensive coach because whoever has that duty right now is simply not getting through to the players or, if he is, he’s talking shit.
Get Sami and Carragher in there and teach them how to defend – Lovren was a great defender at Southampton and you don’t become crap overnight so it’s something we’ve done to him, messed with his head with zonal this and marking that – no wonder the kid’s head is fucked, the poor bastard doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going!
The defence need some confidence but they’ll never get it because they’re always playing on the edge. I’d love to see us play a 4-1-4-1 without asking the full backs to bomb on. Get Emre Can as the defensive midfielder and fine him a years wage if he goes ahead of the centre circle. Play Chambo and Coutinho just behind Firmino/Sturridge/Solanke and don’t be afraid to long ball it when we have to. I don’t care if Henderson is our captain, I don’t care if Gini has a good game every time there’s a ‘K’ in the month.
Anyway, I’m starting to rant now, so I’ll shut up.
One last thought – if this had have happened the week before the transfer window closed, would things be any different?