Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has taken the Reds to the top of the Premier League title
Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Manchester City at Anfield yesterday had absolutely everything.
The game showcased two of the best teams in the English top-flight fighting it out for victory in a crucial game.
Both teams looked like they wanted to win the game, which is rare in these days of cautious football.
Attacking
Liverpool showed in the first half why they are now favourites to claim the Premier League title. Just as they did against Arsenal and Everton, the Reds came racing out the blocks and took the lead after just six minutes.
However, City could argue that the second half was theirs, with David Silva the star of the second half.
Liverpool sat back in the second half slightly as City came at them and looked more dangerous going forward.
Liverpool’s winner came when it looked like City were the more likely victors after coming back from two goals down to level the scores in the second half. The game was a great spectacle and a good advertisement for the Premier League.
Both City and Liverpool prefer to attack rather than defend and it made for a superb game of football.
Advantage
Liverpool now sit seven points clear of City in the table, but City have two games in-hand on the Reds, while Chelsea are just two points behind the Reds with a trip to Anfield still to come. The Reds definitely look to have the advantage in the title race at this point in time.
Style
The style that Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has instilled into his team is reaping its rewards. The Northern Irishman had success at Swansea with possession based, attacking football. However, the players at his disposal at Anfield are of a greater quality to those available at Swansea.
Rodgers style of play was always brave, but the way that Liverpool plays and score goals is a breath of fresh air. They simply go out to play football and score goals, which is what football really should be about.
It should not be about trying not to concede and then winning a game 1-0, where is the entertainment in that style of football? The Reds have brought the entertainment and excitement back to football. At the end of the day football is escapism and entertainment.
The likes of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho are all entertainers. Brendan Rodgers deserves credit for being brave enough to select so many attacking players and giving them the freedom to play their football.
The Liverpool team just has too much pace and power for opposition defences to cope with this season and even the second best defence in the league struggled to live with Liverpool.
Defence
The only criticism that could be aimed at Liverpool is that they can be defensively poor, but that comes with the territory of playing such an attacking style of play and also playing out from the back.
The fact that Liverpool concedes a lot of goals does not matter much, as they score lots of goals at the other end of the pitch. However, I am sure that Rodgers will be looking at improving his defence in the summer.
Award
If Liverpool wins the Premier League title this season then Brendan Rodgers has to be Manager of the Year. The former-Swansea boss has taken the Reds from a seventh place finish last season in his first season with the club, to being top of the Premier League with just four games remaining in this campaign.
Winning the title would be a fantastic achievement for Rodgers and the Reds. Alongside Everton’s Roberto Martinez, Rodgers is one of the brightest bosses in the top-flight. If the Reds fail to win the title this season then you get the sense that the club still has a bright future under Rodgers.
Tribute
Liverpool winning the league title in the year that marks the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough would be a fitting tribute to those 96 people so tragically lost on that fateful day in 1989. The families may have to wait for justice, but hopefully they will get it sooner, rather than later.
Success
Even if the Reds do not claim the title at the end of the season, the Reds fans can still be proud of the team’s superb performances this season. However, at this point Liverpool fans will be daring to dream that their 24 year wait for a league title is set to come to an end.
Will Liverpool claim the Premier League title this season?
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