LIVERPOOL ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY
REDS PIP MAN CITY IN THRILLER, GET CLOSER TO EPL TITLE
Liverpool maintained their charge for a first English championship of the Premier League era with a thrilling 3-2 win over title rivals Manchester City at an emotional Anfield on Sunday, where fans marked the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
Victory, combined with secondplaced Chelsea’s 1-0 win away to 10-man Swansea, left Liverpool two points clear at the top with four games to play and seven in front of City. Significantly it meant the destiny of the title, which Liverpool last won in 1990, was now in the Reds’ own hands.
Third-placed City have two games in hand on both Liverpool and Chelsea, who travel to Anfield in a fortnight for what could be a title-decider. Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho sealed a 10th win in a row for the Merseysiders 12 minutes from time after City had come from 2-0 down to draw level at 2-2.
First-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control only for City to hit back after the break through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own-goal. But Coutinho made it 3-2 in the 78th minute after seizing on a sliced clearance from City captain Vincent Kompany to beat England goalkeeper Joe Hart with a low shot from the edge of the box.
Liverpool had to play the closing minutes of stoppage-time a man down after Jordan Henderson was sent off for a wild challenge on City’s Samir Nasri.
After the win, an emotional Steven Gerrard urged Liverpool to maintain their focus. “Nothing is ours yet. The important thing now is not to get carried away with that result,” he said after addressing a tearful on-pitch battle cry to his team-mates.