Topic: Man City 0-1 Liverpool: (Gerrard, pen) Half time........

[sinnermichael]

shearer going on about there being a lack of atmosphere in the stadium. well i never.

thought we were excellent first 15-20. could have buried the tie. playing gerrard slightly deeper has been a masterstroke. bellamy unusually quiet.

[helmboy_nige]

This tie should be over.  Hope we don't let them back in because that first 30 mins we had them well beaten.

[bogrollsbike]

Thought spearing looked good when he was on,its a pity hes having no luck at the moment.

[Art Vandelay]

Heard Kenny shout at Andy..."Andy!! Ye gotta try and cut it out!"....

Comfortable so far, they'll come hard at us at some point so could do with another goal....great start though.

[Chakan]

Story of the season: we miss too much chances, should have been 2-0 up.

To be fair we're not missing that much, Hart with 2 fantastic saves. Carroll should have scored though.

[redprodigal]

Today all players seem to be having a good day, no one's been carried.

Excellent first 30 mins. Should have been of sight by now but Carroll and Downing have been shite.

[scouse29]

Charlie Adam needs to slot into the game. Always tricky coming on a sub so early.

We're looking good though.

[hixxstar]

I do not care for this referee, Lee Mason. He has a woman's mouth.

Just spit my wine out... 

[rushyman]

I do not care for this referee, Lee Mason. He has a woman's mouth.

[astowell1]

Looking good, City are totally there for the taking come on lads.  Make the Anfield game a comfortable one!

[Red Genius]

Makes me sick Downing plays for us. Hes almost on the level of Kuyt. I gave him yet another chance today after the goal on Friday, absolutely shit. Never have i ever been so worried by a players movement. A straight up pussy. Gets bullied on the field. Always was shit, always will be.

Imagine we Had Suarez instead of Carroll today. Again i thought CArroll would do well and i liked him but now... He controls a ball on his chest and by the time he moes (in the pace of a lorry) the balls gone. Suarez will win a foul of any one of those balls even if they were higher up, cause of his tenacity, hunger to win it.

Shame about Spearing. Lookd really good. Excited by him. ARGH.

Otherwise a good. job. Johnson is better on the left but Enrique is the best on the left, he wont get bummed like that vs Richards, though it did happen last week but .....

Someone would think we're losing, get a grip lad.

[Aido LFC]

Makes me sick Downing plays for us. Hes almost on the level of Kuyt. I gave him yet another chance today after the goal on Friday, absolutely shit. Never have i ever been so worried by a players movement. A straight up pussy. Gets bullied on the field. Always was shit, always will be.

Imagine we Had Suarez instead of Carroll today. Again i thought CArroll would do well and i liked him but now... He controls a ball on his chest and by the time he moes (in the pace of a lorry) the balls gone. Suarez will win a foul of any one of those balls even if they were higher up, cause of his tenacity, hunger to win it.

Shame about Spearing. Lookd really good. Excited by him. ARGH.

Otherwise a good. job. Johnson is better on the left but Enrique is the best on the left, he wont get bummed like that vs Richards, though it did happen last week but .....

Calm down.

[Ski]

Wish city fans'd grow up. They seem to be baying for blood every time we dare to challenge them just cos they got a harsh decision last game. They seem to think refs owe them one now.

Mason inconsistent as ever! Not giving us the same free kicks he's giving them. Tosser! 

Hope we adjust tactically as they seem to be getting more of the ball since the switch.

More of the same second half and lets see it through. Another goal'd be nice too.

[neel2108]

great start to the half, but lost control and resorted to aimless punts to carroll as time went on.

defence is mostly very solid.

need to keep playing and creating in the 2nd half, if only to keep the ball from them.

Agree completely.

[gallden]

I don't know how Gerrard hasn't been booked.  And Adam scares me with his tackling. 

[Zelnaga]

Carroll winning headers is all well and good but its not finding any players. His holdup play is also non existent and just passing it back just to be isolated or getting a pass that hes not able to chase.

[CorKopite]

We've been comfortably the better side, if it weren't for Hart we'd be 4 up. Carroll needs to do more, but at the same time I think the midfield has been a bit too far away from him at times.Wouldn't mind if Bellamy and Downing tucked in a bit as the ball is coming to Carroll. He should of scored with the 1 on 1 but great keeping from Hart again. Wouldn't mind Enrique coming on, Johnson has been decent going forward but has looked a bit shaky defending,doesn't help that theres a fantastic player in Richards running at him. Hope Spearing's injury isn't too bad.


Also, about 5000 empty seats for a cup semi final....too big for the league cup now City yeah? Pathetic.

[Rob17]

Half time came at a good time for us city were just finding their feet and knocking around better with nasri dropping deeper and linking up play.

We need to be wary of that second half, not sit back too much and make sure we play with the same intensity.

these are here for the taking, oh and Mario is a nutter.

[itsgunnabebarnes!]

Makes me sick Downing plays for us. Hes almost on the level of Kuyt. I gave him yet another chance today after the goal on Friday, absolutely shit. Never have i ever been so worried by a players movement. A straight up pussy. Gets bullied on the field. Always was shit, always will be.

Imagine we Had Suarez instead of Carroll today. Again i thought CArroll would do well and i liked him but now... He controls a ball on his chest and by the time he moes (in the pace of a lorry) the balls gone. Suarez will win a foul of any one of those balls even if they were higher up, cause of his tenacity, hunger to win it.

Shame about Spearing. Lookd really good. Excited by him. ARGH.

Otherwise a good. job. Johnson is better on the left but Enrique is the best on the left, he wont get bummed like that vs Richards, though it did happen last week but .....

spot on about downing.

[farawayred]

Kelly should be a bit more careful, he's been successfully lured out of position a few times. City are targeting him. Carroll had some nice moments, but his lack of speed is showing at times. Nasri shouldn't be allowed to shoot ever. Other than that, it's one of the better performances from the team I've seen of late. The extra days of rest do help too.

But why don't we go for the jugular, I'd never know. We seem to be resting on that goal.

[Matt8Pie]

Worried about Spearing, hopefully it's not too bad.

[Jellies]

Downing has been shite agan.

Really really hasn't. Why do I get the feeling you made your mind up about this before the match started?

[RK7]

We could end this tie tonight, they are there for the taking if we attack them and are clinical. Just prey we don't sit back and let them off the hook.

[Sinead7]

I do not care for this referee, Lee Mason. He has a woman's mouth.

He has been fair so far, waved away a couple of potential  yellow cards for us.

[DanFromMars]

Lucas watching match...

awww

[Dr Manhattan]

Sorry, I'm going to have to sound like a right whinging twat, but for fucks sake Kenny - STOP TELLING THEM TO SIT OFF AFTER WE TAKE A LEAD!

It's so so obvious that that's what the tactics are. We start high up, we press, we dominate, then we score, and we VISIBLY sit 20-30 yards further back and actually let them have the ball. I'm so sick and tired of seeing it. This Man City side are absolute dog shit tonight, and if we carried on the way we started we could have had 2 or 3 this half, no exaggeration. Instead we sit back and let them have it, defending against absolutely nothing for the next 30 minutes.

No point in Andy Carroll being out there when you play like that. He's useless BECAUSE we're playing like that. He's got no support, the ball is lumped up to him with nobody within 15 yards, it's fucking mental.

Yes, we're winning, and yes it's over two legs, but fucking hell we're so negative when we have a lead it's not even funny. And it's no exaggerating, it's right there in front of your eyes. We sit back and LET THEM have the ball. If we end up drawing this match or even losing it then we'll regret it.

[Yiannis]

Started brightly with 3 chances,finally got the goal with Stevie and looked comfy for almost the whole first half(City kinda took control of the game in the last 10 minutes).I think we could have scored a second goal.Anyway,Keep it up lads.

PS:I hope you enjoyed Kelly's magnificent early cross for Carroll's header.Such a shame it went just out.

[steve10]

Great shape till Spearing went off with Gerrard sitting deep and spraying the ball. Carroll has faded as the game has gone on- lack of confidence. Johnson needs more help from Downing on the left.

[Crackerjack Sam]

Got bored towards the end of the half. Carroll still trying to bring something to the table. City are garbage at the moment. See us getting another goal and winning at Anfield.

In saying that, Macini could give them the greatest speech since Martin Luther King and they'll do us 8-1.


Nah! 2-0 to Anfield I say.

[itsgunnabebarnes!]

Really really hasn't. Why do I get the feeling you made your mind up about this before the match started?

he stops and goes backwards all the fucking time. useless.

[Fitzy.]

Shame for Spearing, gets the odd injury here and there, probably growing pains.

[stevieG786]

STEVIE G!!

what a shot and an even better save from Hart.

we should be up 3-0, lets kill 'em off in the 2nd half!

[greyfade]

Dream Score 

[MULLENEDWINE]

Good first half for us, in fact very good. Obviously mainly defensive as they didn't have a shot on goal by the 40th minute. Gerrard's penalty was well struck and good job by Daniel to get it there. Were are pressuring in the third and our midfield and defence stand unbelievably well beside each other. We wont stand a whole game with the defensive approach of the last 7-8 minutes of the first though. Thought Kelly and Carroll looked a bit nervous while Henderson and Gerrard have been bossing defensively and offensively. Bring on the 2nd!

2nd that la. A second goal for us would be brilliant but do we really need to go all out to risk it? I think not personally. They can have possession as long as its in their half. We need to be sharper to the ball and press them effectively in OUR half when they have it. This isn't a full strength city side but we can only beat what's infront of us. Bring on the 2nd half!! Come on the redmen!! Brilliant support from our away fans as well. fucking brilliant. YNWA

[Rococo]

Not a bad first half.

We need to up it again early in the second half as City can't be that bad for the whole match.

Would prefer to see us not sitting so deep either

[stoa]

It's a shame Spearing had to come off. I hope it's not too serious.

It's also a shame that Balotelli had to come off. I would have loved seeing that bellend getting sent off again...

[eirwen]

City are average without Silva and Toure. We should really score more goals against this defense.

Let's go for a big win here. Johnson is a bit shaky at defense though. 

[Zelnaga]

Really really hasn't. Why do I get the feeling you made your mind up about this before the match started?

Hes been a passenger. Unless you find his pass backs great? Hes hardly taken on Richards at all.

[Purdy]

Would be nice if people actually got up and helped Carroll, makes him look hopeless when he isn't actually THAT bad.

[Barneylfc∗]

Happy enough.

Carroll doing well up top on his own. Some good touches. Should have done better with his chance.

Defence looks solid as fuck as per.

Someone needs to tell downing he won't get shot if he gets to the byline.

Bellend and gerrard looking threatening all the time in their half