Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane criticised Liverpool’s defending for the goal that put Manchester City 2–0 ahead just before halftime on Sunday. Moments after Virgil van Dijk had an equaliser ruled out due to Andy Robertson being offside, City doubled their lead when Nico Gonzalez’s long-range effort deflected off Van Dijk and beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.
It was another example of how little fortune Arne Slot’s team had at the Etihad, but some pundits weren’t sympathetic.
Keane and Sturridge slam Liverpool defence
Speaking on Sky Sports, Roy Keane – who described Liverpool’s display as “dreadful” – was furious at how slow the defenders were to step out from their line.
He said:
“Where’s the urgency? Just before halftime, these are huge moments. The defenders aren’t reacting. Van Dijk isn’t unlucky – you need to step up, press the ball, and get out.”
Sturridge focused on the deflection off Liverpool’s captain, saying:
“It’s frustrating to watch. The original shot wasn’t even that strong, but if you hit the target, things like this can happen. Sometimes you just get the luck.”
Lucky break for Gonzalez, poor reactions from Liverpool
Was the goal a fluke, or simply bad defending?
Gonzalez was fortunate — the shot wasn’t threatening until it struck Van Dijk. However, Slot will be furious with how it was defended. Less than 10 seconds before the ball hit the net, every Liverpool player was inside their own box, with only four City attackers present — all marked.
So why was Gonzalez allowed so much space to control the ball, move onto his right foot, and shoot? Why did Liverpool not push up with so many bodies back?
Gonzalez took a chance and got lucky, but Liverpool could have made the moment far more difficult and prevented such an avoidable second goal at a crucial point in the match.
Leave a Reply