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'We can still go through' - City's Guardiola resilient despite 3-0 Liverpool lesson

Published:Wednesday | April 4, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Peter Byrne
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, (centre) celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's first goal of the game during the Champions League quarter-final, first leg match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield, Liverpool, yesterday. Liverpool won the game 3-0.

 

LIVERPOOL, England (AP):

The night started with their team bus being smashed up by beer cans and bottles. It ended with their Champions League ambitions in pieces, too.

Manchester City's players learnt yesterday just why a trip to Anfield can be one of the most uncomfortable experiences in European football.

On an evening that will go down in the club's long and storied lore, Liverpool reduced the best team in England to a rattled wreck by beating City 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final match, thanks to three goals in a devastating opening 31 minutes.

 

Salah on fire

 

Mohamed Salah with his 38th goal of the season Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Sadio Mane all scored in front of The Kop, leaving City coach Pep Guardiola scratching his head as he paced his technical area wondering where it all went wrong.

"In this room," Guardiola said to reporters, "I think there is nobody, except the guy talking to you, who believes we can go through. There are 90 minutes more. We are going to try."

As important as Liverpool's attacking brilliance in the first half, was the team's defensive resilience in the second half.

City finished the game without having a shot on target.

"I don't know how we did that," Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said and its star players muted. David Silva was subdued, Kevin De Bruyne played too deep, Gabriel Jesus barely got a touch.

An away goal would have changed the complexion of the match, especially given that Salah hobbled off injured and could yet be a doubt for next week's second leg at Etihad Stadium.

But, with centre back Dejan Lovren and right back Trent Alexander-Arnold excelling, Liverpool held firm and know scoring one goal in the return leg at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday leaves City requiring an improbable five.

"We beat the best team in the world," Klopp said.

"But we have to work," he added. "You celebrate the party only when the party starts."

In the other quarter-final first leg yesterday, Barcelona beat Roma 4-1 thanks to a pair of own goals, by Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas, and strikes by Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez.