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By Greg Robertson
Welcome to Anfield where we have the English Premier League action between Liverpool and Manchester City.
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Join the 3news.co.nz/sport team for live video updates and streaming commentary along with match highlights as they happen and are progressively added to. We’ll warn you when we’re cutting video with a ‘video coming soon’ and when it’s ready with a ‘Video up’. Refresh your browser occasionally so you stay up to date with all the action.
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LIVE COMMENTARY… Liverpool 1 Vs Manchester City 1
That's it, City hang on. Fulltime 1-1. All video up.
90+2 mins: Hart has kept City in this one. Great save from a Carroll header. Video up.
90 mins: Three minutes of stoppage time. City getting back in numbers. Carroll gets a weak header at goal. This one has been fingernail biting stuff.
89 mins: Silva has a great chance to score and Reina is rounded but Liverpool put three defenders in goal while their keeper is lost in no man's territory and Silva can't get it in. Video up.
87 mins: Magic from Liverpool as Lucas and Suarez combine and Suarez volleys but a great save from Hart in the sticks. Video up.
86 mins: Liverpool throwing everything into attack with their one man advantage. Carroll needing to get to the back post faster if he's to nab a winner.
82 mins: Balotelli is sent off!!! His trailing arm smashed Skrtel's face and another yellow makes a red and City are down to 10. Video up. Mancini is furious. Carroll on for Kuyt for Liverpool.
80 mins: Wave after wave of red shirts, Suarez goes down after showing some foot trickey in the penalty area - ref waves play on rightly so. Dzeko on and Aguero makes way for him for City.
77 mins: City fortunate again as a line of players had the chance to put the home side ahead but it somehow ends up in Hart's hands. Downing cracks ohhh Kuyt's a fraction away from getting a touch and the score. Video up.
75 mins: Ball falls to Suarez back post who waltzes past Clichy to the byline and whips it in - could have gone anywhere, and was lucky not to end up in the City net. Reina comes other end, balls cleared, Liverpool breaks... did I mention end to end? Video up.
72 mins: Downing has had a great game in the red shirt. Seems to be involved at every opportunity. Johnson getting forward to win the Liverpool corner this time.
70 mins: Liverpool coming hard now and have had the best of the most recent minutes. Silva steams away with it though, City looking dangerous on the break until Balotelli falls flat on his face without any help at all.
66 mins: Suarez and Kompany locked in a real battle. Suarez wins the corner, flies to Downing on the edge and he volleys into the ground and Hart is forced to tip the bounce over. Video up.
64 mins: Hart beats away a Downing cross. Both keepers showing some quality. Balotelli is on for Nasri in City colours.
63 mins: While Suarez is down rubbing his head a ball is sent deep and Reina loses his marbles - I mean bearings - and charges out. He's found his marbles and relieved the danger. Great work in the end. Video up. Carnage is the word that is describing where this match is heading. Furious pace. Furious effort.
59 mins: Toure spreads it left to Clichy who delivers a wonderous ball back post but the Liverpool defence is equal to the task to tuck it behind for a corner. Then within the blink of an eye they break and Downing links with Suarez to win a corner of their own. It's end-to-end stuff.
55 mins: City players limping and clutching at body parts all over the park. Down to nine men for a few seconds as the clutching continues. Full strength- clutching over and play back on minds - but it really is a battle out there.
52 mins: Ohhh Kuyt bends his body in two and heads down for Liverpool - the bouncing ball slips past the post. Video up.
50 mins: Final passes lacking for both sides until Toure nearly slips Aguero through but for an advancing Reina who snaffles it up safely.
48 mins: Mayhem rains on the City goal and they somehow scramble it away for a corner. nothing really fell for a Liverpool foot to put a definitive claim on target.
46 mins: Liverpool with the ball to start but Clichy wins it centre middle, spreads it and it's whipped into the far post by Nasri but runs by Reina's post harmlessly.
Teams making their way back onto the park for the start of the second half. City will be pushing for the win and should they come away from this with all three points will go 7 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
That's the break - HALFTIME 1-1
44 mins: Just one minute of added time as the play is stuck centre park.
ALL VIDEO UP SO FAR....
41 mins: Toure sprays one with force wide. This certainly is a contest this one.
38 mins: The City goal under attack of late. Johnson nearly curls one into the top corner for the home side. Video up.
36 mins: Kuyt with a great run, lays it back to Adam and Hart saves brilliantly with a trailing leg. Video up.
32 mins: GOAL Liverpool! Charlie Adam gets one back he shoots from miles out and Lescott swings the leg at it, gets a huge deflection and it beats Hart in the sticks. Video up.
30 mins: Half an hour gone and City have another set piece - goal!! Kompany scores in from of the Komp! Header tickled to the far post and it sneaks inside the post. Video up.
27 mins: Plenty of effort from the home side and they are starting to press out and put some of their own pressure on but City has had an answer to everything so far. Liverpool win the corner and Adam delivers square.... Henderson rose for the cross but City head clear.
22 mins: City really strating to sparkle as they carve up within Liverpool's penalty box. The square delivery a fraction behind Aguero otherwise that may have been the first of the match. Video up. Free kick to City on the angle.... cleared by Adam easy.
20 mins: Milner feeds Aguero on the break and he's away from Skrtle.... eh? I think Aguero just wellied his foot clear into the turf in an effort to strike on goal. Video up.
16 mins: Reina comes for a short backpass and reacts to save the would-be goal. Great work, slight hint of ball to hand. Video up.
15 mins: Adam battling to keep the ball and the Pool charge down the left Enrique making life tough for Barry. Adam fires one in and Lescott gets a clearing foot to it. She's all on for young and old in this one.
13 mins: Suarez is absolutely clobbered - well it looked worse than what it was and the City captain Kompany is carded. Video up.
11 mins: Suarez drives the ball looking for Downing at the back post but he would have needed jet heels to pull it in. Right idea just too much heat on the pass.
9 mins: City putting on plenty of pressure... Milner this time winning the corner but it's short and volleyed away at the near post by Charlie Adams.
VIDEO UP OF THE YAYA TOURE EFFORT - first crack of match
6 mins; First corner with Nasri and City after Clichy gets involved well. Toure has a crack from the half clearance. Video up.
4 mins: Milner hares after a through ball for City and is first to it but Lucas proves his worth at the back.
3 mins: Great atmosphere in the packed house. Liverpool tries down the left flank then stretches it across the park and probe the right through Skrtel and then Suarez..
1 min: We've kicked off and City has the first use of the ball with Silva slipping it through and Aguero in pursuit. City box in early by Liverpool breaks fast and relieves the pressure. Liverpool unbeaten in the last 7 prem league games. Can they turn the City tide?
We'll get video up as soon as it happens.
Still in shock over Gary Speed - RIP.
Players on the field now and it will be Kuyt and Suarez up front for Liverpool. City has nasri on the left, Silva on the other side and Aguero as their front men.
Kick off is not far away in the meantime watch Liverpool take on Chelsea.
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Possible starting XIs
Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Henderson, Lucas, Adam; Kuyt, Suarez, Downing. Subs: Doni, Carroll, Maxi, Coates, Spearing, Carragher, Kelly.
Manchester City: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Barry, Yaya Toure, Milner, Silva, Aguero, Nasri. Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Dzeko, Johnson, Toure, De Jong, Balotelli.
Referee: Martin Atkinson.
Team News
Craig Bellamy has withdrawn from the Liverpool squad following the desperately sad news concerning the death of Gary Speed this morning. That means there are changes from the team that beat Chelsea, with Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in for Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez. There's a slightly conservative look to City, who have three little men in attack in the tiny shape of Aguero, Silva and Nasri. There's no place for either Edin Dzeko or Mario Balotelli.
Pregame banter
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said pregame that Steven Gerrard is still unavailable and will miss Liverpool's clash with English Premier League leaders Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
Dalglish also said there was still no date in place for when the midfielder will return.
"We keep telling you, we are delighted with the progress he's making. So we'll just take our time. We never put a date on it (his return)- and we won't put a date on it now, so, we're very happy with the progress,” says Dalglish.
"They've got fantastic resources to go and get who and what they want to buy. And they've had a fantastic start to the league season this year, so I don't think there will be any surprises. I think there'll be changes to the team that played last night (he meant Tuesday night), but then there's always changes by them. We know what to expect."
"There are many examples when that is reflected in the team selection and the results that they've got. So, it's no surprise to us, so I don't see why it should be a surprise to anybody else, if it is a surprise. We have got a strong squad and everybody in there, I've said this many times before, have been a credit to themselves, their profession and the football club the way they've gone about their work."
"I don't think there's much change in them really. Obviously there's a fantastic change for them and the results that they've got. They've gone about and won their games and when they get their noses in front they've gone on and punished teams. They played fantastic at Tottenham and they played fantastic at Old Trafford, so maybe they're due a bad one. Let's keep our fingers crossed."
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source: newshub archive
