 Goals
Baros 59
Anelka 74 pen, 90
Match
Report
Nicolas Anelka came back to haunt Gerard Houllier
with two goals which could do untold damage to Liverpool's Champions
League dreams.
Chelsea's defeat at West Ham means Liverpool are
actually level on points now with the west Londoners - but still
need a win next Sunday at Stamford Bridge if they are to steal the
fourth qualifying place.
But they will not want to remember their former
team-mate Anelka with much warmth, after he scored his first goals
since late February to fire City to victory.
After Milan Baros had fired Liverpool ahead, Anelka's
pace won him a penalty following a Djimi Traore foul, which he blasted
home himself.
Then in injury time Anelka - dumped last summer
as Houllier chose to sign El Hadji Diouf - struck with a fine rising
volley to give Manchester City their first win at Anfield in 22
years.
Unchanged Liverpool found City annoyingly disruptive
to their Champions League aspirations.
Peter Schmeichel pulled off a string of fine saves
while French defensive pairing Sylvain Distin and David Sommeil
cancelled out the threat of Michael Owen with an outstanding display.
Elsewhere Ali Benarbia was sheer quality while Joey
Barton, Kevin Horlock and Shaun Wright-Phillips ran themselves into
the ground in midfield.
In a first half of few chances, Schmeichel - playing
the penultimate game of his professional career - showed his class,
tipping over at full stretch a blistering Steven Gerrard free-kick,
and then producing a reflex block to get a shoulder in the way of
a Dietmar Hamann 30-yard effort.
Elsewhere Robbie Fowler - greeted loudly by the
Kop on his Anfield return - got little change out of Sami Hyypia,
while free-scoring Michael Owen and the equally quick Milan Baros
were confronted with two defenders in Distin and Sommeil who could
match them off the mark.
City had Horlock - in for the injured Marc Vivien
Foe - and Richard Dunne booked in the first half, while referee
Neale Barry's main job during that period was to keep a sharp eye
on the pulling and pushing going on constantly between Baros and
Distin.
Twice Baros went down in the box in the opening
half, under pressure from Distin and Scouse midfielder Barton and
both times Barry was not interested.
City had two fine chances straight after the break
to take control, but Fowler and Anelka wasted them.
Fowler managed to scuff an effort from Wright-Phillips
cross right in front of the Kop, and then Anelka was played in by
Benarbia but was forced wide and drilled his shot into the sidenetting.
But on 59 minutes Liverpool got the stroke of luck
they needed to inject belief into a flagging performance - and the
goal was clouded in controversy.
Fowler, deep in his own half, looked to be fouled
by Hamann but Barry gave nothing. Diouf got the ball into the box
from the right and Baros hooked it into the net from six yards.
The decision angered City and created an unpleasant
atmosphere, with Gerrard and Dunne confronting each other before
a City free-kick could be taken.
City, through Barton and then Fowler, bounced back
with two chances of their own.
But Schmeichel then produced another stunning save.
Diouf shot from 10 yards and the goalkeeper palmed it instinctively
up and onto the bar, and followed that up with close range block
from Baros.
City were deservedly level on 74 minutes when Traore
clipped Anelka as he surged into the box onto a Benarbia pass. The
big French striker stepped up to drill home the penalty himself.
On 77 minutes Liverpool took off Diouf and Hamann
and introduced Bruno Cheyrou and Emile Heskey - but it achieved
little - with Heskey booked two minutes after coming on for a foul
on Wright-Phillips.
City had defended superbly, worked hard in midfield,
and two minutes into injury time they struck with a peach of a winner.
Benarbia and Wright-Phillips combined and the ball
was touched to Anelka, who lashed it home from 15 yards to reduce
Anfield to stunned silence.
Press Association
Teams
Liverpool:
Dudek, Carragher, Traore, Hyypia, Riise, Diouf (Heskey 78  ),
Hamann
(Cheyrou 78), Gerrard, Murphy, Owen, Baros.
Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Diao, Biscan.
Man City: Schmeichel, Dunne ,
Sommeil, Distin, Wright-Phillips, Barton, Benarbia, Horlock ,
Jensen, Fowler, Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Nash, Macken, Jihai, Bischoff, Belmadi.
Att: 44,220
Ref: N Barry (N Lincolnshire).
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