‘Hard to watch’ – Daniel Sturridge rues Liverpool’s defensive slip as Roy Keane blasts furious verdict
Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane didn’t hold back in their criticism of Liverpool’s defending for the goal that handed Manchester City a 2-0 lead just before half-time on Sunday evening.
Moments after Virgil van Dijk saw his equaliser controversially ruled out for offside against Andy Robertson, City struck again when Nico Gonzalez’s long-range effort deflected off the Liverpool captain and looped past Giorgi Mamardashvili.
It summed up the Reds’ misfortune at the Etihad, but not everyone was sympathetic. Both Keane and Sturridge were unimpressed with the manner in which Arne Slot’s side conceded right before the interval.
Keane and Sturridge slam Liverpool’s defending
Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane – who labelled Liverpool’s overall display as “dreadful” – was furious with their lack of urgency and organisation in the build-up to the goal.
He said: “Where’s the intensity? This is right before half-time – a key moment – and the players aren’t reacting. People will say Van Dijk was unlucky; he’s not unlucky. You’ve got to push up, close down, and put pressure on the ball.”
Sturridge, meanwhile, lamented the unlucky deflection but still called for better defending. “It’s not good to see. The shot itself wasn’t great, to be honest, but when you hit the target, sometimes things like that happen,” he said. “He [Gonzalez] got his reward because things went his way.”
Liverpool punished for slow reactions
While Gonzalez enjoyed a big slice of luck with the deflection, the goal exposed Liverpool’s sluggish defending. His initial strike didn’t appear threatening and might have drifted wide, but the Reds’ failure to close him down proved costly.
Less than ten seconds before the goal, every Liverpool player was in the box, yet City had only four attackers forward – all marked. Despite that, Gonzalez was still afforded the time and space to control the ball, shift it onto his right foot, and take a shot.
It was a cruel blow for Arne Slot’s side, but one that could have been avoided with sharper reactions and tighter defending. Gonzalez may have been fortunate, but Liverpool’s passive defending made his luck count.
