Full time, Liverpool 3-0:
Two minutes to be added.
Ngog on for Carroll.
Andy Carroll is substituted so that he can receive an ovation.
Liverpool continues to kick it around to pass the time.
City get some possession in the final third, but the whistle blows. 3-0 Liverpool, final.
89′, Liverpool 3-0: Liverpool is content to kick it around in their own half at this point.
The teams trade the ball with ample space, but no real danger is created.
Eventually, Suarez makes a run into the area on the right, and he crosses to Carroll at the far post. He gets his head to it, but he’s leaning back and he heads it just over the bar.
85′, Liverpool 3-0:
De Jong on for Balotelli
Yaya Toure launches one from long distance — great power and on target.
He surprises Reina, but it is right at him and he punches it away.
Liverpool clears after some danger in the box, and Suarez is nearly through down the center, but the ball gets caught in his feet.
Balotelli goes straight down the tunnel after being substituted for.
Silva fouls Meireles in the City half.
Aurelio’s cross in is far too long — goal kick.
81′, Liverpool 3-0: City creates a decent attack up the right, but Johnson’s eventual cross is caught by Reina.
He sends it long to Suarez, and after a header from Lescott, Suarez releases Kuyt in the area, but his shot on the left goes wide.
Liverpool has another good attack, as Kuyt makes a long run before finding Meireles on the left. He shoots on target, but Hart makes a good low save.
77′, Liverpool 3-0:The game has taken a turn towards a more casual dynamic — City seemed to have packed it in ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal, and Liverpool are sitting on their lead.
Balotelli tries to chip Reina, but the keeper has it covered. It may have actually just been a terrible pass.
Meireles finds Suarez on the left of the area, but he is challenged well by Kompany.
Liverpool get it back shortly thereafter and another Meireles ball towards Suarez is deflected for a corner.
The corner, though, comes to nothing, and the goalies exchange longballs.
73′, Liverpool 3-0: David Silva shoots — well high from above the area.
Spearing tees Lucas up from distance, but he shoots well high. At this point, everybody is trying their luck just to see if they can get on the score sheet.
A great throughball by Kuyt after an interception nearly releases Suarez behind the defense — but the flag goes up, again barely.
69′, Liverpool 3-0: Suarez makes another run up center, but after he is closed down upon at the top of the area, he lays it to Kuyt, whose shot is blocked.
Off a Reina goal kick, Carroll finds Suarez, who combines with Kuyt and Meireles in the area. It ends up back with Suarez on the right of goal, but he mishits the shot for a goal kick.
65′, Liverpool 3-0: Flanagan wins a corner after he is picked out well by Suarez.
Meireles finds Lucas in space, but he can’t head it onto goal.
Liverpool hold the ball up, and Meireles curls a ball towards the far post — parried by Hart.
Eventually, City clears the danger.
Suarez is subsequently flagged for offside — barely — on a run that would have seen him clear on goal.
61′, Liverpool 3-0:
Silva on for Milner
Milner doesn’t look too happy to be taken off for Silva — or perhaps with his performance.
Balotelli goes down to a Lucas challenge, and he stays down for quite some time.
57′, Liverpool 3-0: City finally gets on the ball for a couple of spells, but they are not able to create any danger. They’ve attempted few incisive passes thus far.
Going the other way, Meireles is flagged offside.
David Silva begins to warm up for City.
City controls the ball again, but they cede a counter chance to Liverpool, as Kuyt makes a long run and crosses in towards Carroll. His ball, though, is cleared.
53′, Liverpool 3-0: A longball to Carroll is headed down to Suarez, who makes a nice run on the right. He centers it back to Carroll, whose shot from above the area is blocked.
Meireles finds Suarez, who backheels it well to Meireles, but he is tackled for a throw.
After the throw, Suarez again finds the ball in the area, and he wins a corner.
Kuyt gets his head to the ball at the near post, but he strikes it slightly wide of the far post — could have easily scored.
Liverpool comes right back, with Flanagan making a run forward and laying it off to Kuyt in a wide position. He wins another corner for the Reds.
Meireles’ ball is partially cleared, but Spearing gets a volley chance from distance. He strikes it well high.
49′, Liverpool 3-0: Liverpool begin the half with the better part of the possession, controlling the ball in their own portion of the pitch.
Eventually, a longball forward goes all the way to Hart.
The teams thereafter exchange longballs, and Liverpool wins the ball back, but give it right back up — a disjointed beginning to proceedings.
Half, Liverpool 3-0:
Two minutes added
Suarez makes a good run down the right, cutting it back for Spearing.
Eventually, City has a chance to counter, but the ball forward is poor and Reina has a kick.
Carroll heads it near Suarez, but he can’t quite get there. Suarez then fouls Kolarov.
Balotelli sends a shot from long distance way too high.
The whistle blows.
44′, Liverpool 3-0: City builds from midfield, and Johnson sends a low cross in from the right — if anybody has been at all decent for City, it’s been him.
The sides exchange in midfield, with Liverpool establishing possession at the back. A Carragher longball to Carroll is lost to City, but a cross in by Toure finds nobody.
Dzeko wins a foul on the left in the Liverpool half.
Kolarov’s ball is a good one, but it is flicked wide of the post by Lescott.
40′, Liverpool 3-0: Liverpool had actually been on the back foot for a spell prior to their two goal flurry. Now, though, they look to have just about killed off the game before the half.
Liverpool continues to control the ball and have space to attack. Aurelio makes a lengthy run forward before sending a cross in — cleared by Kompany.
Lescott nearly makes a mistake at the back that would have given Suarez a free run at goal.
Kuyt fouls Kolarov in midfield.
36′, Liverpool 3-0:
Goal — Kuyt (34′) low shot to the near post after a spell of intense pressure.
Goal — Carroll (36′) — a cross in from Meireles is headed in perfectly by Carroll.
Liverpool has a run forward, and Suarez finds Meireles in the area. He sends it back to Suarez, whose shot is deflected. A Kuyt cross in is saved by Carroll. It falls to Aurelio, whose shot is blocked. It falls to Kuyt, who scores low to the far post from the top of the area. Goal — 2-0 Liverpool!
Moments later, Meireles sends a cross in from the right, which Carroll heads into the goal, beating Hart at the far post. Goal! 3-0 Liverpool!.
32′, Liverpool 1-0: City maintains possession for some time, but they can do little with it. A cross in is cleared comfortably by Skrtel.
Johnson makes a nice slashing run into the area — beating two defenders, but not three.
City, though, are seeing much more of the ball of late. They win a series of throws on the right.
Kolarov sends a great low ball in towards Balotelli. He, however, can’t quite get his foot to it — he would’ve scored.
28′, Liverpool 1-0:
Yellow card — Aurelio — poor challenge on Johnson.
Liverpool continues to outwork City in midfield, beating them to nearly every ball.
Aurelio goes in hard on Johnson after a poor pass hung the winger out to dry. He’s booked for the challenge in his own half.
Balotelli rips the set piece into the wall, resulting in a corner.
The corner is a good one, but it is flicked on to the far side of the pitch.
City regains possession, but Dzeko rips a shot well wide.
24′, Liverpool 1-0: City has a better spell of possession, penetrating deeply into the Liverpool area before Boyata sends a good cross in that is headed over for a goal kick.
Kuyt sends a through pass for Carroll that Boyata beats him to.
Liverpool again holds it in the City half. Suarez tries to get around the defender on the right side of the area, but he is shielded well enough for Hart to beat him to it.
Milner sends a cross in from the right, but Reina grabs it.
20′, Liverpool 1-0: City holds the ball in midfield, but a wayward ball goes out of bounds for a Liverpool throw on the left.
Suarez makes a run and finds Kuyt who crosses it in from the right.
Liverpool, though, hold it in the attacking third, but Milner eventually clears.
Carlos Tevez thinks he may have torn his hamstring.
The Reds come right back forward, holding it above the area, but Carroll sends a ball into the box to nobody — cleared easily.
16′, Liverpool 1-0:
Balotelli on for Tevez — hamstring.
Carlos Tevez pulls up lame and walks off the pitch — it looks like he’s pulled his hamstring.
City controls in the Liverpool half, but Johnson loses out for a goal kick.
Liverpool, though, are seeing most of the ball.
12′, Liverpool 1-0:
Goal – Carroll, 12′ — low shot from above the area.
The teams exchange possession in midfield before Liverpool wins out, and Carroll gets a throw on the left.
Suarez sends in a cross from the left of the area, and Barry heads it out for a corner.
The corner is sent back to Aurelio, and his second ball in is headed out for another corner — nearly an own goal.
Aurelio’s next corner is headed out for a throw.
Liverpool maintains possession around the area, and Meireles takes a shot from up top. It is deflected and falls to Carroll. He shoots — low at the near post — and beats Hart. 1-0 Liverpool — Carroll’s first goal for Liverpool.
8′, 0-0: Johnson sends a cross in, but it’s cleared and controlled easily by Liverpool.
Suarez is fouled in midfield by Boyata.
A longball finds Suarez above the area. He trickily lays it off for Kuyt, but his shot doesn’t stay down.
Suarez is slipped through down the right after the ball bounces around midfield. He beats the defenders, but his shot at the near post is just barely saved — coming off the near post after the touch.
Liverpool builds from midfield, and the ball again finds Suarez. He shoots from distance — too high.
4′, 0-0: And we’re off.
Liverpool starts out on the front foot, with a Barry mistake allowing Suarez to send a dangerous cross in.
Adam Johnson wins a series of throws deep down the right.
Liverpool clears and builds from the defense, under some pressure.
City wins the ball back and holds in midfield. A through ball gets tangled in Dzeko’s legs, and Liverpool clears to the City defense. Tevez makes an incisive run before laying it to Johnson, who beats Aurelio around the corner, but dribbles it out for a goal kick.
10 a.m. ET: If any hope of a top-four finish remains at Anfield, Liverpool simply must defeat Manchester City on Monday evening for it to persist.
Liverpool, now without Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Martin Kelly and Glen Johnson, currently sits in the sixth spot in the table, 11 points behind City with seven matches to go. A win for the shorthanded Reds would close that gap to just eight points.
For Roberto Mancini’s club, such a loss would drop them to a virtual tie with Spurs, who would be just three points behind with a game in hand. City will host Spurs on May 10 in a match reminiscent of last year’s battle for fourth, won by Tottenham.
Despite recent losses at West Ham and West Brom, Liverpool’s recent home form has been good. They’ve yet to lose in 2011 at Anfield. City, on the other hand, has not won at the ground since 2003.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET. Lineups are as follows.
Liverpool:
Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Jamie Carragher (23), center back
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Fabio Aurelio (6), left back
John Flanagan (38), right back
Lucas (21), midfielder
Jay Spearing (26), midfielder
Raul Meireles (4), midfielder
Dirk Kuyt (18), midfielder
Andy Carroll (9), forward
Luis Suarez (7), forward
Substitutes:
Joe Cole (10)
Maxi Rodriguez (17)
David Ngog (24)
Jonjo Shelvey (33)
Peter Gulacsi (42)
Danny Wilson (22)
Jack Robinson (49)
Manchester City:
Joe Hart (25), goalkeeper
Joleon Lescott (19), defender
Vincent Kompany (4), defender
Aleksandar Kolarov (13), defender
Dedryck Boyata (38), defender
Gareth Barry (18), midfielder
Yaya Toure (42), midfielder
James Milner (7), midfielder
Adam Johnson (11), midfielder
Edin Dzeko (10), forward
Carlos Tevez (32), forward
Substitutes:
Shaun Wright-Phillips (8)
Stuart Taylor (12)
Nigel De Jong (34)
David Silva (21)
Pablo Zabaleta (5)
Mario Balotelli (45)
Ryan McGivern (48)
