1 March 2015 :Â Philippe Coutinho scored a stunning winner as Liverpool dented Manchester City’s Premier League title defence with a narrow victory at Anfield.
Jordan Henderson’s curling effort put the Reds ahead before Edin Dzeko finished off a slick move to equalise.
But Brazil midfielder Coutinho capped a fine display with the decisive goal when he struck from 25 yards.
The result leaves City five points behind Chelsea having played a game extra, while Liverpool move to fifth.
Liverpool’s 3-2 victory in this fixture last April was seen as a pivotal moment for the Reds in last season’s title charge, although ultimately it was City that went on to win the Premier League a month later.
With current league leaders Chelsea in League Cup final action against Tottenham, City manager Manuel Pellegrini had underlined the importance of this match and the need for his side to “keep fighting” in the title race.
Liverpool 2-1 Man City: ‘Incredible’ Reds delight Rodgers
City made a two-point gain on Chelsea last weekend but they were unable to make up further ground on Jose Mourinho’s side after Coutinho scored the winning goal against them at Anfield for the second consecutive season.
For Liverpool, it kept their unbeaten league record in 2015 and, having taken 26 points from a possible 30, momentum appears to be building in their bid to finish in one of the Champions League places.
Liverpool only arrived back at 04:30 GMT on Friday following their penalty shootout defeat by Besiktas in the Europa League last week, and despite the physical toils of their travels Rodgers felt his players would be “mentally ready” to face City.
They showed few signs of tiredness, although it was Coutinho, rested for last week’s trip to Istanbul, who was at the heart of Liverpool’s attacking play.
Source : BBC Sport
