Gary Neville: Man City have still ‘not learnt’ to handle Liverpool ‘washing machine’ at Anfield
Gary Neville insists Man City have still “not learnt” how to cope with the “washing machine” at Anfield after drawing 1-1 with Liverpool on Sunday.
The Citizens went a goal up on 23 minutes through defender John Stones but an Alexis Mac Allister penalty saw the Reds grab a point in the second half.
Gary Neville: You just invite the mayhem and chaos
And Neville thinks Man City should’ve kept their foot on the gas after their goal as they invited the “mayhem and chaos” of Anfield.
Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast: “I thought City would win here today. I said at half-time that City could regret the way in which they approached the last 15 minutes of the first half.
“I don’t know why they do it here, I don’t know why they’ve not learnt.
“They’re a brilliant team, one of the best we’ve ever seen, but they went 1-0 up and then started to relax on the ball. They started to walk to throw-ins, reduce their tempo and rhythm they were in and rely upon. You just invite this mayhem and chaos.
READ MORE: 16 Conclusions on Liverpool 1-1 Man City: Diaz vs Walker, De Bruyne sulks, Haaland beats Van Dijk
“I once described Anfield as being like thrown in a washing machine, tumbled around. That’s how it used to be like for us sometimes. You can be going ok and then your world caves in all around you.
“The big disappointment for Pep Guardiola will be from the first goal going until half time. That’s the period of the game where they I thought they could have gone for it. They started ambling in the game, almost like killing the clock.
“You can’t kill the clock here. They won’t go quiet this lot, they always come back. You’ve got to go and get the second goal. You’ve got to believe you need that second and then the third. You’re never safe in this ground.
“As soon as that mistake happens from Ake and Ederson [for the Liverpool penalty], you know all hell is going to break loose and then you’re fighting for your lives in the game.
Gary Neville: Liverpool were outstanding in the second half
“To win here, you can’t think you’re ok. You can’t let moments drift. You might let the clock run down with three minutes to go, but you can’t do it with 65 minutes to go and that’s what I felt City tried to do.
“They started making passes and standing – and stopped making those runs forward into the box alongside Haaland.
“Once you stop doing that, you’ve got a tidal wave coming towards you and that’s what they had in the second half. Waves of pressure and you can’t stop it then because once they have that at Anfield, it’s very difficult to turn it around.
“But Liverpool in the second half were outstanding. What a great game. Both managers will be proud. It was how a big game should be, it was a monster of a match.”
