Skrtel gifts Blues a point

Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2

Skrtel had performed superbly, including heading his team in front, when he came under pressure just inside his own half from Edin Dzeko after 79 minutes.

With the whole of the stadium issuing a collective “behind you” warning, Skrtel panicked and succeeded only in playing the ball directly to Carlos Tevez who showed his opponent what poise and control is all about, advancing, rounding Jose Reina and slotting in City’s second equaliser.

This, in a nutshell, is the face of the new Liverpool under Rodgers – brilliant and successful in flashes, painfully vulnerable in others. The highly-regarded new Anfield manager was not lying when he said rebuilding the club to anything like their former glories will be a long and oft’ times painful process.

“I commend Martin’s courage,” said Rodgers.

“The easiest thing is to smash the ball up the pitch, then they have it back and they’re on the attack again.

“Martin was immense. It was a wonderful header for our first goal and he has been a real stalwart all the time I have been here. He’s obviously disappointed but he’s a strong character and all his team-mates and staff have rallied round him.”

Skrtel had struck after 34 minutes with a powerful and unstoppable header from a perfectly-delivered right-wing Steven Gerrard corner, a goal which was thoroughly deserved given the enterprising manner in which Rodgers’ team had undertaken their daunting meeting with the champions.

Indeed, the corner which led to that opening goal had come about after City captain Vincent Kompany had almost converted a superb Gerrard delivery into his own net, an indication of the pressure the visitors had been under.

Yaya Toure pulled City level after 64 minutes when Liverpool’s defence failed woefully to deal with an attack down the right by Tevez and a cross which Reina flapped at unconvincingly, the ball ricocheting off Martin Kelly before being swept in by Toure.

But it took the home team only three minutes to regain the lead through a magnificently-struck Luis Suarez free-kick after Jack Rodwell had been harshly judged to have handled as he blocked a Gerrard shot.

It was a dangerous position, some 22 yards from goal, and Suarez, who had looked low on confidence to that point, needed no second invitation to curl a superb strike into the bottom right-hand corner.

“It was the same as the penalty we conceded here last season,” said City manager Roberto Mancini. “That wasn’t a penalty, this wasn’t a free-kick.

“We played very well. I don’t think there are a lot of teams who come here and keep Liverpool in their own half for 30 minutes, and we certainly didn’t deserve to lose.”

Anfield had an air of the big occasion about it for Rodgers’ home league bow, not least because the manager handed a full debut to teenage winger Raheem Sterling — who is fast becoming a cult figure with the Liverpool faithful.

It was a fast-paced opening but Liverpool’s game-plan suffered an upset after just four minutes when Lucas limped off with a pulled leg muscle.

But as they gained momentum, City were forced onto the back foot and into conceding the opening goal with Suarez almost doubling the lead before the interval when he bent a shot just off target from 18 yards.

The second-half opened with City displaying more weakness at the back, Nigel de Jong and Mario Balotelli laying on half-chances which Suarez failed to take.

Mancini threw on Rodwell and Dzeko in an attempt to breathe life into his team’s fading performance and the tactic paid instant dividends with Yaya Toure’s equaliser and Tevez’s second goal either side of the Suarez free-kick.

Liverpool substitute Andy Carroll might have secured the three points in the closing minutes but as he rose to meet a Suarez cross he saw his header cleared off the line by Vincent Kompany.

LIVERPOOL: Reina 6; Kelly 6 (Enrique 65, 6), Skrtel 5, Coates 7, Johnson 7; Gerrard 7, Lucas (Shelvey 4, 6), Allen 7; Borini 6 (Carroll 83), Suarez 8, Sterling 7.

Subs not used: Jones, Henderson, Carragher, Shelvey, Downing.

MAN CITY: Hart 6; Zabaleta 6, Kompany 5, K Toure 6, Kolarov 7; De Jong 6, Y Toure 8; Milner 6 (Silva 75), Nasri 5 (Rodwell 59, 5), Tevez 8; Balotelli 6 (Dzeko 61, 6).

Subs not used: Pantilimon, Lescott, Savic, Razak.

Referee: Andre Marriner 5