Ireland sees reason for encouragement

Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland believes the team can take heart from their performance in Copenhagen when they face title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

While the club’s form on the road in the Premier League has been a cause for concern they have performed admirably in the UEFA Cup on foreign soil.

City were seconds away from recording a morale-boosting victory in Denmark only for substitute Martin Vingaard to equalise in stoppage time.

It was a cruel blow after Ireland had appeared to score the winner with a cool finish in the 61st minute – his 10th goal of an already productive season.

However the 2-2 draw does mean that City have the advantage of away goals when the teams meet in the return leg of the round of the last 32 on Thursday.

It was an action replay of the kind of spirit that saw Schalke defeated 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen in the group stages.

Ireland now wants the side to kick on against Liverpool and feels that being underdogs will suit City.

He said: “It will be tough and people will be expecting us to lose. But maybe we can turn things around – we will be taking positives from the game in Copenhagen.

“When my goal went in I thought they were dead and buried but they kept knocking at the door and made it hard for us.”

Nedum Onuoha opened the scoring with only his second senior goal but Ailton Almedia pulled Copenhagen level.

Then Ireland took matters in his own hand before Vingaard struck and defender Micah Richards was left deflated by the late equaliser.

“Before the game we would perhaps have taken a score draw, but obviously the way it turned out it feels a bit like a defeat,” he said on his website.

“We had plenty of chances to win the game, but to be fair to Copenhagen they did well to stay in the game and get the draw.

“We could and perhaps should have finished the tie off, but that’s football. I hope we progress to the next round – we are in the driving seat.”

Manager Mark Hughes added: “We could possibly have finished the tie but we are still in the box seat for the return leg. It was a good European performance.”

Midfielder Nigel De Jong could return to the team after staying behind when they faced the Danes.

Shaun Wright-Phillips played last night but is ruled out through a domestic suspension.

Hughes is quietly confident that despite their poor away record they can trouble Liverpool.

He said: “If you give us room we are a team that has goals in us. But if teams sit back and frustrate us we don’t seem to deal with that as well.

“Liverpool are going for their own competitions and their own challenges. They will want to win the game and put the onus on attacking. Hopefully that will leave the door open for us to exploit the spaces.”