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  • Kick-off: 16:00
  • Venue: Anfield
  • Attendance: 43074
  • Referee: Halsey, M

Live Commentary

90 mins

Full time at Anfield and Liverpool record a win in their last home game of the season after dominating a City side who failed to create much going forward.

90 mins

Garrido takes another corner for City floating it into the box where Hyypia is waiting to head the ball up and away.

90 mins

The fourth official indicates there will be three minutes of added on time, and the game is beginning to die down.

87 mins

Garrdio's second corner isn't as good as the first and in the end comes to nothing after Benjani fouls Reina.

86 mins

Garrido takes a corner towards the near post which Johnson manages to flick on, sending it towards goal and Reina has to push it over the bar.

84 mins

Hyypia plays a nice looking ball down the right for Voronin who collects the ball an delivers a low cross into the box and Hart has to gather the ball before Torres arrives.

82 mins

Torres shows another pair of clean heels to Dunne and then tries to chip the ball over Hart but can't quiet manage it, the City keeper plucking the ball out of the air.

80 mins

City make their last change of the game with Darius Vassell being replaced by Javier Garrido.

80 mins

Benjani offers some resistance for City, his freekick swerves in the air and Reina has to beat the powerful effort away with a set of fists.

78 mins

Insua does well going forward, jinking past a couple of City players before squaring it for Voronin but he can't control the ball and his shot is a tame effort when it comes, easily gathered by Hart.

77 mins

Liverpool make their last change of the game with Steven Gerrard going off and Andriy Voronin coming on.

73 mins

Lucas Leiva goes off to a decent reception and Xabi Alonso comes on.

71 mins

Ball swings in a high freekick looking for Ireland at the far post, but he can't reach the cross and Reina can just watch drift behind

67 mins

Liverpool make a change of their own with Ryan Babel going off and Yossi Benayoun getting a run out.

66 mins

Man City make two changes with Nery Castillo coming on for Martin Petrov and Blumer Elano coming off for Dietmar Hamann, who gets a standing ovation from the whole crowd, nice touch.

65 mins

Liverpool are really clicking into gear, Torres taking the ball past Dunne again and squaring it for Babel who fluffs hs shot, great chance.

64 mins

Another chance for Kuyt from Lucas' corner which finds the Dutch forward again but his header is straight at Hart.

63 mins

Gerrard takes another corner for Liverpool which is headed away by Dunne, but only as far as Hyypia hose cross is inch perfect for Kuyt whose header rattles the crossbar and Benjani has to scramble it away.

60 mins

Hart produces a brilliant double save, first denying Kuyt but the goalkeeper couldn't hold the ball and Babel looks to be odds on to score but Hart saves brilliantly at the feet of Babel.

59 mins

Lucas tries a long range effort after City only half clear the ball, but his shot goes a long way wide, dissapointing effort in the end.

57 mins

Torres does it again for Liverpool with his 23rd league goal of the season, skipping past Dunne and leaving him for dead before squeezing the ball past Hart from a tight angle into the opposite corner, great goal.

55 mins

Mascherano shows some lovely piece of skill, firstly to nutmeg Elano and then shimy past Ball but the shot can't match the build-up and it flies well wide of the goal.

52 mins

Gerrard fires in a corner from the left hand side which Hart comes for and flaps at it, doing just enough to clear the ball with Kuyt lurking.

50 mins

City have their first notable effort, striking a great freekick from 25 yards which takes a deflection off the wall and looks to be heading towards the top corner but it just drifts over the crossbar with Reina scrambling.

46 mins

Gerrard slips Torres through who sprints away from Ball and then tries to place his shot past Hart but can only roll it wide of the goal, great chance for Spaniard.

45 mins

City get the second half underway knowing a win could save Sven's job but Liverpool were beginning to pick City apart as the first half went on.

45 mins

Half time at Anfield and a quiet first half goes by with only Gerrard shot the only thing worth mentioning, City haven't tested Reina yet and both teams already seem on the beach.

45 mins

Just one minutes of added on time to be played and the game has gone very flat, both sides content with the current scorline it seems.

42 mins

Torres and Gerrard try and play a nice one-two to unlock the City defence but Corluka puts in a great sliding interception to prevent Gerrard releasing Torres away on goal.

38 mins

Babel swings in a corner from the right which he sends towards the far post where Vassell does well to head it away but only as far as Insua whose cross finds Lucas, but the Brazilian midfielder can ony put his header over.

37 mins

Petrov takes City's first corner of the game which he delivers into the centre of the penalty, but his cross is meet by the head of Hyypia.

35 mins

Babel gets away from Corluka on the wing and floats in a cross towards Kuyt in the penalty area and the ball drifts over Dunne but Kuyt can't direct his header on target and Ciy can clear.

31 mins

Gerrard takes the resulting corner, finding Kuyt in the centre of the penalty area, but the Dutchman can only direct his header wide of Hart's left hand post.

31 mins

Gerrard forces the first save of the game from Hart, trying to curl the ball in from the left of the penalty area and Hart has to push it behind for a corner.

26 mins

Gerrard tries one of his spectacular long range efforts from 30 yards but it's a poor effort by his standards, the ball ending up in the fans behind the goal.

22 mins

Torres has the first real note worthy effort of the game, strking the ball from the edge of the penalty area just wide of Joe Hart's goal.

19 mins

Kuyt gets in another nice cross towards the near post and Babel steams in there ahead of his marker Jihai but can only send his header over the bar from six yards.

16 mins

Kuyt tries to pick out Torres with a chipped cross but Jihai does well to just stick a foot out and take the ball away from Torres inside the penalty area.

10 mins

Long ball over the top from Gerrard who looks to have sprung the City offside trap for Torres but the linesman's flag goes up and a tight decision goes City's way.

6 mins

Gerrard takes the first corner for Liverpool, swinging it in towards the near post but Dunne is there to head it clear under pressure.

5 mins

Well both sides have nothing to play for and that seems to be how the players feel, pretty much nothing has happened since the kick-off with just a serious of throw-ins the only thing to report.

0 mins

Referee Mark Halsey gets the game underway at Anfield with neither side having much to play for, a win for Man City may not even be enough to save Sven's job but football is a funny old game.

0 mins

Man City XI: Hart, Corluka, Dunne, Ball, Jihai, Vassell, Ireland, Johnson, Petrov, Elano, Mwaruwari

0 mins

Sven Goran-Eriksson takes charge of what could be his penultimate away game for City and welcomes back Richard Dunne to what has been a shaky defence, but Micah Richards isn't risked despite being fit.

0 mins

Liverpool Starting XI: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Insua, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel, Torres

0 mins

Liverpool make a collection of changes for the last home game of the season with Hyypia, Lucas and Babel coming into the starting eleven and Emiliano Insua getting a first start for the Reds.

Match Report

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez faces the unenviable task of attempting to raise his shattered players for a league clash with Manchester City.

Wednesday's Champions League semi-final exit to Chelsea in extra-time at Stamford Bridge left the Reds physically and mentally drained after a hard season that has yielded no rewards.

Fourth place in the table has already been assured so it's highly likely the Spaniard will turn to some fringe members of his squad to finish the season.

Peter Crouch, Steven Finnan, Lucas Leiva, Jermaine Pennant and Andriy Voronin are all set to step into the starting line-up.

All five started last weekend's 2-2 draw with Birmingham City and are likely to be given the opportunity of another rare 90 minutes.

Fernando Torres is not expected to feature even on the bench after the Spanish hot-shot was withdrawn in the 3-2 second leg defeat at Chelsea with a hamstring strain.

Martin Skrtel is also a major doubt after being replaced in the early stages at Stamford Bridge with a knee problem.

Manchester City will have to put managerial problems behind them when they travel to Liverpool on Sunday.

Owner Thaksin Shinawatra ignited debate this week when it was revealed that he had told manager Sven-Goran Eriksson that he would be dismissed at the end of the season.

Since then the League Managers' Association, numerous commentators and many supporters have denounced the former Thai prime minister's decision, while Benfica have announced their interest in appointing Eriksson as manager.

Meanwhile, the squad have been preparing for one of their toughest tests of the season - a trip west to Anfield.

It is a fixture made all the more difficult by the performance of City last weekend, when they lost 3-2 at home to Fulham.

"We lost a game we should have won. We controlled most of it, and we thought it was done. We can't blame anyone but ourselves for losing a game like this," Eriksson said after the match, which City had been leading 2-0.

England international defender Micah Richards is back in full training following an operation on a cartilage problem in his knee and may even return to face Liverpool this weekend.

"I'd do anything to play. But until the manager and the medical staff think that I am good enough to play, they don't want to risk it," he explained.

Richard Dunne is also battling to return to full fitness after injuring his hamstring, although he is likely to be rested until the final match of the season against Middlesbrough.

Liverpool

Manchester City

Corners

12 5

Fouls

9 5

Goal attempts

23 4

Shots off target

12 0

Offsides

5 1

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