Former City player Craig Bellamy proved to be the decisive thorn in the side of his former club, netting 16 minutes from time on a touch-and-go play with Glen Johnson inside the City box. Dirk Kuyt controlled the ball outside the area, slipped his defender and played the ball to Bellamy, who played a quick one-timed pass to Johnson. Johnson played Bellamy through and the Welshman sent a slightly bending effort past keeper Joe Hart.

The goal was Bellamy’s eighth in all competitions, putting him level with the suspended Luis Suarez for Liverpool’s top scorer this season.

City got the scoring off in the 31st minute after a bright Liverpool start rattled the visitors. Against the run of play, Nigel de Jong scored a beauty of a 25-yard bender past Pepe Reina’s far post. Perhaps an unlikely goal-scorer for the Citizens, de Jong, who slipped on his shot, has only netted twice in three seasons with the current league leaders.

Liverpool had a quick answer for de Jong’s strike, however, when they were awarded a controversial penalty in the 40th minute.

Micah Richards, City’s captain in the absence of Vincent Kompany, was called for a handball by official Phil Dowd when his arm made contact with a shot from Daniel Agger. Agger’s shot ricocheted off of Richards’ leg and hit his outstretched arms, with Dowd signaling to the spot straight away.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard stepped up to the spot, and, in a rematch with Hart from the first leg, went 2-0 up against his international teammate when he fired the ball low into the bottom left corner.

Gerrard has found the net now 5 times in just 11 appearances for the Reds.

After the match, both managers disagreed over Dowd’s decision to award the Merseyside club the PK.

According to City boss Roberto Mancini, the play was “not a penalty.”

“We did a good performance, scored two goals,” the Italian told Sky Sports. “I think it was not a penalty for Liverpool and was for us. This changed the game. [Richards] touched the ball on his leg, for this reason [it was not a penalty].”

Kenny Dalglish, however, opted to poke fun at reporters when asked his thoughts on the decision.

Reporter: “What did you think of the penalty decision?”

Dalglish: “What do you mean?”

Reporter: “The handball.”

Dalglish: “Exactly.”

Mancini also felt aggreavied his side were not awarded a penalty of their own in the 15th minute when Charlie Adam kicked the outstretched leg of Edin Dzeko. Both the Scot and the Bosnian stuck their feet out on a ball played into the box, however Adam kicked the back of Dzeko’s leg. Dowd, however, signaled for the game to play on.

Dzeko would, though, score for the visitors in the 67th minute to give them both the lead  in the match and the advantage on aggregate. The Bosnian tapped in a low cross from Aleksandar Kolarov. The Serb had beaten Johnson out wide before playing the ball in.

But the last laugh would belong to Craig Bellamy, who wrecked havoc on his old side in a performance that saw him leave the Anfield pitch to a standing ovation. Bellamy was deemed surplus to Mancini’s plans this season and allowed the Welshman to rejoin Liverpool on a free transfer on Aug. 31.

Overall, City had the leg up on possession, restricting the home side to just 44 percent. However, Liverpool were the better side on the night and over the two legs, leaving the 2-2 encounter with 13 shots on goal and forcing Hart into making 10 quality saves. The Reds also forced 12 corners, while City could only muster two.

Liverpool, coming off a poor 3-1 defeat to Bolton which resulted in Dalglish criticizing his side, will now head into their first cup final since the 2007 Champions League defeat to AC Milan, and their first visit to Wembley since 1996. The Reds take on Cardiff – Bellamy’s home club and the side he was loaned out to last season – in the Carling Cup final on Feb. 26, 2012.

Dalglish was full of praise for his side, telling Sky Sports, “The boys were magnificent tonight and deserve a great deal of credit, and everybody in the squad has helped us get through.

“The supporters were magnificent and it is a great reward for them and the loyalty they have shown us, so for everybody at Liverpool it has been a fantastic evening,” he said.

Dalglish also spoke highly of Bellamy, a player he called “quality,” and took a sly dig at City.

“He was unbelievable,” Dalglish said. “If Man City have anyone else like Craig that they don’t want to keep, they know where we are. He’s been like that since he came in the door and it is fantastic to have him here.”

Man of the Match: Craig Bellamy. Bellamy was a tour de force at Anfield, constantly posing a threat to the City back line. His movement was top notch, his pace – even at the age of 32 – is still menacing, and his work rate exceptional. He was rightly rewarded with the goal and has shown himself to be the best of business done by the club in the summer.

Needs to do better: No one. It’s hard to single out a player when the collective team effort was fantastic and Liverpool, who have only played one Carling Cup match at home in their run to the final, earned a place in the final.

Side note: With the 2-2 draw, Liverpool remain the only unbeaten side at home in England.

1. Zonal Marking’s analysis of Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona (Jan. 19, 2012)

Zonal Marking's graph showing starting XI's and player movements for Barcelona (red/blue) and Real Madrid (white).

Zonal Marking was created by Michael Cox, an England-based soccer journalist. The site features tactical analyses of soccer matches, making use of graphics to display player movement, starting lineups, and formation adjustments.

In this piece, Cox makes good use of headers to break up his analysis, such as giving a rundown of the battle between Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona right back Dani Alves.

Zonal Marking’s graphics help advance the smartly written analysis further by telling the tactical battle of a soccer match in a visual way.

2. Uli Hesse (ESPNSoccernet): ‘You can’t beat the system’ (Aug. 16, 2011)

Hesse is ESPNSoccernet’s main German writer, covering Germany’s top flight soccer league, the Bundesliga.

In “You can’t beat the system,” Hesse outlines the history and development of the 4-2-3-1 formation in the modern-day Bundesliga, particularly Borussia Dortmund’s use of the formation.  Hesse also highlights the role of the “No. 6” position: one of the two central midfielders who plays as a “deep-lying playmaker.”

What makes Hesse’s lengthy article good is two-fold: 1) The article is well written (all of Hesse’s articles are), and gives insightful analysis of the various roles of each player in the formation; and 2) Hesse uses the story of Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin, now at Real Madrid, as an analogy in explaining the formation and its development.

3. EPL Index: ‘Sharp Shooters of the Premier League’ (Jan. 20, 2012)

An example of EPL Index's stastical analysis. On the left is chance conversion, while on the right is the Premier League table ranked by minutes per goal.

EPL Index is blog site that pays for access to Opta Stats, which track a multitude of soccer statistics ranging from the more obvious (goals, assists, shots, etc.) to the less explored (minutes per shot, “clear cut” chances, etc.).

“Sharp Shooters” examines a wide range of shooting statistics through Jan. 20 for all 20 Premier League teams, with interpretations of meanings behind the numbers. The piece makes great use of graphs and charts, which allows the reader to look at the raw data and make his/her own judgment, as well as breaking up specific data with the use of headers. Also included is a sortable league table with shooting statistics, so fans of a particular club can track their side’s shooting accuracy.

4. Yahoo! Sports: ‘NCAA: 12 current Miami players accepted benefits’ (Aug. 30, 2011)

Yahoo! Sports’ coverage of the Miami football booster scandal is extremely in-depth, beginning with their exclusive piece published in mid-August.

What makes this Yahoo! piece an example of good storytelling is its layout. The right rail is full of links to the allegations made against current and former Hurricanes – including many famous names in Miami’s recent past – who are believed to have benefited from booster Nevin Shapiro in violation of NCAA rules.

One such example is Chicago Bears WR/KR Devin Hester. On Hester’s allegation page, it lists a number of ways Hester allegedly benefited from Shapiro, including audio of Shapiro speaking about his dealings with Hester and personal photographs of Shapiro partying with the Bears star.

Bolton got off to a dream start in just the the 3rd minute with Davies’ goal. Fromer Liverpool man David Ngog displayed excellent skill to play Davies, who easily got passed Charlie Adam and Steven Gerrard. Martin Skrtel was then passed up by Davies, who calmly buried the ball past Pepe Reina.

The dream continued just moments later. Chris Eagles dispossessed Jose Enrique along the touchline and carried the ball to just outside the box, playing a low ball across the face of goal, however no one could get on his low cross. A simple tap in would have given Bolton an early two-goal lead.

Bolton, however, got that two-goal lead, making their dream start a living fantasy. Nigel Reo-Coker chested the ball and easily put it past Reina into the top left corner with his right foot in the 29th minute. On the play, Bolton were kept onside by Glen Johnson.

The Reds managed to pull one back through Craig Bellamy just 7 minutes later. A great flicked header from Andy Carroll played the Welshman in on goal, and his shot trickled in off the keeper to bring the scoreline to 2-1 at the break.

It wouldn’t take long though for Bolton to restore their two-goal advantage, however. Coming off a corner which the Reds failed to clear in the 50th minute, Gretar Steinsson ripped home into the bottom corner on a volley.

The Reds never came back from that, and generally struggled throughout the match to keep possession and create genuine chances on goal.

The win lifted Bolton out of the relegation zone on 19 points, while Liverpool remain in 7th on 35.

Manager Kenny Dalglish was upset at his side that welcomed back Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez, and Daniel Agger. Calling Liverpool’s performance “disrespectful,” Dalglish threatened that some players might find the door if performances like the Bolton one become a habit.

“As well as they [Bolton] did, I think we were equally as bad, ” he told ESPN after the game. “If anybody has any aspirations of staying any length of time at the football club then they’ll not be here for much longer if that’s the way they want to perform. We expect a much higher level than that.

“It’s all well and good saying there might have been distracted because there is a game on Wednesday and another game on Saturday, but every game is a massive game for us. And if they think they can turn the clock on and off, then they won’t be turning it on and off at this club.”

The Reds came out in a 4-4-2, playing Carroll and Bellamy up top, and playing Jordan Henderson as a RM. The central pairing of Adam and Gerrard proved costly for Liverpool, as both players sat too deep when attacking and both players failed to pick up runners from midfield on Bolton’s first half goals.

Starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique; Henderson, Gerrard (C), Adam, Rodriguez; Carroll, Bellamy

Subs: Doni; Coates, Carragher, Kelly; Downing, Shelvey; Kuyt

Man of the Match: Craig Bellamy. The 32-year-old was the only outfield player who put in a good effort Saturday and was rewarded with a goal. His movement was excellent, as was his desire: Bellamy didn’t check off at all during the match and was the only real offensive threat.

Needs to do better: Andy Carroll. While almost everyone on the pitch needed to play better in the match, Carroll stands out for a few reasons. Despite a good 15 minute spell in the first half, in which the big Geordie assisted Bellamy, his overall play was lacking. His movement was slow, and his touch was out of sorts. Carroll also miskicked a create chance created for him by substitute Stewart Downing. In his Newcastle days, Carroll would have buried that into the back of the net.

Side note: On the commentator on BBC’s “Match of the Day” program called Mark Davies’ run from midfield “Moses parting the Red Sea” due to the ease of which Davies ran through Liverpool.

On that occasion, both Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam opened their Liverpool accounts – each with opposite foot strikes – and Martin Skrtel headed home an Adam corner to give Liverpool a comfortable win. Ivan Klasnic gave the Wanderers a late consolation goal after a gift from Jamie Carragher.

This time, however, will see slightly different sides marched out.

For Liverpool, Luis Suarez, who was a menace all match long in August, will miss out as he continues his suspension. Jay Spearing, who suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of the 1-0 Carling Cup semi-final first leg match at City, is 50-50 to play. According to manager Kenny Dalglish, the club will “need to have a look at Jay, see how he goes.”

Daniel Agger, who missed out in the scoreless draw with Stoke, could also not make the trip.

“I said the injury was on-going last week, so we’ve just got to manage it,” Dalglish told his pre-match press conference Thursday when asked about Agger’s injury.

Bolton will be without CB Gary Cahill, who completed a £7 million move to Chelsea at the weekend. The 26-year-old England international, who was out of contract at the end of the season, made 147 appearances for the Wanderers over the course of five seasons, scoring 15 times.

One player who came to Bolton was David Ngog, who moved to the Wanderers from Liverpool on Aug. 31. The former PSG striker said he was looking forward to playing his old side, but insisted it’s just another game.

“I’m playing against my old club, but as a professional you have to have the feelings that it is nothing different and that it is like any game on a Saturday,” Ngog said to Bolton’s official site. “It’s one we want to win, like any other match.

“I’m looking forward to playing against Liverpool. I’m good friends with everyone at Anfield, particularly Martin Kelly and Martin Skrtel,” he said.

Liverpool come into the match still struggling to find the back of the net, yet still find themselves in 7th place – 5 points shy of fourth. Having spent over £55 million last season on Suarez and Andy Carroll, the Reds continue to be one of the lowest scoring sides in the league, having only scored 24 this season. Only twice in Liverpool history have the Reds scored fewer goals after 21 games: 1923-24 (23 goals, 16th place) and 1970-71 (23 goals, 6th place).

The Reds will have to find a way to both find the back of the net Saturday against the side sitting one point from the bottom, and keep an eye on two big fixtures coming up: the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City, and the FA Cup fourth round against Manchester United – both at Anfield.

With one leg already in the Carling Cup final (up 1-0 on aggregate), it’s a mystery whether Dalglish will play his stronger side Saturday, or save them up for Wednesday night.

But no matter what side Dalglish uses against Bolton, Liverpool need to come out and bang in a few goals – especially against a side struggling this season. A balanced squad might be on the books, with Maxi Rodriguez potentially coming into the side after not making the bench against Stoke.

Predicted lineup:

Reina

Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Enrique

Henderson, Adam

Downing, Shelvey, Maxi

Carroll

A repeat of the reverse fixture, with both Maxi and Carroll getting on the scoresheet. Give Agger and Steven Gerrard the rest they need for the upcoming fixtures with both Manchester clubs, and let youngster Jonjo Shelvey play as an attacking mid, where he did an excellent job against Aston Villa last month.

Prediction: Bolton 1-3 Liverpool.

Although the Hillsborough stadium disaster occurred nearly 23 years ago, the story is still a continuing one. In this way, the Echo’s microsite serves as both a memorial to the victims and an information center with updating news.

On the site, the Echo takes advantage of free third-party applications, such as Dipity, to create interactive timelines that trace the events of the day as the unfolded, which tells the story on a multimedia platform, and how the “fight for justice” has continued for over 20 years. The timelines feature stock photos as well as embedded YouTube clips from live BBC coverage of the event.

The site also features the full transcript of the House of Commons’ Oct. 18, 2011, debate about the release of all government documents, including Cabinet minutes, relating to Hillsborough, many of which were inaccessible to the public.

While the print side may have just summarized the debate, pulling out the most pertinent quotes due to space constrictions, the microsite publishes the full transcript, which also includes a link to the streaming video from Parliament TV and embedded audio of the speech given by Steve Rotherham, the Member of Parliament from Walton, Liverpool.

Finally, the microsite is broken down into sections (see screenshot). On the upper left, under a header reading, “Hillsborough remembered,” is a slideshow. On the right, broken up into four mini sections, are the debate, a feature on all 96 victims, a survivor’s story, and the timeline of how the event unfolded.

A screenshot of the Liverpool Echo's microsite about the Hillsborough disaster, which occurred on April 15, 1989, in Sheffield, England.

Underneath the top section is “Hillsborough Headlines,” which lists the latest news stories about Hillsborough. To the right, is the tribute to each of the 96 victims compiled by Echo reporters who spoke to family and friends of the victims.

Finally, at the bottom of the microsite is a collection of videos, slideshows, and podcasts about Hillsborough.

What is Hillsborough?

On April 15, 1989, an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest FC was played at Hillsborough, the ground of Sheffield Wednesday FC. Because the match was played on a neutral ground, supporters of each club were delegated to each end of the pitch. Nottingham Forest fans were assigned to the Spion Kop end of Hillsborough, with a capacity of 21,000, and Liverpool fans were assigned to the Leppings Lane end, which had a capacity of 14,600.

The match was called off in the 6th minute as fans in the Leppings Lane end were pulled to sections above the standing-room only pens. Fans being crushed against the fencing – constructed during the height of hooliganism in English soccer – climbed up and over, while a small gate in the fencing was opened for others.

A multitude of factors contributed to the 96 (94 on the day) deaths and 766 injuries at the Leppings Lane end, including iron fencing separating supporters from the pitch, overcrowding of the confined central pens, and, as the Taylor Report concluded, “the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control.” All of the victims – ranging from 10 to 67 years old – were Liverpool fans. According to the BBC, only 14 of the 96 victims ever made it to a hospital.

This BBC article nicely sums up the events.

Manager Kenny Dalglish threw a few surprises with his team selection, opting to play with three CBs and giving Sebastian Coates his first Premier League start. Jamie Carragher also got the start as Daniel Agger was left out of the side due to a knock he picked up in the Carling Cup semi-final match with Manchester City.

Liverpool lined up in a formation that was somewhere between a 5-4-1 and 3-4-2-1, with Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique given the freedom to charge down the wings and give the Reds some width.

Stoke City lined up in a traditional 4-4-2, although they defended for the vast majority of the game, leaving Peter Crouch isolated.

Liverpool only mustered one shot on target in the first half, a Jordan Henderson effort in the 37th minute that was easily saved by Thomas Sorensen. The former Sunderland made displayed a nice bit of skill by executing a half turn, but his left-footed shot was low and straight at Sorensen.

Stoke didn’t fair much better. The Potters’ only shot on target was an effort by Matthew Etherington that saved by Pepe Reina.

The Reds outshot Stoke City 15-3, but neither side could muster more than one shot on target.

Liverpool, who dominated possession 69-31, had their best chance in Dirk Kuyt, who started the match playing as a lone striker. A cross from substitute Craig Bellamy was deflected to Kuyt who had an open header 7 yards out go wide of Sorensen’s post.

Three minutes later, Martin Skrtel had a header bounce over the crossbar. Skrtel’s head was textbook. Coming off a corner, he headed down and towards the corner of the goal, but the pace on the ball gave it too much bounce.

With that said, a draw was the proper result. While Liverpool had 15 shots compared to Stoke’s three, it seemed the Reds were incapable of breaking down a Stoke side that came to Anfield just to defend and grab a point. The team looked uncomfortable with Dalglish’s tactics and never really created a clear-cut chance.

Man of the Match: Martin Skrtel. It’s really a toss-up between Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Sebastian Coates for the honors, all of whom played well. Skrtel played a great through ball for Charlie Adam, was solid defensively, and was close to scoring the winner, so he gets my vote.

Needs to do better: Just about everyone. It’s these kind of games that final league position is decided upon. To come out so flat and lethargic is simply not good enough, especially at Anfield.

Side note: In the league this season, Liverpool have had 26 shots against Stoke, compared to the Potters’ 5 against Liverpool in Premier League play. Yet, the final aggregate score is 1-0 to Stoke in the league.

Walters was brought down by Jamie Carragher in the 20th minute and subsequently buried the spot kick in the 21st the last time the sides met in the league. The Reds made up for it in the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win at Stoke in October with two goals from Luis Suarez, one of which  was a brilliant curling effort to equalize.

The last time these two sides met at Anfield, Liverpool eased to a 2-0 victory which doubled as Suarez’s club debut and first goal in a 15 minute cameo appearance. Raul Meireles gave the Reds the lead in the 47th minute.

Stoke City won’t have to contend with either player this time. Suarez is still serving his suspension for the Patrice Evra race row, and Meireles was sold to Chelsea on Aug. 31, 2011.

A fully fit Steven Gerrard will be available for selection for boss Kenny Dalglish, having played 90 minutes, scoring from the spot, and captaining the side to a 1-0 victory Wednesday over Manchester City in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.

Gerrard, whom Dalglish said “wouldn’t be far away from being mentioned as the greatest player for Liverpool Football Club,” signed a contract extension on Thursday keeping him at the club through the remainer of his playing career.

Liverpool will likely be without CM Jay Spearing, who injured his hamstring against City on Wednesday. Of the injury, Dalglish said in his post-match press conference, “I don’t think he has pulled anything, but we’ll have to wait until the morning when he gets back (to club training ground Melwood).” Dalglish later said on Thursday that Spearing was “touch and go” for the Stoke clash.

Stoke have some injuries of their own to contend with, including Jonathan Woodgate and Ryan Shotton, however both are expected to be fit for the matchup. Whether they start or not will be dependent on manager Tony Pulis’ plans.

One player who will be returning to Anfield is Peter Crouch. The lanky England international played three seasons on Merseyside, scoring 42 goals in 134 appearances in all competitions. Playing in his first season with the Potters, Crouch has scored eight in 19 appearances in all competitions.

Stoke come into this match having only lost once in the last 8 league fixtures – a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City before Christmas – but have only won four times this season away from the Britannia in league play. Meanwhile, Liverpool are undefeated in their last six matches at Anfield.

With Liverpool’s current form, especially being buoyed by a victory at the Etihad on Wednesday, they should be able to keep possession and grab a relatively comfortable (by Stoke standards) victory, even without Suarez. Expect both a physical and mobile side from the Reds to combat Stoke’s physicality. Andy Carroll will probably get the start. Will the big man grab or goal?

Prediction:  Liverpool 2-0 Stoke City

City defender Stefan Savic fouled Daniel Agger in the box in the 11th minute when he outstretched his right foot out and brought it down onto the Denmark captain’s knee. Captain Steven Gerrard stepped up to the spot in the 13th minute ripped the ball into the bottom left corner. Keeper Joe Hart – who had already made a handful of excellent saves – guessed the right direction, but Gerrard’s strike had too much pace on the ball for the England international to get anything on it.

Liverpool – making almost wholesale changes from Friday’s 5-1 FA Cup third round win – came into the match firing, completely dominating the league leaders in the first half. In the 5th minute, Andy Carroll got passed Savic for a 1v1 with Hart, but his effort wasn’t placed very well and was saved by Hart.

Just six minutes later, Hart made another good save, this time on Gerrard. A cross played into the box was met by Captain Fantastic, who bent the ball with his right foot around a couple of players before it started to dip. Hart, outstretched to his left, got a hand on the shot just as it was nearing the ground and punched the ball away for a Liverpool corner.

On the ensuing play, Hart pulled out another world class save. Stewart Downing’s shot deflected off Carroll, and again Hart got low to punch the ball away.

The Reds, who lost midfielder Jay Spearing to a hamstring injury in the first half, created very little after Gerrard’s goal, bar a moment in the 35th minute. Martin Kelly played a good cross in for Carroll, who rounded Savic, but his header falling away from goal bounced out about a yard or two wide.

It took City until the 43rd minute to generate any sort of a threatening attack through Samir Nasri, who was subbed on for the injured Mario Balotelli 3 minutes earlier. The Frenchman turned Kelly twice before shooting the ball with his right foot. Pepe Reina came up with a good save of his own as the ball skipped dangerously off the wet turf.

Two minutes later, Micah Richards, given the armband in Vincent Kompany’s absence, outmuscled Glen Johnson along the byline. Johnson, normally a RB, was employed on the left by Kenny Dalglish, and was left for dead by the powerful Richards, who pulled a low cross back across the center of the box for James Milner, who scuffed a weak shot with the inside of his right foot high and wide.

The second half was a different story.

Despite a strong performance in the first half, Liverpool decided to sit back in the second, almost allowing City back into the match.

City had bucket-loads more possession than Liverpool, who benefitted greatly from the play of keeper Pepe Reina.

The 57th minute saw a bad back pass from Kelly feed Sergio Aguero for a 1v1 situation with Reina. Aguero tried to round the Spaniard, but Liverpool’s keeper made himself big, forcing Aguero to shoot over the bar from a tight angle.

Two minutes later, Richards drilled a header off a Milner corner, but Reina was there to collect for the Reds.

Aguero displayed some great ball skill in the 66th minute, drawing three Reds before cutting back inside to shoot. However, his shot was rather weak and straight at Reina.

By the 73rd minute, Liverpool became more defensive by shifting to a 5-4-1 with the introduction of Jose Enrique for Downing. Johnson went back to his natural position at RB, while Kelly shifted to CB, and Enrique played as a LB.

Dalglish continued the defensive tactics in the 80th minute with the introduction of Jamie Carragher to play as a holding mid, essentially having 4 CBs playing for the Reds.

Aguero had another chance in the 90th minute, but his flicked header off a Nasri cross looped onto the roof of the net.

Liverpool would hold on for the final three minutes added on for stoppages to pick up the 1-0 victory.

One talking point of the match was a tackle made by Glen Johnson on Joleon Lescott. Johnson left the ground with both feet, went airborne, and showed his studs to intercept the ball. On another day, Johnson might have been sent off much like Kompany was for City on Sunday.

City boss Roberto Mancini and Gerrard exchanged words in the tunnel about Mancini’s reaction to the foul, with the Liverpool captain saying, “”It surprises me because he had a go at Wayne Rooney. Now he’s had a go at one of ours.”

Mancini, on the other hand, said, “Steven Gerrard can say what he wants. I said what I think. That is what I am used to doing. It is not important what Steven Gerrard or the other players have said.

“It was worse,” Mancini said of Johnson’s tackle in comparison to Kompany’s in the FA Cup. “This tackle was worse. Gerrard came to me and said I said something. It was not for Johnson. It is for the tackle. This tackle was worse than Vinny’s. Everyone can see it.”

The return leg will be on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Anfield. Kick-off is at 7:45 p.m. GMT. If Liverpool advance, it will be the club’s first cup final since the 2-1 loss in the 2007 Champions League final to AC Milan.

Starting XI: Reina; Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson; Henderson, Gerrard (C), Spearing, Downing; Bellamy, Carroll

Subs: Doni, Enrique, Coates, Kuyt, Carragher, Adam, Shelvey.

Man of the Match: Steven Gerrard. The match wasn’t Gerrard’s best outing, but his penalty was brilliantly taken to beat Joe Hart, who had an excellent performance himself.

Needs to do better: Stewart Downing. Downing only played 60 minutes, but the thing that stood out was his lack of movement. In the 37th minute, for example, Downing did well to release Johnson on the wing, but failed to move into space to draw a defender away and/or give Johnson an outlet. Instead, he opted to stand there with his hands on his hips, putting Johnson in a difficult position.

Side note: Steven Gerrard’s penalty was his fourth goal of the season in all competitions, tying him for third with Carroll and Maxi Rodriguez, despite making just 10 appearances due to injury. Luis Suarez (8) and Craig Bellamy (6) are the only two players to have scored more times this season.

Some big names will be missing from both sides, as Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and City captain Vincent Kompany will miss through suspension, and Kolo and Yaya Toure will miss as they join the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Injuries have started to mount for the Citizens as well, as both strikers Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli are banged up, and David Silva was substituted early in the club’s 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup (although the Spaniard is expected to play).

Liverpool are coming into this round having beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in November. Second half goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly – his first professional goal – saw the visitors walk out victorious in the match that also saw Lucas Leiva injured for the season.

Meanwhile, City come into this round with a 1-0 victory at the Emirates thanks Sergio Aguero’s goal six minutes from time. The Argentinean forward has been excellent for City all season, making a very smooth transition to the Premier League. Aguero has found the back of the net 17 times and has tallied 5 assists in just 27 appearances in all competitions.

If Kenny Dalglish’s FA Cup selection was anything to go by, the Reds should be coming into the match with a strong lineup. A lot of fringe players got run outs in the 5-1 victory over Oldham last Friday, giving much needed rest to the league’s second best defense (Manchester City has the best).

Key to Liverpool’s lineup will be captain Steven Gerrard, who played a full 90 minutes against Oldham and scored from the spot. Gerrard is still regaining fitness after two injury spells, and it remains to be seen whether Dalglish will give him two starts on four days’ rest.

Blue Moon will also be coming into the match with doubt, as the club will be will be short two CBs in captain Vincent Kompany (suspension) and Kolo Toure (international duty). Joleon Lescott will slot in, but who his partner will be for the match will be up for grabs. All likelihood points to Stefan Savic stepping in and filling the void.

From an attacking perspective, Dalglish might find himself with a headache selection, and not necessarily a good one. Dirk Kuyt has not played like the player he was last season, Andy Carroll is still struggling to fit into the attack, and Suarez is still suspended, much to the pleasure of opposition defenders. Craig Bellamy is coming off a Man of the Match performance against Oldham, but he might be playing on the wing, where he can use his pace, leaving Carroll likely to play as a lone striker (unless he’s partnered with Bellamy).

But how both Dalglish and Roberto Mancini set their respective sides up will be key in the first leg. City have the better squad, but Liverpool will certainly get a boost from Gerrard – even if he only comes off the bench.

With the game being played over two legs, Liverpool have a slight advantage despite City’s superior squad. If Liverpool can get a win or draw at the Etihad, the Reds will be the favorites going into the return leg at Anfield. If City walk out winners, away goals will be crucial. With City’s missing players, I’m going with Liverpool grinding one out, maintaining possession, and keeping Kun Aguero under wraps and choking off his supply by crowding the midfield.

Prediction: Manchester City 1-2 Liverpool

Kenny Dalglish made 8 changes to his side from the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City midweek, with only Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt, and Jay Spearing retaining starting positions. Captain Steven Gerrard made his first start since a 1-1 draw against Norwich City in October, while oft-injured LB Fabio Aurelio got his first 60 minutes of the season.

The Lactics got off to a quick start against the Premiership side, taking advantage of a shaky Liverpool back four and going close on numerous occasions. The League One side almost went ahead in the 14th minute when a header from Tom Adeyemi just went over the bar.

Oldham were rewarded with a goal in the 28th minute from Robbie Simpson, who hit a screaming, dipping volley past Reina.

Oldham’s lead was short lived, however, as 66 seconds after Simpson’s goal saw Liverpool equalize at the Anfield Road end. A shot from Jonjo Shelvey deflected off Craig Bellamy for the Welshman’s sixth goal in all competitions.

Oldham’s goal woke the Reds up, as the Liverpool controlled most of the match from there on out, including Bellamy’s deflection in. Bellamy could have had a second a few minutes later, but a ball played over the top by Maxi Rodriguez was just inches out of his reach.

A cross from Gerrard into the box saw Rodriguez tumbled over by Adeyemi in the 44th minute, resulting in a penalty kick. Gerrard stepped up to the spot, fired to his right and clipped the underside of the crossbar to give the Reds a 2-1 lead at halftime.

The second half got off to an entertaining start, as Oldham continued their fearless play with Jean Yves Mvoto shooting just wide for the visitors before Bellamy drilled over the bar from a clever flick on from Kuyt.

Liverpool got their insurance goal in the 68th minute on a cross from Bellamy. Bellamy, who’s overall play earned him Man of the Match honors, fired in a cross that was met by Shelvey for the 19-year-old’s first career Liverpool goal.

Substitute Andy Carroll one-timed a volley in the 86th minute from outside the area to give Liverpool a 4-1 lead. Stewart Downing, also starting the game from the bench, joined Shelvey in opening his Liverpool account by netting a rebound in stoppage time.

Sadly, there was an incident of alleged racial abuse towards Tom Adeyemi from a fan sitting in the Kop which overshadowed the occasion.  Adeyemi was running along the byline for a goal kick when he stopped, turned around and ran back pointing to someone in the Kop. The on-loan midfielder from Norwich was very visibly upset at the incident, and had to be calmed down by the official, Oldham players, and Kuyt and Gerrard.

No arrests were made on Friday night with both Merseyside Police and Liverpool Football Club vowing to investigate the incident. On Saturday, Merseyside Police issued a statement via Twitter on Saturday that a 20-year-old man from Aintree, Merseyside, was arrested on suspicion of a “racially aggravated public order offense.”

Liverpool will wait until Sunday afternoon to find out who they will face in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Starting XI: Reina; Kelly, Carragher, Coates, Aurelio; Spearing, Maxi, Gerrard (C), Shelvey; Kuyt, Bellamy. 

Subs: Doni, Carroll, Henderson, Downing, Adam, Skrtel, Flanagan.

Man of the Match: Craig Bellamy. Bellamy was excellent all game, finding space, using his explosive pace, and playing in great crosses. One of the few Liverpool players who actually played well on the night that resulted in a goal and an assist for the Welshman.

Needs to do better: Dirk Kuyt. Kuyt had a very good season last campaign, but this season something doesn’t quite seem right with the Netherlands international. His performance against Oldham, while putting in his usual great effort, was mediocre, particularly in comparison to his performances last season.

Player to keep an eye on: Jay Spearing. Filling in for the injured Lucas Leiva is no easy task, but Spearing has done well already. How he continues to play going forward in the season is worth keeping an eye on.

Side note: The play-by-play man for Setanta Ireland quipped, “No matter how bad Carroll has been for Liverpool, he’s still been better than Torres,” in reference to their respective Jan. 2011 moves.