As for the team selection, it was pleasing to see Clichy and Richards restored to the first team. It makes you wonder why we didn’t play our best full backs in Naples? what a difference it could have made. Other than that, we had Aguero as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.

City started brightly, had the majority of possession and were passing and keeping the ball well. The main threat from Liverpool looked like it may come from a dubious free kick, courtesy of Suarez living up to his billing as the Premierships greatest diver. Fortunately Mr. Atkinson didn’t seem to be falling for his tricks ... unfortunately it was about the only thing Mr. Atkinson got correct.

Bang on half an hour and City took the lead. City won a corner on the right to which Kompany rose highest to power his header home. Cue wild celebrations and increased volume in the away end. Disappointing the lead lasted only two minutes. Charlie Adam should have been closed down but wasn’t and was given far too much time and space to get in a shot from outside the box. A shot which would have comfortably found its way into the Anfield Road end until it took a wicked deflection off Lescotts boot, wrong footed Hart and gave the home side an undeserved equaliser.

Buoyed by their equaliser, Liverpool put City under some pressure and Hart made an excellent save from another Adam shot to ensure City went in level at the break.

I'd say that City were the better team in the first half but Liverpool then had the better of the second. The game became more open without any real chances being created. Then we had the first City change with Balotelli coming on for Nasri, who had a quiet game. Balotelli soon managed to get himself booked, deservedly for a silly pullback on a Liverpool player. Worse still his 18 minute cameo came to an abrupt end following a challenge on Skyrtl. At the time I thought it was a poor decision and a very harsh yellow card. Having seen it again later on MOTD, its now clear that there was very little in the 'so called challenge' and should never have been a booking. However Mr. Atkinson couldn’t wait to get out the yellow and then red card and so Mario was on his way for an early bath (via a fight with a dressing room door apparently!).

Atkinson now seemed to be showing his true colours, favoring the home team and it was no surprise shortly after that Carroll only received a booking for a shocking lunge from behind on Kompany. So City had to play the last quarter of an hour with only 10 men, much of that time they defended defiantly as Liverpool went for a winner. City had a great chance in the closing minutes when Dzeko broke well down the left and found Silva but he was unable to get a shot away and eventually when he did, it was cleared off the line. At the other end, Hart made three excellent saves to ensure the game ended with a point each.

A battling performance and a draw was a fair result. We were unlucky with their deflected equaliser and with the Mario dismissal however we were indebted to Hart at the end. Don’t think Mr. Atkinson did us any favours either; Reina got the benefit with the hard ball decision, very poor call for Mario's second booking, Lucas did his best (and failed) to put Dzeko in the stand .... and how did Suarez manage a dozen dives without being spoken to?

Some good individual performances; Hart, Milner and Lescott were the pick for me. A deserved point but it will only be a 'good point' if we follow this up with victory against the Canaries next weekend.

Mark & Elaine