Manchester City put their title credentials on show as they dominated Liverpool in a comfortable 3-0 win at Eastlands on Monday night.

City survived a bright Liverpool start and took the lead against the run of play as Gareth Barry finished off James Milner’s cross on 12 minutes.

The hosts doubled their advantage in the second half as Micah Richards nodded in Milner’s corner, with Carlos Tevez trying to claim the last touch.

Tevez didn’t have long to wait to officially have his name on the scoresheet, though, as he converted a 68th minute penalty to seal an impressive victory for Roberto Mancini’s men.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson opted to start David Ngog and Fernando Torres up front together, the first time in the Premier League but the Spaniard looked well short of match fitness early on.

Martin Skrtel made his presence felt in only the fourth minute with a cynical foul on Adam Johnson, who had beaten the Slovakian for pace on the wing, and went into the book for his trouble.

Adam Johnson fired an early warning to the Reds as he lashed a 30 yard left foot strike inches wide of Pepe Reina’s right post, narrowing missing out on handing City a 9th minute lead.

City were rewarded for their pressure in the 13th minute, though, and debutant James Milner was instrumental as he fended off a challenge from Steven Gerrard and teed up Barry, who calmly slotted home the pull-back.

Tevez almost made it two in two minutes as he shrugged off Jamie Carragher and drilled a powerful shot towards goal, finding the side netting from a difficult angle.

By the half-hour mark, City had dominated possession with 60% of the play as the Merseysiders looked rattled by the big spending Mancunians.

Liverpool began to come into the play more as the half wore on, but a distinct lack of match practice was evident as Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Glenn Johnson were all guilty of poor touches on numerous occasions.

Torres, though, presented Gerrard with a chance to equalised on the stroke of half-time as he spotted the captain’s run and picked him out with a delightfully weighted past.

Approaching the pass at high speed, the England international failed to connect as he knows he can, slicing his shot well wide of Joe Hart’s goal.

Second half

Liverpool came out after the break with greater urgency and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the opening stages of the restart.

However, City soon found themselves two goals to the good against the run of play as Micah Richards rose highest from a Milner corner and directed his header downwards and into the net, beating Reina who appeared to be obstructed by the eager Tevez.

The Reds responded well and were almost back in the game as first Ngog forced Hart into a save before Torres saw his point-blank range rebound brilliantly closed down by the England goalkeeper.

Goalscorer Richards picked up a yellow card soon after, as his persistent fouling on Torres was too much for referee Phil Dowd to let slide.

With 67 minutes on the clock, City had a third. Tevez netted the goal from the penalty spot after Skrtel had brought down Adam Johnson in the area. The Slovakian was lucky to escape a second booking.

Torres finally showed a touch of class on 72 minutes as he turned Richards inside the box and unleashed a left foot drive across the face of goal, narrowly evading the far post with Hart beaten.

The goal meant City had scored three goals against Liverpool in a league fixture for the first time since 1981 and was the first time the Reds had conceded three in a Premier League match in 29 games.

The game began to peter out thereafter, with City opting to keep possession with little urgency as Liverpool desperately tried in vein to retrieve the ball.

City held out with ease to signal their very real intentions of competing in this league. Liverpool, meanwhile, have a lot of work to do if they’re to keep with their rivals.

Hardman midfielder Christian Poulsen has signed for Liverpool from Juventus, paving the way for Javier Mascherano’s exit from Anfield.

Poulsen completed a medical at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground on Thursday after the Premier League and Serie A giants agreed a £4.5million fee, which could rise to £5.5million depending on how the Dane performs in a Red shirt.

Mascherano, meanwhile, refused to speculate on his future when questioned following Argentina’s 1-0 win over Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, but it highly likely he will leave the Reds.

The former West Ham midfielder’s preferred destination is European Champions Inter Milan, where former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is now in charge, but the two clubs are yet to agree on a fee.

Liverpool want around £25million for Mascherano, but the Serie A champions are unwilling to meet those demands until they have offloaded a number of fringe players from their squad.

Barcelona are also tracking Mascherano’s situation after missing out on Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, who has once again put an end to doubts over his future by opting to remain with the Gunners for another season.

Poulsen, 30, is renowned for his no-nonsense play and has earned a reputation for provoking opposition players into aggressive confrontations. Mascherano is no stranger to indiscipline, but his Danish replacement is arguably a cut below in terms of quality.

The former Sevilla player has played in Germany, Spain and Italy, so the Premiership will not phase him, but the cheap alternative to Mascherano may draw cause for concern for some Liverpool fans.

One thing is for sure, the Premier League has inherited a player who is likely to draw attention in the upcoming season should he continue to display his renowned style of play in England.

Indeed it was Poulsen who was involved in a spat with Francesco Totti during an international between Denmark and Italy in Euro 2004. The new Liverpool midfielder was spat at by the Roma legend, who was banned for four games for his act, and he blamed his counterpart for incitement.

The prospect of seeing Poulsen go head-to-head with fellow Premier League midfield hotheads such as Joey Barton, Michael Essien and Nigel De Jong is mouth-watering, and he admits he is looking forward to the challenge.

“With this move here I have a lot to prove. If you come to a club like Liverpool, you have to deliver. I will hopefully show I can be a good player for Liverpool,” he told the club’s official website.

“I like also to play technical football. I see myself as a player who tries to play football but I can also make a tackle.

The move represents a full circle for Poulsen, who was handed his big break a decade ago by new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson, who was in charge of FC Copenhagen when the midfielder made his debut.

“I had two good years with him so I hope to carry that on, and hopefully he’ll be satisfied with my qualities,” said Poulsen of Hodgson.

“He’s a manager who’s been all over the world and has a lot of experience, so of course I have a lot of respect for him.

“Roy didn’t have to say that much because Liverpool Football Club is known all around the world, and for people in Denmark, Liverpool are the biggest club in England.”

Poulsen will wear the number 28 shirt and is expected to be named in the squad to face Arsenal at Anfield on the opening weekend of the Premier League this Sunday.

Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, says that now he has all of his key players fit, he hopes this will be enough for the club to secure fourth place.

Liverpool have fallen way off the pace this year because of some poor football and some very bad results. The side have missed key players for long stretches and now Benitez has everyone fit, he thinks his side could be too strong.

However, Spurs and Manchester City are leading the way for the fourth place spot, which leads to Champions League football. Liverpool are relying on them slipping up in order for the Reds to be able to claw back the gap.

Rafa said: “If they can stay fit I think it will be very important because you have more options. When you have two games a week it is important to have different players available so you can change the system and you can keep the tempo. It is really important to have Fernando, Gerrard and Maxi available.”

“I can see Fernando is focused and he wants to do well. We are surprised sometimes by what he can do but my idea is that he can improve. He knows how to get better. Two goals and a great performance again against Sunderland is what the team needed.”

“Johnson is an attacking defender and sometimes when you have the team playing well at home and everyone is going forward he can be a real threat. He had one or two chances against Sunderland and he was very dangerous down the right side. At this moment we have to concentrate on what we can change now – to play well on the pitch and try to be as close as possible to the top four and progress in the Europa League and the other things will come.”

“I think it depends on us. If we keep winning our games – there are difficult games – we will be closer and every week will be different. Sunday at Birmingham will be tough but if we can win our games I think they [Tottenham, City and Villa] will lose some points and I think we can be there.”

Liverpool will have to finish fourth because they have a number of players in their squad who have quality, which demands European competition. The risk is that if they don’t secure this, these players could walk away from the club.

This will put Liverpool back another step and another until they start to become a mediocre midtable Premier League side. However, with everyone fit they have a very good chance of winning the Europa League, which would mean European football of some description next season at least.

The side cannot fall into the trap of overly relying on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard all over again. It was this reliance, which meant they slipped way off the pace in the first place. It is also this sort of reliance, which threatens to tear Manchester United’s season apart with the new injury to Wayne Rooney.

Chelsea player, Frank Lampard, has said that the 7-1 thrashing of Aston Villa over the weekend is one of the best games he has ever played.

Lampard scored four times as the blues totally blew apart Martin O’Neill’s side. It is very rare that a side playing another top side does this sort of thing and Lampard is soaking up all of it.

Villa are a side chasing a Champions League spot and hearts would have been in Chelsea mouths when they drew level through a John Carew goal. However, Chelsea’s strength ultimately showed.

It is also a very clear sign that the West London club are in great form ahead of the title run in. They are hot on the heels of Manchester United and will fancy their chances with the pair soon to play.

Lampard said: “The moving of the ball around, our passing and movement was fantastic. It was great football and that is when we are at our best. It is easy to write us off and say negative things about teams and players from the outside, but all we can do is play football.”

“We know the big games are to come, especially next week. We know the quality of the players we have, we’ve shown that over the course of the season.”

“We’ve beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal playing different formations. We have to forget the little rut we’ve been in and concentrate on the target now.”

“The title race has opened up with the way we’ve played in the last couple of games in particular and we want to take advantage.”

Chelsea also have the added advantage of the fact that they are no longer in Europe as they were knocked out by Inter Milan. This means the players are a little bit fresher than they otherwise would be.

The club have to win the league. A club the size of Chelsea demands some sort of trophy each season and with the recent heart break of the Champions League over the last couple of seasons, they will do what they can to get the Premier League title back.

However, it won’t be easy. The other sides they have left to play are not likely to roll over the way Villa did at the weekend. Chelsea must not fall into the trap of getting complacent against the lesser sides in the league.

These sides will all be scrapping for points to stop the threat of relegation and funnier things have happened in football.

If the rest of the results go as expected then the winner of Chelsea against Manchester United will probably go onto win the league. United whipped out a 4-0 thrashing of Bolton over the weekend, which also proves they are in fine form and scoring plenty of goals as well.

Liverpool captain and key England player, Steven Gerrard, has admitted that he has not been any where near his best this season.

The midfield maestro has been leading a Liverpool side, which has struggled to play good football, which brought many to tip them for the title this year.

Gerrard also needs to quickly improve in order to have the best possible chance of a regular starting place in the England team ahead of the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

He said: “I think it can be better, if you look at my form through the season as a whole I am not totally happy, I have not reached the level I would like to be at. It is not worrying me as I still have confidence that it can switch and turn at any given time to where I would want it to be at any given time, I have played well this season but I have come out of games when I have not been totally happy.”

“I am my own worse critic, I know myself when it is good and when it needs to be stepped up and the challenge for me now in the remaining games is to step up and drive Liverpool into fourth, try to go to the Uefa Cup [Europa League] final and go to the World Cup.”

“Time will tell, we are in a good situation – we are winning and confidence is high but we have learning to do and some improving to do if we are to go all the way. You need that bit of luck to keep players fit and the squad healthy – so we are in a good situation at this time but there is still a long way to the World Cup, a lot can happen.”

“I believe with this manager in charge the key time will be when we meet up, and up to the first game – when we basically will be living together, training – maybe twice a day, and we can learn a lot from each other and hopefully by the time the first game comes around every individual we will be well drilled, and know what we need to do to get out of the group as that is the first challenge.”

Gerrard will want to put to bed the jeers and abuse he has been getting in recent England games. In the last friendly match against Egypt, the Liverpool skipper was cheered off the pitch when his number was held up for a substitution.

In some respect if he or Chelsea’s Frank Lampard does not start for England at the World Cup it could have a positive effect on the team. It will allow someone else to step in and do a job who may bring a better balance into the side.

However, Gerrard is still capable of producing splendid displays and stunning goals at vital moments in big games. If he scores the winner against one of the country’s main rivals then no one is going to jeer or complain.

Manchester United have managed to sneak ahead in the Premier League title race after the weekend went virtually perfectly for them.

United were faced with the difficult task of having to beat Liverpool to take back their leading spot from Arsenal. They also had to hope that Blackburn did them a favour against Chelsea.

Their task was tricky because Arsenal carried on surprising one and all by beating West Ham to move back top. United then managed to sneak a 2-1 win against their biggest rivals before Blackburn took a point off Chelsea.

The games leave United leading the pack for the title. However, the race is not over yet and all managers involved admit there is still time to win and lose points in some potentially tricky games.

Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti said: “It will be more difficult now to win the title, but it’s not impossible. We have a good chance, but it will be more difficult. We can’t afford to lose our confidence and composure. They [United] are top of the list. We have to run more and do better. We have to leave this moment as soon as possible. It is important to win on Wednesday.”

Sir Alex Ferguson said after the Liverpool win: “I thought for the penalty kick it was a red card. There was no way [Jamie] Carragher could have got across to stop Valencia from shooting.”

The thing that Chelsea have to keep in mind is that unlike United and Arsenal, they will now play five games less in the season. This is due to their Champions League exit.

This will allow their players to be that little bit extra fresh when they go into each Premier League game. This is something that the two other teams will just have to cope with but it could ultimately be the deciding factor.

Chelsea are also battling domestically in another competition, which will allow them to stay sharp against other English teams. It is still difficult to call but the West London side are still a very good bet.

One of the teams will fade away over the next few games and that side will be the one that allows the other two to emerge in a race to the finish encounter.

It does not look as though United will fade because they have the experience of being in this position before as do Chelsea. Arsenal have the easiest run in of games but the Chelsea result at Blackburn shows that nothing can be taken for granted this season.

United are now the firm favourites and it would take a very brave man to bet against them. They did not look flustered when they fell behind yesterday and the passion in the team looks as great as it ever was.

Keep tabs on the others but it could be yet another title for Ferguson as his United train shows no signs of slowing down.

Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher, says there is still time for the club to recover and secure Champions League football for next season.

Liverpool conceded ground after they were beaten at Old Trafford by the champions and the fact that Manchester City won. Liverpool now have their work cut out to hang onto that vital last European slot.

Liverpool have relied on the Champions League to provide them with extra income and higher class competition over the last few seasons. They have been consistent and even won the competition back in 2005.

He said: “We have just got to recover from this as quickly as possible and get on a run of victories. Of course we believe we can still close the gap. They (Liverpool’s rivals) will have difficult spells and we have got to make sure we take maximum points when they do.”

“Maybe there will be more criticism of us now and at a club like Liverpool, the pressure is never off. Things are a bit more difficult but we have still got lots of points to play for.”

“We did well to a certain point but we played last Monday, then again on Thursday and then had to come into this match. The squad hasn’t been strong enough for one reason or another this season but it was still a big ask to go there after that run, particularly as United had all week to prepare.”

“But we have lost and you have got to move on, as this was the most difficult fixture we had before the season end.”

Liverpool have no excuse for their bad run of form, which has lasted a number of months and not weeks as is the case with most teams.

They were also knocked out of the Champions League a long time ago, which gave them the chance to focus domestically on the season and making sure that no one could beat them to fourth place.

However, the poor form has continued. It seems that Rafa Benitez’s men are becoming increasingly predictable to work out and once the opposition get their tactics correct, Liverpool are done for.

Carragher and a number of other players in the side all have the experience and the class to know how to deal with the current situation. The point is that it seems to have gone on for longer than ever before.

Liverpool have only just got back some first choice players and the goal that Fernando Torres scored against United yesterday showed the class the side has been missing over recent times.

It is difficult to see how or where the side are going to make up the ground they have lost. The challenge from other sides has been stronger than ever before and this may prove too difficult for Liverpool to compete with.

Watch this space but the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have never been in this position before so they are likely to snap hands off.

A highly rated Liverpool player has lost patience with the club and launched a seething attack on manager, Rafa Benitez.

Albert Riera says the manager has not communicated with his squad, which has led to certain areas of the team becoming unsure and confused over the roles they are being asked to play in the team.

Riera is a highly rated winger who would have been hoping to nail down a place in the side ahead of the World Cup this summer. He is one of the fringe players for Spain who would want to get himself noticed.

However, he says this is virtually impossible in a Benitez squad because of the fact the manager chops and changes the team so regularly. It makes it impossible for a player to settle.

He said: “When the coach says nothing to you and you are well, with no physical problems and training well, you cannot help but think it must be something personal.”

“If I’m doing something badly and you are my boss, and you value me, then you are going to come and tell me what I have to do to play again. This is what hurts me. You see that the team are not doing well and there are no changes. It’s a little frustrating because you see that you can help.”

“I’ve been here two years and I know how he (Benitez ) is. He’s never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him. He thinks he’s in charge and everything else falls on deaf ears. His dialogue with the players is practically nil.”

“I would like to be here for the rest of my career, but players live to play. My objective is to go to the World Cup and for this I have to play. Right now the only market open is the Russian one, I have offers from two teams and, looking at my situation, that has made me reflect a lot.”

It is so clear that there is a bitter frustration building up in Riera and there will be similar feelings in other parts of the Liverpool squad. This is natural because a big summer is coming up and players want to play.

Riera snapped Liverpool’s hand off when a good contract offer was made to him but for some reason or another, Benitez doesn’t seem to want to play him. This will be very annoying to a player who will feel that he can add another dimension to a side.

The Spaniard has a very good point too in relation to the fact that one of the main reasons Liverpool are struggling is the fact that they do not change key areas of their side.

Fringe players get rotated on a weekly basis but the important, core areas, which go a long way towards winning games stay in place. When these areas are not playing well, it reflects on the whole of the team..

Manchester United veteran, Ryan Giggs, has vowed to help the club beat Liverpool this Sunday and win the title with a perfect run in.

Giggs was recently out of action when he broke his arm but Sir Alex Ferguson has already confirmed that the Welshman is expected to play some part in the huge game this weekend.

Giggs will bring an extra experience to the United team, which should help them get over any run in jitters. This is something that many have said Giggs keeps his place in the United side for.

He said: “We didn’t play well here last year against Liverpool and they deserved the victory. Hopefully that won’t be the same this week. It’s a massive game, purely because it is Liverpool. It is towards the end of the season so there is so much riding on it.”

“No matter how the teams are doing, it is just a massive rivalry because of the history between the two teams, they are two successful teams. There is lots of quality on the pitch so you know need to perform whether you are at Anfield or Old Trafford.”

“We let ourselves down last year. Hopefully that won’t be the case. We are in good form and scoring goals. As a United fan, for me it comes into it, growing up seeing Liverpool win everything.”

“We are trying to win the league this year and whatever records you break or whatever things you do in history comes after. At the moment you want to win the game to try and help you win the league.”

Although Manchester United have been playing fairly well in recent weeks, while Giggs has been injured, a large part of this is down to the goals of Wayne Rooney. It is too naïve to rely on one player and Giggs will probably be slotted straight back into the team.

He brings a calm to the United midfield, which is sometimes lacking and which is something that sometimes costs the team important goals. There is plenty of quality in the squad but in reflection sometimes you need a war horse to calm everything down.

The left winger and central midfield player does not seem to show any signs of slowing up either. His consistent weekly performances see, to earn him an ongoing contract at the club as he remains a valuable asset for Sir Alex Ferguson.

The one thing that Giggs has to be praised for is the passion he has. Many players would have retired at earlier stages in their career but Giggs will keep on going for some time yet.

There are key players that he will want to mould and shape to help the club and to help that particular player. Nani is one such example and if he turns out to be half the player Giggs is in a few years then the champions will be laughing.

Manchester United defender, Darren Fletcher, has said that the current Premier League champions have to be on their guard to see off Liverpool this weekend.

Liverpool make the trip to Old Trafford short on form and with a number of problems in key areas of the side. Although their last run out produced a 4-0 win, the side has not played well for large parts of the season.

United look to be hitting their straps at just the right time and it will be difficult for Liverpool to produce the performance they came up with at the same ground last season when they beat United 4-1.

Fletcher said: “It would be very dangerous to think this is a poor Liverpool side coming to Old Trafford because they are anything but. It would be a huge mistake to think that Liverpool are not a threat. They maybe haven’t had the season we expected after last year but they are still a dangerous side.”

“They are still in the main the same team. We know what they are capable of and pushed us all the way and dished out that defeat here and the one at Anfield this season. They are still fresh in our memories.”

“Liverpool still have a lot to play for because they are battling for fourth spot. They are capable of beating anyone. We have to learn the lessons from last year’s game. The warnings are there. If you are not 100% focused and you make mistakes they will punish you.”

“It is a real surprise to me they haven’t been up with us. But they will still be fired up to win at Old Trafford again.”

United will also want some revenge as they have not beaten Liverpool in the recent past. These were also matches against weakened Liverpool sides so nothing can be taken for granted.

Sir Alex Ferguson has previously called this game as the fiercest rivalry in football. Liverpool always take a lot of fans to Old Trafford and they always make a lot of noise.

It is up to the United players to silence these away fans but it will probably be a lot more difficult than many United fans may think. Liverpool always raise their game for these sorts of occasions.

Manchester United will also hope that Liverpool boss, Rafa Benitez, tinkers with his side a great deal. Many Liverpool fans have said that a lack of tactical awareness is the main reason the side have not been playing well and this is the manager’s responsibility.

The game could go either way but United are the strong favourites at this stage. If Liverpool do not produce a single bit of the quality they’re capable of then they will get played off the park.

It would take a brave person to put money against the Champions at this stage of the season.