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.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini believes new signing James Milner will become an even better player at Eastlands.

The England international finally completed his £26 million move from Aston Villa on Wednesday, with Stephen Ireland moving in the opposite direction, putting to bed the longest transfer saga of the summer.

Martin O’Neill’s reluctance to sell Milner when in charge stalled the deal, while the Northern Irishman’s shock departure complicated matters in terms of Ireland agreeing to move to Villa Park .

Nonetheless, the deal went ahead and Milner becomes another expensive recruit in the project Manchester City are piecing together, and his new Italian boss is eager to get to work with his new midfielder.

“I am very happy to have James with us,” revealed Mancini. “Everybody knows we have admired him for some time. He is an excellent midfielder, who can play in a number of positions.

“This is important for the team, and I am looking forward to seeing him play for us. We have a very strong squad, and this signing is a very important one for us.

“James he is already a very good player, who has proved he can play at the very top level. But he is also young and a good character, I think he can also improve and be a great player for a long time.”

Milner, 24, put pen to paper on a lucrative five-year deal and could go straight into the City squad to face Liverpool on Monday along with fellow multi-million pound signing Mario Balotelli. However, neither have been registered in time for Thursday’s Europa League game at FC Timisoara.

New Villa player Ireland , 23, signed a four-year contract with the mangerless club but the Irishman, who is retired from international football, is relieved to have left Eastlands after falling out of favour last season.

“I have plenty of personal ambitions,” he told the club’s official website. “I want to get back to playing the way I can – I haven’t played 90 minutes in nearly eight or nine months, which isn’t normal really for me.

“I’ve kind of forgotten the feeling what it is like to come off after a game feeling tired, winning or losing. I’m not used to sitting out for so long.

“So for me, I want to get back to playing at the top of my game and I want to work hard for my team-mates. I want to see if my team-mates and myself can push on and achieve something massive this season.”

Ireland was named City player of the season in 2008-09 after scoring 13 goals and earned a five-year deal with the club as a reward, but the club has transformed dramatically since then.

The Cork-born youngster has earned a reputation as somewhat of a troublemaker in his short career but has vowed to make the most of a new lease of life and earn the trust of his teammates and the Villa support.

He added: “For me, my number one target is to work hard for my team-mates, show them what I can bring to the table, show them they can rely on me and that I am going to work hard for them week in, week out.

“I am looking forward to building up a relationship with the fans and my new team-mates. It is exciting for me to have a new challenge, move here and get settled.”

England returned to winning ways after coming from a goal down to defeat Hungary 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley.

The hosts fell a goal down through a Phil Jagielka own-goal in the second-half, but a one-man show from Steven Gerrard spared England’s blushes as a quickfire brace from the stand-in captain secured the win.

Capello’s side were far from their best and the performance was not one the public will appreciate following their dismal display in this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

Jagielka went close at the right end early on but his volley from a Steven Gerrard corner sailed over the bar, but Hungary were well and truly rattled. Moments later, Rooney had the ball in the net only to see the flag correctly raised for offside.

England had a great deal of urgency about them early on as they looked to banish the ghosts of South Africa with immediate effect and they continued to dominate possession in the opening ten minutes.

In the 13th minute Adam Johnson should have handed the home side the lead after great work from Theo Walcott. The Arsenal winger picked up a pass from Glenn Johnson before skipping by a challenge and pulling back for the Manchester City winger, who skied his shot well over the crossbar.

Walcott continued to impress down the right flank but lack of movement in the penalty area, with Rooney operating in a lonely role up front on his own, meant the winger’s good work went begging.

On 29 minutes Gerrard raced onto a through ball from Frank Lampard on a rare England counterattack. However, Gabor Kiraly in the Hungarian goal read the danger and was quicker to the ball as he booted the ball into touch.

By that stage, though, Hungary had grown in confidence and tested Joe Hart with a couple of tame efforts from outside the box. England remained on top, however.

Gerrard tested Kiarly again in the 33rd minute with a whipped freekick from a tight angle, which the former Crystal Palace keeper tipped over the bar. From Adam Johnson’s resulting corner, the 34-year-old confidently claimed.

The half petered out with the hosts in control of the ball but far from impressive with it. The half-time whistle was met with predictable and, arguably, justified boos from all corners of the Wembley Stadium.

Walcott, who did not make Fabio Capello’s squad for South Africa, was the half’s shining light, making five successful dribbles past the Hungarian defence, more than any England player in the World Cup.

Second Half

Capello made four changes at the break, with Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and, rather inexplicably, Walcott making way. They were replaced by Michael Dawson, Ashley Young, Kieran Gibbs and Bobby Zamora, the latter two making their international debuts.

The second half began in much the same fashion as the first ended, with little urgency about either side for the opening fifteen minutes.

However, the game sprung into life out of nowhere as the unfancied Hungarians took a surprise lead in the 62nd minute. Michael Dawson failed to cut out a through ball and Fulham forward Zolton Gera fed the ball wide before a compatriot squared the ball across the face of goal and Phil Jagielka diverted into his own net.

The linesman awarded the goal, despite replays suggesting the ball never crossed the line as Dawson looked to have made amends by clearing the goal bound ball off the line with a last ditch tackle.

The goal stood and boo once again rung around Wembley. The home fans were not gloom for long though as England were behind for only seven minutes.

The inspiration stand-in captain Gerrard burst forward with venom in the 69th minute and a kind bobble allowed him to thump an effort into the top right-hand corner from just outside the penalty area. Wembley gasped a sign of relief.

And they had to wait just three minutes for the turnaround to be complete and it was that man Gerrard again who provided another divine solo effort to hand his country the lead for the first time.

Gerrard collected the ball inside the area with his back to goal before turning, skipping past two despairing Hungary defender and dinking the ball inside the post and past the onrushing Kiraly. Gerrard celebrated with passion but Capello showed not an ounce of emotion on the bench. He knows he remains under pressure, particularly as Martin O’Neill is now unemployed.

The goals handed England confidence for the first time in the match and Zamora went close to a debut goal as he drilled a fierce effort over the ball shortly after. Capello’s side were in control and saw no need to take risks in the closing stages of the game as they looked to quit while they were ahead by retaining possession with care.

Jack Wilshire made a late cameo appearance for his international debut, replacing man of the match Gerrard, who received a round of applause for his match-winning second-half show.

Hungary provided a late scare in the form of Gera in the 89th minute as he was sent through on goal but, from a difficult angle, he could only shoot straight at Hart in England’s goal and you sensed the home side would hang on.

And that they did. There were no boos at full-time as England came away with the win, but Capello will know he faces scrutiny from the press for the performance in the aftermath, if not the fans inside the stadium.

Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is keeping his cards close to his chest as his side prepare for a struggle against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.

If United get knocked out by Munich then many will say it will be the end of United’s season after they lost to Chelsea at home last weekend. That could prompt demands from the fans for the club to release funds to buy better players.

However, Ferguson is one of the most gifted and experienced managers of his generation and he will know exactly how to handle his players in the run up to this game. He will also know exactly the sort of players, which will ultimately help improve his team.

He said: “We have made some good progress with the lad and the medical team have done fantastically, but I am not prepared to take the risk if he is not 100 per cent fit. We are looking more at the Manchester City game [on Saturday week], or maybe Blackburn as a sub possibly.”

“No wholesale buying is needed here as we have a very good squad that just needs tweaking here and there. Looking at potential squad additions is an ongoing process — it’s not just confined to a certain time of year — although we obviously don’t reveal our plans. We have some ideas at the moment, but not many players will be joining the club. But in any case, I think the transfer market prices have been terribly inflated over the last year.”

“Old Trafford has that suction behind the goal. In the Stretford End in the second half, the ball gets sucked into the goal. It’s amazing. The fans sometimes make it happen. Those last-minute goals, there are too many to count, but it’s not by accident. It’s the way we play.”

“The players aren’t used to losing so you hope it registers. The black and white of Saturday is that Chelsea now have a better chance of winning the league. We didn’t start well and they kept possession well, but we showed character in the second half, so that shows we have a bit more in our locker.”

Munich will go to Old Trafford with a much fitter and better squad than in the first leg in Germany. United’s problem was they did not make the most of the ball when they had it and they will need to retain it in the same way that Barcelona do or Chelsea did last weekend.

This will allow them to slowly build up the pressure on the Bayern goal and sooner or later the chances will start peppering the Bayern goal and they will have to play very well to keep a clean sheet.

United have to score the first goal of the game. If they go behind, it makes their task twice as difficult and it may be one that they find too big to pull back. The team needs players to step up in key areas of the pitch.

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.

Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, has praised striker, Carlos Tevez, after the club’s 3-0 win over Wigan Athletic.

Tevez bagged all three goals during the match and has been carrying the current side for large parts of the current season. Mancini says his performance was the best he has seen from a striker while he has been at the club.

Wigan were no match for City and their chances were not helped by the sending off of Gary Caldwell. The player appeared to catch his boot on the turf, which meant he went into Tevez. The Argentine obliged by rolling around to get the red card produced.

Mancini said: “It was a good performance by Carlos. He scored three important goals and we won this game. I am happy with him. He is scoring a lot of goals and has always been a good player. He is a young player, who is improving every year.”

Wigan boss, Roberto Martinez, added: “I cannot understand how you can give something you can’t see. To give a red card you have to be certain. Then you are looking at the replay it is no way it is a red card offence.”

“Gary said he went in really strong and got the ball. Carlos Tevez saw it jumped off the ground, he’s the one who left both feet. We are all human beings and we all make mistakes but to give a decision after something you don’t see that is lying. You are making it up. That is hard to take.”

“He (the referee) said he saw Gary Caldwell with both feet off the ground. That’s why he gave the red card. But Gary Caldwell only went with one foot. That’s a real injustice.”

It doesn’t seem to matter what Tevez does he is always in the headlines. A lot of people may have lost some respect for the player but there is no doubt that he is still one of the most potent strikers in the Premier League.

Mancini should offer him a bonus of whatever he likes because had Wigan managed to get a point or more from the game then the axe may have already been coming down towards Mancini’s neck.

City have started to learn that it does not matter how much money you pump into a football club. Instant success is much harder to achieve and it could still be a few years before the side wins a trophy.

Spurs look in control of fourth place and with Liverpool always nipping at the heels of fourth place, it could be too big an ask for City to secure Champions League football this year.

Their fans will say they are much stronger and better than Spurs but what they will not acknowledge is the fact Spurs have never been in this position before. This means they are more likely to whatever it takes to stay in fourth place.

Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, has been forced to issue an apology to boss of Everton, David Moyes, after starting a struggle during a match.

Mancini reacted physically to Moyes during City’s 2-0 loss to Everton during the Premier League clash last night. The matter is now highly likely to be investigated by the FA and both bosses could face bans.

Goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta were enough to give the Merseyside three more points as they continue their push for a solid league finish and Europa League place for next season.

Mancini said: “OK, next time I won’t do it. If I made a mistake I’m sorry to him and the referee. I’ll speak with him. I’m sorry [to] the referee. I wanted only to get the ball because we had another five minutes at the end.”

“When we lose the game we must start again with the same concentration if we want to improve. You can start again when you lose a game – not only when you lose. This is football sometimes.”

Moyes added: “Next time I might just let it run through me. I caught it because I was making a substitution. I thought I was helping and actually speeded it up. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.”

This is not the first example of a touchline spat between managers and it probably won’t be the last. If the FA does take a look at the incident, then there will be a number of things, which have to be considered.

First of all the City boss was trying to get his side back into the game. He would have been wound up and stressed out due to the poor way his team had played throughout the game. This prompted his reaction.

Moyes was simply catching the ball. The play would have been stopped any way so that his team could make the swap of players before the game continued. He will argue this if he gets any touchline ban.

On the one hand it is good to see two managers, who are in charge of good sides, so passionate about the game. Each was high on adrenaline and talking points like this can only be good for football.

On the other hand you have to consider the example that they are both setting to one and all. A lot of people look to the manager’s of their club as a role model. In this case they will see managers effectively fighting and this could replicate itself in the attitude of many fans.

Bans would be harsh because it is stupid to penalise a manager because he has a high degree of passion and emotion. The FA will want to read a full report from the referee before making a decision but both of them on this occasion may just get off.

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.

Chelsea assistant manager, Ray Wilkins, has said that he thinks it is time for the abuse of club captain, John Terry, to come to an end.

Terry has been receiving jeers ever since it emerged that he had an affair with the girlfriend of former team mate, Wayne Bridge, at a point in the not too distant past.

However, Terry has been playing as well as he ever has been and Wilkins seems to think it is time the fans started applauding him for getting around a difficult situation and keeping up high performance levels.

He said: “I would like to think the abuse would stop. It’s served its course. But it’s happening and John’s just getting on with the situation. I’m not too happy about the abuse, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“He’s dealing with the situation in the only way he can – committing himself to the cause. He’s an exceptional captain and we’re delighted to have him on board. He leads these players on the pitch in fantastic fashion and scored the second goal which was a great goal.”

“This was another superb performance from him.”

Terry himself added: “The armband means a lot. Chelsea have been very supportive, the players as well. It has been a good week, good to get away with England, play well and then come back here and prepare for this game.”

Chelsea are looking very good this season and they are still in with a good chance of winning on more than one front. If they do go onto get some success then a large part of it will be down to the role Terry has played.

The point is that people have been saying that it is impossible for other players to put their trust in someone like Terry who clearly ignores the meaning of the word, respect, at times for other clubs and other professionals.

It may be a long time until Terry gets his captaincy job with England back. He may actually never get it back if Fabio Capello stays as the England boss for as long as Terry continues to play.

It is clear he is very grateful for all of the support he has been getting at Chelsea. There are a number of other clubs that probably would have taken the situation a lot more badly and could have shown him the exit signs.

The recent goings on in Terry’s life seem to slowly going away but the fans are a hard bunch to keep happy and suppress. It will be a long time before the chants stop as Wilkins wishes them to do so.

This is something that Terry will just have to go on and play with. He has proved that he can cope and he has now played against Manchester City, for England and still captained Chelsea and it does not seem to have influenced the way he plays football.

Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, is demanding focus ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League run in.

The manager has been under a lot of pressure and scrutiny in recent weeks because the fans have been saying the club doesn’t seem to be going any where under his management.

Liverpool have not been playing attractive football for a very long time and Benitez is demanding the focus, which is the only thing that has kept them in with a shout of securing a Champions League place for next year.

He said: “Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa will be very dangerous so we cannot make many mistakes. We know last year was really good in terms of points in the league (86) and now we are in a different and more difficult situation because the expectations were very high.”

“It is really difficult because we have three or four teams really close. We have to keep this momentum and prove, show everyone else, we are good enough. I prefer to be positive and we will play well and continue to win.”

“We had problems on the right side (against Blackburn) with Mascherano playing full-back, which was a difficult decision. All the teams have good and bad moments, but they still have to carry on and go forward. If you analyse some games we have had too many injuries with big names unable to play.”

It is very difficult to see Liverpool hanging onto the fourth place position, which they have made their own for so very long. There are too many sides around them in better form who are capable of causing a huge upset and breaking into the top four.

Liverpool also do not look like a side who are in full sync with each other. There are too many injuries appearing in too many areas of the side, which will cost the team when the points are totted up at the end of the year.

The situation for them is quite a complex one to sort out. The ownership problems that once plagued the club do not seem to be a problem any more but the weakness of the over all squad definitely is.

There is still too much reliance on too few players at the club and it will take everyone pulling together to make the situation look much brighter for the club.

The problem is that Liverpool are playing the sort of football that a lot of lower league teams are well known for. When you use this style against a team that knows it inside out, it becomes very hard to win games and rack up points.

Benitez talks of focus and this means focus in every aspect of football. Liverpool will have to produce moments of pure quality, which have been lacking if they want to be the side that hangs onto that final Champions League position. It is a race that is certain to go right down to the final day of the season.