Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has slammed Manchester City’s performance as Pep Guardiola’s side lost 3-0 to Liverpool in their Champions League quarter final match at Anfield.
In what had been billed as potentially one of the best all-English Champions League ties in a decade, with both sides having scored goals for fun all season, it was Liverpool who stunned the visitors with an emphatic victory, leaving them with one foot in the semi-finals.
Speaking on ITV’s Champions League highlights programme, Keane wasted no time in laying the boot into Manchester City and their performance:
“It’ll be a hard game for the manager to analyse, after the game he said they had a lot of possession, but possession doesn’t win you football matches.
“There has been a lot of hype about this Manchester City team, talk about them being a great team.
“It was a reality check for this team tonight, they have a lot to do yet before they want to be regarded as a great team.
“You look at City players there, they will be shell-shocked. There is no way they would have visualised being 3-0 down after the first leg tonight.
“Even if they thought they were in for a tough night, I’m sure they thought they were going to score a goal, so they will be shell-shocked.
“I think for what we have seen this season, they showed a real lack of quality tonight but you have to give Liverpool credit for that.”
City have the chance to claim the Premier League title on Saturday in the Manchester derby, although Pep Guardiola has admitted he will be resting players. This chastening result against Liverpool will either give City more determination against United, or force Guardiola to make even more changes than he had planned.