Tinkerman

Never change a winning side. It's an old adage. Rafa didn't heed the warning and almost pay a heavy price.

Last night, he omitted Robbie Keane and put Mascherano in a 4-5-1 formation. That to me, stifled Alonso's creativity and the team suffers initially. Gerrard was largely anonymous in that link man role. Masch wasn't bad but somehow the team lacks balance in that formation. There was a gap between midfield and the strikers and City exploited that space time and again with Wright-Phillip as chief tormentor. City 2-nil up at the break.

A good manager he is, Rafa realised his folly and sent on Keane and Dossena. Benayoun entered the fray later. Suddenly Liverpool was transformed, Dossena was bombing forward all the time and Keane revels in what does best, a link man. City just do not know who to mark anymore. It was only the question of time and how many Liverpool will score against a ragged City defence already short of Zabaleta.

Torres just failed to connect from a Keane's center and Kuyt benefited from a similar move in the injury time.
That was how the game was won. Inspired substitutions.

Never change a winning side? Time will tell.