Man City 3 - 0 Liverpool

Manchester City celebrated owner Sheikh Mansour's first visit to Eastlands by delivering an impressive performance to cruise to victory against Liverpool.
Sheikh Mansour has changed the face of Manchester City since his takeover two years ago - and this latest expensively reconstructed version of Roberto Mancini's squad provided evidence that they may be able to meet the expectations that will accompany his huge financial outlay.
After a £130m summer spending spree, City needed to deliver a swift statement of intent and they duly obliged against a Liverpool team showing the extent of the work required by new boss Roy Hodgson.
James Milner marked his debut by setting up Gareth Barry for an early goal, and Carlos Tevez gave City breathing space from close range just after half-time, although Micah Richards may claim his colleague did not actually apply the crucial touch from his header.
Liverpool's reaction was a shot from captain Steven Gerrard that struck the post, with City keeper Joe Hart saving superbly from David Ngog and Fernando Torres in the resulting scramble.
And City wrapped up a convincing win when Tevez scored from the penalty spot after Martin Skrtel hauled down the outstanding Adam Johnson.
Mancini will understandably keep the lid on expectations, but the way in which City mastered and out-muscled Liverpool in all areas, even with David Silva and Emmanuel Adebayor on the bench and Mario Balotelli out injured, will give him huge cause for optimism - and will have delighted the watching Abu Dhabi powerbrokers.
Sheikh Mansour received a predictably ecstatic reception from City's fans as they expressed their gratitude for his lavish refurbishment of the club's playing resources since his takeover.
And he was able to watch two of his most recent investments combine impressively as City took a well-merited lead through Barry after 13 minutes.
Yaya Toure made light of his giant frame with some fancy footwork to start a move that ended with Milner sliding a cross into the path of his former Aston Villa team-mate Barry, who passed the ball into the bottom corner out of the reach of Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.
Johnson was a constant threat on City's right flank, giving Daniel Agger a torrid time under the watchful eye of England coach Fabio Capello's right-hand man Franco Baldini. He fired narrowly off target early on and pulled another effort just wide as the interval approached.
Liverpool, with Torres clearly working his way back towards full fitness, threatened only rarely, with Hart saving comfortably from Ngog and Gerrard demonstrating an uncharacteristic lack of accuracy when presented with two good shooting opportunities.
Boss Hodgson will no doubt have demanded greater urgency from his team after the break - but their hopes of a revival were effectively snuffed out as City doubled their advantage seven minutes after the restart.
Richards headed Johnson's header towards goal, and even though Tevez wheeled away in celebration after appearing to get the final touch past Reina, it looked as if he was more of a crucial distraction than the actual goalscorer.
Hart's elevation to City's number one keeper ahead of Shay Given has been a source of debate, but he demonstrated why he is rated so highly by Mancini as Liverpool attempted to mount a swift response.
Gerrard rattled the post from 20 yards, and as Liverpool tried to take advantage of confusion in the City penalty area Hart saved magnificently from Ngog and Torres in quick succession.
And the value of those saves was underlined as City swept forward to add a third from the spot after 67 minutes. Skrtel's rash challenge felled Johnson and Tevez completed the formalities from the spot.
Liverpool striker Torres, a summer target for City, was replaced to the ironic jeers of Eastlands with 15 minutes left - and City were able to see out time in comfort to record their first Premier League win of the season.

Man City 0-0 Liverpool

Manchester City survived a second-half onslaught to prevent Liverpool ending 2007 with three league wins in a row.
Fabio Aurelio came closest to scoring in a cagey first half, his long-range strike tipped over by City's Joe Hart.
Fernando Torres squandered two good chances and Hart palmed away a fierce effort from Yossi Benayoun as the Reds poured forward after the interval.
Dirk Kuyt had a glorious opportunity in the 87th minute but Hart and Richard Dunne combined to clear his header.
It meant Liverpool will go into the new year 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, with a game in hand.
Their previous clash against Manchester opposition, a 1-0 defeat by United, had finished with searching questions being asked about their title credentials.
This time they will be wondering how they failed to see off a City team that could not get close to the fluency they began the season with.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez again shuffled his pack, making five changes to the team that stole three points at Derby in their last outing.
And with the hosts in the middle of an uncertain spell, following two successive draws in the league and a Carling Cup exit, both teams struggled to establish any attacking rhythm early on.
Indeed, considering the talent and reputations on display, the first quarter was surprisingly bereft of genuine quality.
The first shot on target arrived after 25 minutes - a Harry Kewell strike collected by Hart at the second attempt - but it appeared to spark the game briefly into life.
A brave block from Jamie Carragher in the box denied City's subdued playmaker Elano a clear opening and Michael Ball deflected Kuyt's effort wide at the other end.
Reds defender Aurelio then twice came close to embarrassing Hart with two long-range strikes: the first bounced just past the post, while the second was helped over by the England Under-21 keeper's fingertips.
The game needed perking up and Liverpool did their best to break the deadlock with a flurry of chances in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.
Aurelio surged down the left and his cross fell at the feet of Torres, who shot tamely at Hart, with a fourth goal in three Premier League games beckoning.
Steven Gerrard then played the Spanish striker through after Stephen Ireland gave away possession, only for Torres' effort to roll wide after squirting through Hart's legs.
Although City were being roared on by the majority of a record Eastlands crowd all the action was taking place in their goalmouth.
Gerrard, who had gone close with a free-kick, strode through acres of space and the ball was worked through to Benayoun before the Israeli international unleashed a stinging drive that Hart palmed behind.
City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson replaced the off-colour Elano with Rolando Bianchi in a bid to ignite his team into action but his defensive players continued to be overworked.
Liverpool fans and Benitez were fuming when Dunne appeared to haul down Torres with the in-form forward in full flight.
Torres was then booked for a challenge on Micah Richards and the visitors' frustration was complete when the ball was worked back into the box after an Aurelio corner.
With the goal gaping, Kuyt failed to get enough power on his header, Hart clawed it away and Dunne hacked away from under the bar.
· Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson:"I think we defended very well. It was a good game but there were not a lot of chances.
"I am happy with one point and happy with a clean sheet, which is good against Liverpool.
"We're not disappointed. When you play like we did against a team like Liverpool, you can't be disappointed. But I'm not 100% happy, because we wanted to win the game."
· Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez: "We're a bit frustrated. We had a lot of chances, played well and had lots of possession. I'm pleased with the team but disappointed with the result.
"We had enough chances to win against a good team who are difficult to beat at home, and the commitment of all the players was fantastic.
"A clean sheet when you are playing away from home is a good thing but after 17 attempts on goal, you think you must win."
Man City: Hart, Onuoha, Richards, Dunne, Ball, Ireland (Gelson 61), Hamann, Corluka, Petrov, Elano (Bianchi 70), Vassell (Geovanni 74).Subs Not Used: Isaksson, Garrido.
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Arbeloa, Aurelio, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Kewell (Babel 74), Torres, Kuyt.Subs Not Used: Itandje, Riise, Voronin, Alonso.
Booked: Torres.
Att: 47,321
Ref: Uriah Rennie (S Yorkshire).