LIVERPOOL 2 CITY 1
League Division 1
10th August 1968
Attendance 51,236
Scorers
City Young(7)
Liverpool Graham(24), Thompson(73)
Ref K Howley
City Mulhearn, Connor, Pardoe, Doyle, Heslop, Oakes, Lee, Bell, Summerbee, Owen, Young – sub Coleman(63)
Liverpool Lawrence, Lawler, Wall, Smith, Yeats, Hughes, Callaghan, Hunt, Graham, St John, Thompson – sub Hateley
FROM THE PRESS BOX
No excuses, the champions were cut down to size and beaten by the better side on opening day.
Yet there was no disgrace in this defeat for Manchester City. Not many other sides are going to succeed where they failed at Anfield against this powerful Liverpool team.
City paid the penalty of handing Liverpool an equalising goal and from that point the Blues were almost run ragged.
A 2-1 score was a fair reflection, although City maintain that the fantastic free-kick by Francis Lee in fact hit the stanchion at the back of the net and not the crossbar.
Liverpool, particularly in a second of one way movement, towards the City goal, missed many chances, notably Roger Hunt who had a nightmare 90 minutes.
On the other hand the City defence must be commended for holding Liverpool when working under the handicap of having left back Glyn Pardoe off for most of the time with a hip injury.
Ken Mulhearn again stole a lot of the thunder with a string of fine interceptions. His performance was all the more admirable, for it was he who had blundered when Bobby Graham, stand-in centre forward for £100,000 Tony Hateley guided in the 24th minute equaliser after George Heslop had failed to cut out a left wing cross from Hunt.
It had been City all the way up to that crucial turning point. They had played some quite delightful football in carving up Liverpool with Neil Young right-footing them into a seventh minute lead
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 12TH AUGUST 1968