CITY 1 LIVERPOOL 1
League Division 1
17th February 1973
attendance 40,528
scorers
City Booth(43)
Liverpool Boersma(76)
Ref Clive Thomas
City Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Jeffries, Summerbee Bell, Marsh, Lee, Towers – sub Hill(unused)
Liverpool Clemence, Lawler, Lindsay, Smith, Lloyd, Hughes, Keegan, Thompson, Heighway, Boersma, Callaghan – sub Hall(75)
TOMMY BOOTH SCORES
FROM THE PRESS BOX
TOM GERMAN WRITING IN THE TIMES 19TH FEBRUARY 1972
One important lesson, at least, was clearly digested by Liverpool in those two encounters with Manchester City which recently ended Merseyside’s direct concern with the FA Cup. Any dilution of strength and purpose around the middie of the field is merely an aid to City in applying a whetsone to an attack which has a sharp enough edge, in any case.
With that memory fresh, Liverpool stepped out at Maine Road on Saturday in 4-4-2 formation and if, as a result, much of the life was squeezed out of the match. it nevertheless helped them to share the afternoon, 1-1, and halt their recent stumblings. That was perhaps as much as they had hoped for. Certainly there was no bold initiative from Liverpool with even Keegan often operating behind the two front-runners, Boersma and Heighway.
To their cost, Liverpool’s approach was not always as enlightened as their tighter patrol of the middle. For example they overlooked Booth, whose goal put the cup replay irretrievably beyond reach, and it was the lanky Manchester centre-half who galloped up. unchallenged, to punctuate the drabness of a first half of tentative and unrewarding probing by heading the opening goal from Summerbee’s free kick two minutes before half-time.
Nor did Smith heed the obvious warning when the referee, Mr Thomas, cautioned him for dissent ; he still could not control his tongue and so, with 20 minutes still to play, he was heading for the dressing room. It was a rash moment to tangle with authority for Liverpool were up against it.
Paradoxically it was now that Liverpool embarked on their liveliest phase of the match, though it seemed an odd substitution when Hail came on for Helghway with quarter of an hour left, for Heighway’s pace had seemed the one way Liverpool might find a way through. Yet the switch immediately yielded return; Hall touched on Lindsay’s free kick and Boersma spun quickly in the box to aim wide of Corrigan’s outstretched left arm. The surprise of it even took the wind out of Manchester’s saiIs, though Liverpool must surely acknowledge the need for more skill and verve than they showed here if they are to keep pace with Arsenal and Leeds United, at the head of the championship.
TOMMY SMITH IS SENT OFF
