CITY 1 LIVERPOOL 1
League Division 1
12th April 1974
attendance 43,248
scorers
City Lee
Liverpool Cormack(19)
City MacRae, Pardoe, Donachie, Barrett, Booth, Oakes, Summerbee Bell, Lee, Law, Carrodus – sub Daniels(unused)
Liverpool Clemence, Smith,Lindsay, Thompson, Cormack, Hughes, Keegan, Hall, Heighway, Waddle, Callaghan – sub Boersma(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
REVIVALIST LOOK AS TONY BOOK TAKES OVER
PAUL WILCOX WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 13TH APRIL 1974
Manchester City may not have got the victory that Tony Book wanted to celebrate his appointment as the club’s new manager, but he was more than satisfied by the spirit, skill, and enthusiasm which the team showed against Liverpool yesterday at Maine Road in gaining another point to lift the clouds of relegation and reach a points total which should ensure their First Division survival.
City in fact were unlucky not to beat Liverpool. Every member of the team rediscovered the vigour and confidence which has been lacking, and their football in the second half especially made the prospect of another point at Anfield in the return match on Tuesday more than just a possibility Leeds United could have cause to profit from the events of Thursday, which undoubtedly brought about City’s revival.
From a team of depressed individuals transformed themselves once more into the incisive attacking combination that has been associated with their name. It can hardly be coincidence that the players chose yesterday to make it plain just who they will play for and who they will not.
Bell covered miles in his prompting of City’s surges; Lee showed all the bite and bustle of his England days; Oakes supported his team mates in attack and defence; and as a unit the side blended and fought as they have not done for months, in spite of the absences of Tueart and Doyle, through suspension and a hamstring injury respectively.
Against such a cohesive collection Liverpool did well to limit City’s scoring chances, but now perhaps the championship pendulum is swinging back in Leeds favour. Liverpool really needed both points to ensure their challenge being maintained. Their back four worked hard and as usual came through with flying colours, and Cormack’s roving really kept them in the game. indeed it was Cormack who opened the scoring after 19 minutes with a superb volley after Heighway’s throw-in had been deflected by Oakes.
… City did not enjoy the best of fortune, three times being denied goals by the awkward bounce of the ball. But they kept plugging away, with Booth, Bell, Summerbee, Law, and Oakes all testing Clemence before City gained the goal that they deserved when Lee steered the ball past the goalkeeper after Hughes had mistimed his swing at Macrae’s long clearance. Not a lot to show from all the effort, but a great deal in terms of the future.