Football: Mancini, Gerrard clash over tackle

Liverpool edge past City 1-0 in League Cup first-leg.

MANCHESTER:

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard were embroiled in a war of words following the clubs’ League Cup semi-final clash where Gerrard’s early penalty gave the visitors a 1-0 first-leg lead.

The match was overshadowed by a late, two-footed challenge by Liverpool defender Glen Johnson on City’s Joleon Lescott. An angry Mancini claimed that the tackle, which went unpunished, was worse than the offence committed by City’s Vincent Kompany early in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester United. Mancini’s claims were not appreciated by Gerrard.

“It was a clear winner of the tackle,” said Gerrard. “Mancini had a go at Wayne Rooney for trying to get one of his players sent off. Now he’s trying to get one of our players in trouble. I don’t think that works.”

Mancini, however, had a different interpretation of the incident, one which television replays seemed to support.

“Johnson’s tackle against Lescott, it was worse than the one Vinny did against United,” he said.

Spurs have scent of title charge

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp admitted his players were starting to believe they can win the Premier League after they moved within three points of leaders Manchester City with a 2-0 win over Everton.

Goals from Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto brought Spurs level on points with second-placed Manchester United and hot on City’s heels.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2012.