Rio Ferdinand is still backing Manchester City for the Premier League, and feels Liverpool missed their chance to swing the momentum in their favour.
City still hold a one-point advantage over the Reds, having drawn with them in a thrilling title showdown at the Etihad earlier this month. Their hopes of a treble though were ended after they were beaten by Jurgen Klopp’s side in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday.
Having made seven changes to his side, Pep Guardiola saw the Blues fall 3-0 behind at half-time at the national stadium after a disappointing opening to the game. They recovered after the break, with goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva setting up a tense finish, but Liverpool hung on to book their place in the final, where they will meet Chelsea next month.
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With such fine margins separating the two sides, the Reds’ victory has been seen by some as a potential vital blow in the race for the Premier League title. Ferdinand though believes City’s second-half response has ensured the momentum remains with them.
“Liverpool rested seven or so players in midweek in the quarter-final of the Champions League against Benfica and still didn’t get beat. They bring them back in and they deal with Man City,” Ferdinand told his Vibe With FIVE YouTube channel.
“City still had a lot to do in that Atletico Madrid game, so they couldn’t rest players. Liverpool, in contrast, rested seven or eight players, and brought all of those stars back into the game at the weekend, and Pep had to change seven players to freshen it up.
“It made his team weaker, whereas Liverpool made their team stronger. I think if that game had finished at half-time, I would have said the pendulum would have swung in Liverpool’s favour.
“Man City didn’t get going in the first half, it was a beating in the first half, and you thought ‘wow, they could be the favourites for the league now’. But the fact that City changed it in the second half and got two goals back, I think the confidence will still be there.
“It won’t be shot enough to really put them off-beat. I’m still convinced City are the team to win the league, but I think it’s going to go to the wire.”
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