Roy Keane and Micah Richards clashed when asked about the performance of James Milner in Manchester City's loss to Liverpool on Sunday.
City were narrowly beaten in a thrilling contest, with Mohamed Salah scoring the only goal of the game as Liverpool secured just their third league win of the season. It was far from the predicted result, with Milner having started for the Reds at right-back and Trent Alexander-Arnold starting the contest on the bench.
Milner, 36, was expected to endure a difficult afternoon, with the former City midfielder having struggled in previous outings for the Reds this season. However, he had a solid game and helped his side keep a clean sheet in what was a statement win for Jurgen Klopp's side.
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It was City's first defeat of the season and Liverpool's defence impressed across the board, with Joe Gomez being named Man of the Match for helping to successfully nullify the City attack. Milner played for City and was part of their 2012 and 2014 title wins, and former teammate Richards praised his performance.
“Milner was excellent today," Richards told Sky Sports. “We talked about with Foden, the form he’s been in. In the Manchester derby he (Foden) was excellent, I thought he would run Milner ragged but Milner was brilliant.
“His positioning, to press, when to keep it simple, leader, talking. To come into this game, I don’t know when his last 90 minutes [was], against Man City, his former club.”
However, in typical fashion, Keane was sceptical, claiming that the veteran had not done anything spectacular. “It’s the easiest part of the game, Micah, defend,” responded Keane. “Defending against somebody, he’s an experienced player, that’s what you’re supposed to get.
“They've not played for a number of weeks, Foden was still a threat. This idea [that] Milner has done something extraordinary."
Richards doubled down on his praise, saying that his former teammate had succeeded in difficult circumstances: "He’s a central midfielder playing right-back against one of the most in-form players." Keane responded, saying that Milner's experience of playing as a right-back should have been enough to see him through. "Has he played right-back before?" he asked.
Richards conceded that Milner had played in the position before, though the two still remained in disagreement over the veteran midfielder's display.
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