CITY MAKE A STATEMENT OF INTENT.

Manchester City built on their hard earned point at White Hart Lane with a comprehensive and convincing win over Liverpool.

It’s not often that the reds make the short trip over to Manchester lacking passion and a sense of urgency, but these uncharacteristic traits displayed my Hodgson’s team should not take away anything from the blue’s dominance.

Mancini knows what it’s like to beat Roy Hodgson, his Fiorentina side beat Udinese, despite being a higher profile game, this still ended with the same outcome.

Yaya Toure started at the top end of the diamond formation, however it was the potential future stars of English football, Milner and Johnson who excelled on the wings.

The first goal was an all English affair, Johnson and Milner combining for a rare Gareth Barry goal, ironically against the team he almost joined.

Only when Tevez got the faintest touch to a towering Micah Richards header did Liverpool kick into action, but Joe hart reaffirmed his growing stature in the game with a fine double save.

A Tevez penalty after a fine Johnson run added the finishing touch to an emphatic victory, and while the watching Middle Eastern owners will have not been impressed with the Manchester rain, they step on their private jet content in the knowledge that on this evident at least, City look genuine contenders.