Liverpool triumphs over Manchester City on penalty kicks in International Champions Cup at Yankee Stadium

New York -- Liverpool defeated Manchester City Wednesday night on penalty kicks (3-1) after the teams initially had battled to a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation.  The game, part of the International Champions Cup, was played in front of 49,653 soccer enthusiasts at a packed Yankee Stadium.  To the naked eye, most of those in attendance were clad in red and overwhelmingly supported Liverpool, including none other than 007 himself, actor Daniel Craig.

The key to the Red's victory was the play of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, as well as Lucas Leiva, who put the nail in the coffin in solidifying the win over Manchester City with his clutch penalty kick in the shootout.

Manchester City barraged Liverpool early with Blitzkrieg, attacking-style football.  Although Manchester City created several scoring chances and held the advantage in possession, Liverpool's keeper was impenetrable.

However, in the 53rd minute, forward Stevan Jovetic drew first blood with a right-footed shot to the goal's center to put Manchester City up 1-0.  Jovetic benefited in part from a misplay by Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.

Jovetic's goal seemed to open up the floodgates, as an entertaining batch of goals soon followed.

In the 59th minute, Liverpool's midfielder, Jordan Henderson, returned the favor with a quick strike to the top right corner of the goal to even things.

Only a few minutes later in the 67th minute, Jovetic again put his imprint on the game with another brilliant goal to give Manchester City a 2-1 lead.

In the 85th minute, forward Raheem Sterling delivered another excellent goal, as Liverpool rallied once more to tie it up at 2-2.

In the subsequent shootout, Mignolet would save two penalties, and Leiva would score in the fourth round to clinch the match for Liverpool.

Despite the play of Jovetic, the combination of missed scoring opportunities and poorly delivered penalty kicks ultimately doomed Manchester City.

Considering the teams played on a less-than-stellar surface in which grass was placed over infield dirt normally roamed by Derek Jeter, the overall quality of play nevertheless did not appreciably suffer.

Liverpool's victory placed them at the top of Group B in the International Championship Cup.  Liverpool will next face AC Milan on Saturday.

By Brendon Richbourgh
Contributing Writer for TheDailySportsHerald.com