AUTHOR: John Aldridge

It's going to be an absolute belter when Liverpool lock horns with Manchester City on Sunday. Anfield won't have hosted a bigger league game for a quarter of a century.

When you think back to the great nights we've had in the Champions League, this is going to match or even surpass them.

The atmosphere will be electric. Every Liverpool fan will be up for it and anyone with a ticket is very lucky because they could have sold out this fixture three times over.

It's not quite on the same scale as when we played Arsenal in our final game back in 1989 but it's not far off.

The result on Sunday won't decide the title race but it will certainly have a huge bearing on the outcome.

If City win we won't throw in the towel because they've still got to go to Goodison but it would certainly be difficult for us from there.

If we win it's firmly in our hands and that momentum can carry us home over the final four matches. Chelsea will be watching and hoping it's a draw.

City have some great players and I enjoy watching them. I like their manager. Where Jose Mourinho talks nonsense, Manuel Pellegrini speaks sense.

He gets on with the job and they play really good football. They won't sit back, they will come to Anfield and attack.With the quality they have got, I can see them scoring but I really fancy us to cause them problems at the other end.

Defensively, City are vulnerable and the best frontline in the league can capitalise on that. It will be an open game and I think there could be goals aplenty.

We were unlucky to lose to them at the Etihad on Boxing Day. We were on the wrong end of some poor decisions that night with Raheem Sterling wrongly flagged offside and Luis Suarez not getting a penalty after his shirt was pulled by Joleon Lescott.

We're going into this game in tremendous form on the back of nine straight league wins. What was only a dream a few weeks ago is now turning into a reality.

Sunday was a massive result down at Upton Park. West Ham showed no ambition at all and it was a real test of our character.

I've not seen a home team set up as negatively as that for a long time.

I'm not sure what Sam Allardyce was trying to prove. His team had been booed off after their previous home game and I can see why.

I feel sorry for their fans who pay to watch that style of football every week.

They just belted it up the park at every opportunity. Liverpool weren't at their best but it's difficult playing against a team like that.

We dug deep and got the three points we went there for. There is no reason why we can't keep this winning run going to the end.

It will be an emotional occasion at Anfield on Sunday as we mark the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough. It would be so fitting if we could get a victory and go on to clinch the title.Steven Gerrard showed massive bottle once again as he kept his nerve to tuck away both penalties against West Ham.

We're getting a lot of spot-kicks this season but with the attacking players we've got that doesn't surprise me.
When you've got the likes of Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho and Sterling, you are going to force mistakes inside the opposition penalty box.

Stevie was so clinical and I thought he was the best player on the pitch.

He looks so comfortable in that holding midfield role.

In recent weeks he has done really well to avoid a 10th booking and as long as he doesn't get a yellow card against Man City then the threat of a two-match ban will have gone.

He's 90 minutes away from being able to lead Liverpool throughout the rest of the season.

It's vital we have him available for all our remaining matches.

He's the conductor of this team and has a huge influence on those players around him.

Credit to Brendan Rodgers because his decision to bring on Lucas Leiva for Philippe Coutinho really paid off.

It gave us a bit more strength in midfield and Lucas played a great pass through to Jon Flanagan which led to the second penalty.

Source: Liverpool Echo