Martin Keown: Raheem Sterling Was Sensational For Liverpool Against Manchester City

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has heaped praise on Raheem Sterling for his impressive performance during Liverpool's 3-2 win over Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

Sterling opened the scoring for the Merseyside club before Martin Skrtel doubled the lead before the break. However, City bounced back with two goals in the second half before a strike from Philippe Coutinho saw the Reds register a crucial win at home.

The victory for Brendan Rodgers' side has seen them sit on the top of the table with 77 points from 34 games, leading second place Chelsea by two points. With four games remaining in the season, a victory for Liverpool in their remaining league fixtures will see them win their first Premier League title.

The former Arsenal defender believes Sterling was "sensational" and will keep getting better.

"Raheem Sterling was sensational and he just keeps getting better. He is only 19 but he has already shown what an intelligent player he is by adapting to a number of different positions," Keown told the Daily Mail.

"He's no longer just a quick wide man, he can play centrally and off the front two and that is impressive. He covered more distance than any other player at Anfield and was the fastest player on the pitch and his goal summed up his game.

"A clever run into space, great technique and then wonderful composure to finish. To have the presence of mind in that area is exceptional and showed a maturity way beyond his years.

"His dummy mugged the league's best defender and England's No 1 keeper and in that one moment he demonstrated he can handle the emotion and pressure," he said.

Meanwhile, Keown was also impressed by Rodgers' team selection for the tie against City. He believes the former Swansea manager fielded players with attacking mentality, which was vital for the Reds to come out victorious against the Citizens.

"I wondered before the game if Brendan Rodgers would try to combat the power of the City midfield with some defensive tweaks, but his team selection signalled his intentions - he picked players whose mentality is to attack," Keown explained.

"His forward players were sensational and Philippe Coutinho was a revelation. He was constantly hassling and harrying the City players in the first half and was clinical with his goal in the second," he added.