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The pair have combined well in recent matches and leave Kenny Dalglish with a big decision to make when Luis Suárez returns

The beauty of being a defender is that you are in control of the space. In an otherwise reactive role – you respond to the opposition’s moves and try to break up them – the offside rule means you can keep the striker as far away from goal as you like, providing the ball isn’t behind you, of course.

Last week’s column discussed the merits of Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling as a partnership following their largely impressive display against Robin van Persie at the Emirates Stadium. Sir Alex Ferguson was evidently convinced by their performance as he retained the combination despite the availability of Rio Ferdinand for last Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield. This was a completely different test for the duo; Van Persie drops deep and becomes involved in build-up play while Andy Carroll wants to challenge for crosses in the air.

Kenny Dalglish might have used Carroll to exploit United’s potential aerial weakness. He had other options – in the absence of Luis Suárez, the Liverpool manager has used both Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy as a lone striker. Granted, Bellamy’s fitness precludes him from playing frequently and Kuyt has been having a poor season in front of goal, so stylistic concerns were far from the only reason for Carroll’s selection, but his physicality made the decision easier.

However, playing Carroll with no partner played into the hands of Evans and Smalling. To oversimplify things, if a defence is up against a quick striker they defend deep to prevent him using pace in behind, if they’re up against an aerial threat they defend high up to prevent him getting the end of crosses. By playing Carroll up front alone – and hardly a great amount of forward thrust from the flanks in Stewart Downing and Maxi Rodríguez – it made Evans and Smalling’s decision easy. They pushed up, stuck tight to Carroll, and he was ineffective; winning headers 40 yards from goal with no runners is not particularly useful.

Incidentally, it’s worth mentioning that Carroll does have the potential to be more of an all-rounder, offering pace as well as height. Last season for Newcastle, when defenders worked out Carroll was predominantly an aerial force, he often surprised them with his quickness across the ground – he was more akin to the quick, mobile Alan Shearer in his Blackburn days than the penalty-box specialist Shearer became in his thirties. There is no obvious solution to defending against a player who offers both qualities, which makes a player like Didier Drogba positionally as well as physically difficult. Carroll’s fitness problems have meant his threat on the ground has been minimal, but already he looks fitter and leaner than a couple of months ago.

Presently he’s purely an aerial threat, and while quiet for long periods, he noticeably improved after Dalglish turned to the bench at the weekend. Then, Liverpool had two wingers on their natural sides, rather than the right-footed Rodríguez on the left and the left-footed Downing on the right. Downing moved to the left and Kuyt to the right and Liverpool quickly looked more suited to Carroll. Both wide men sent a couple of crosses in, with varying success.

But it was Bellamy’s introduction that provided the mobility to complement Carroll’s aerial threat. The Welshman often played behind Carroll, but also made runs past him, scaring the United defence with the pace he, perhaps surprisingly, retains at the age of 32. Immediately, Evans and Smalling looked more nervous, their positioning was less assured. Liverpool’s dominance of possession clearly contributed to the pressure, but the United centre-backs seemed to drop deeper after Bellamy’s introduction and Carroll could inch closer to his natural habitat, the penalty box.

The winner was interesting. United started off defending high up the pitch for José Reina’s goal-kick (so no offside, despite Carroll and Kuyt being in an offside position) but then immediately dropped deep. Smalling needed to get into a covering position when Evans went for the header but retreated a whole 15 yards from his starting position, possibly to give himself a couple of yards head-start on Bellamy. As it happened, it was Kuyt who found himself on the end of the flick-on – primarily because of Patrice Evra’s poor positioning, but helped by the fact Smalling was so deep, and therefore playing Kuyt onside. Subtly, it was the combination of height and pace that put Liverpool through.

The previous weekend, a Carroll flick-on had also resulted in a goal. Bolton were defending high and the classic big man-little man combination saw Bellamy springing onto Carroll’s header to score. These two seem an ideal combination and have a more natural understanding than either has with Suárez.

Suárez’s imminent returns means the Bellamy-Carroll partnership is unlikely to enjoy much more time together. Suárez is the main man at Liverpool and there’s every chance that his mid-season break

After going through the whole of 2011 without losing on their own ground, Manchester City have now been beaten twice in the space of four days and are beginning to look conspicuously thin around the edges. Steven Gerrard’s 13th-minute penalty puts Liverpool in a position of strength going into the second leg of this Carling Cup semi-final when it will need a significant improvement from the Premier League leaders if they are to prevent Kenny Dalglish’s team from confirming a trip to Wembley.

Rarely have City looked so devoid of imagination this season. Liverpool took an early lead, threatened more goals and then eventually settled for a backs-to-the-wall operation during a second half in which the home side’s possession was not accompanied by the wit or gumption to break down a team displaying great defensive qualities of industry and organisation. The two sides renew acquaintances at Anfield in a fortnight’s time and Liverpool, the seven-time winners, should be greatly encouraged about the way they matched and, at times, outdid a side that have managed 56 league goals compared to their own tally of 24.

City looked weary at times. They had used up a lot of energy and emotion in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United and they were missing their captain, Vincent Kompany, as well as two of Roberto Mancini’s other mandatory first-team picks, David Silva and Yaya Touré. The Etihad has been a formidable stadium for opposition teams on Mancini’s watch but for long spells they looked laboured and a good notch or two below what is usually seen of them on their own ground.

As for Mario Balotelli, he lasted only 39 minutes before being withdrawn. Shortly before, he had allowed a simple pass to run over his boot and go out for a throw-in. The striker, sent off in the league at Liverpool in November, took exception to one challenge from Charlie Adam and had to be restrained from taking the argument further.

It was difficult to be clear whether he was still struggling with the ankle injury that had kept him out for the previous two games, but there was something very deliberate about the way he and Mancini ignored each other on the touchline. Balotelli went straight down the tunnel and it added to the sense of a night that was not going to plan.

Liverpool, in contrast, had began the game as if affronted by the memories of their 3-0 league defeat here last week. They were quick to the ball, strong in the challenge and, even before Gerrard’s penalty, there were three separate moments when it was only Joe Hart’s goalkeeping that had kept them out.

The third of those saves, diving full length to his left to turn away a deflected Stewart Downing volley, was a truly exceptional piece of goalkeeping. Yet it was rare to see City so open and it was in this flurry of attacking that Liverpool’s pressure eventually led to Gerrard driving his spot kick emphatically into the bottom corner.

Perhaps in hindsight Mancini might regret not moving Micah Richards across from the right side of defence to partner Joleon Lescott in the centre and bring in Pablo Zabaleta at full-back. Instead, Stefan Savic was given the responsibility to stand in for the suspended Vincent Kompany and it was a gamble that backfired. Savic’s challenge on Daniel Agger was raw and mistimed, catching him just above the knee, and it was not his only mistake of a difficult evening. One misplaced pass inside his own penalty area led to voluble dissent from the crowd and, without Kompany, there was a vulnerability that does not normally exist.

Liverpool had the advantage of having two days’ extra rest and in the opening 45 minutes they seemed to be getting to every loose ball first. Their momentum was not disrupted too badly by Jay Spearing leaving the pitch with a hamstring injury and it was not until the final minute of the first half, when James Milner turned Richards’s low cutback over the crossbar, that Pepe Reina’s goal was threatened seriously.

Liverpool were obdurate opponents. Their strength this season has been in defence and they were more guarded after the interval. A misplaced backpass from Martin Kelly almost had costly repercussions, only for Reina to do enough to put off Sergio Agüero. Reina then saved a leaping header from Richards inside the six-yard area and, with Mancini switching to a three-man defence, the pressure on the visitors’ goal was increasing.

Yet the late onslaught that might have been expected never materialised until stoppage-time. Liverpool held out fairly comfortably and are now the marginal favourites to reach the final.

Carling Cup 2011-12Manchester CityLiverpoolCarling CupDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk

Kenny Dalglish’s five men in the middle of the park worked hard to snuff out the threat of City’s main threat, David Silva

Manchester City started brightly, with the Champions League defeat to Napoli last week a distant memory but Liverpool were powerful opponents, who slowly wrestled control with a thoroughly organised, hard‑running and skilful performance.

By smothering the passing opportunities for City’s midfielders, Liverpool’s five-man midfield gradually negated the visitors’ rhythm. Crucially they prevented David Silva from dictating the clever passing movements