The Athletic journalist James Pearce has heaped praise on James Milner's fantastic performance in Liverpool's 1-0 victory at home to Manchester City.

The Lowdown: Massive win for Liverpool

The Reds faced a daunting Premier League fixture on Sunday afternoon, with their poor recent form making them clear underdogs against a superb City side.

Instead, Jurgen Klopp's men produced their best performance of the season in a pulsating clash, with Mohamed Salah's goal securing all three points.

It is a win which could ignite Liverpool's stuttering campaign, if they are able to back it up in forthcoming matches, and there were heroes all over the pitch for the Reds.

The Latest: Pearce hails Milner

One of those was clearly Milner, who was exceptional at right-back and received huge praise from Pearce on Twitter.

The journalist gushed:

"What a shift from James Milner against his former club. Dropped to the turf at the final whistle. Exhausted but triumphant."

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The Verdict: Magnificent performance

There may have been understandable concern from some Liverpool fans when the starting line-ups were announced and Milner was at right-back, far from his customary position, but he silenced any doubters emphatically.

The 36-year-old was imperious up against Phil Foden, 14 years his junior, winning all three aerial duels and three out of four ground duels, along with making three tackles and ensuring that the City maestro failed to record a single shot all day.

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Milner has shown that he can still be an effective figure despite his advancing years, and in many ways this was one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt, given who the Reds' opponents were.