Manchester City vs. Liverpool: 6 Things We Learned from Carling Cup SF 1st Leg

It's first blood to Liverpool after the first leg of the Carling Cup semifinal clash against Manchester City.

A Steven Gerrard penalty after 13 minutes decided the result in what was a disappointing performance from the hosts at Etihad Stadium. And Liverpool will take the 1-0 advantage into the second leg to be played at Anfield on Jan. 25.

Elsewhere, the Carling Cup's other remaining hopefuls shared the same result as Crystal Palace ran out 1-0 winners against Cardiff City in their first-leg tie—albeit 24 hours earlier.

With Liverpool now with one foot in the door, we'll take a look at six things we learned from tonight's results.

Whether you blame Charlie Adam for wasting the opportunities he's been given, or you're declaring that all goalkeepers have been superb in front of the sticks, one thing for sure is that Liverpool have the worst penalty record in the Premier League this season so far.

Liverpool have converted one out of four in the EPL (correct up until Dec. 26), but now that Gerrard has returned, those stats should get better by the week.

Gerrard has become more and more assured over the years when it comes to penalty-taking, and his composure in front of goal could prove critical as the season wears on.

Manchester City have looked a lot more vulnerable over the past month, and with the loss of the Toure brothers to the African Cup of Nations, tonight's game was another stern test for the Sky Blues following their defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday.

It was a test they failed.

City never really got out of second gear against Liverpool, and their attempt to give Stefan Savic a run out backfired, as he was at fault for fouling Agger in the penalty incident.

Barring the injured David Silva, City fielded a full-strength team and may miss the defensive duties of Ya Ya and Kolo more than they realised.

The ban imposed on Luis Suarez is a huge blow to Liverpool, but there is still hope.

It may be a blessing in disguise that Suarez is missing for a while, as Liverpool were simply becoming too dependant on him.

Unfortunately or fortunately—depending on how you see it—Liverpool now have Gerrard to shoulder the burden in his absence, which almost negates the chance for the team to develop as a unit.

Either way, Liverpool have shown they can get a big result without Suarez when it matters the most.

If Manchester City want to progress in this competition, they now have to go to Anfield and get a victory.

That means Liverpool are going to have to defend for their lives on Jan. 25, and there will be big pressure on the likes of Agger, Skrtel and Reina to perform heroics.

David Silva will likely be available for City in two weeks time, and that makes Manchester City a lot more dangerous going forward.

Jamie Carragher has previously expressed his desire to play at Wembley Stadium in a cup final, but should Liverpool make it that far, Carragher might still be out of luck.

Agger and Skrtel have become Dalglish's first-choice centre-back pairing as Carragher enters the twilight of his career, which means he might not even get to step foot on Wembley turf no matter what the outcome against Manchester City.

When given the chance to impress against Fulham following the injury to Lucas Leiva, Jay Spearing was subsequently sent off.

He missed some games through suspension, and his return to the first-team lineup tonight was hampered yet again—this time through an injury to himself.

Spearing was substituted for Charlie Adam after 23 minutes following a hamstring problem, and Liverpool fans are waiting patiently to see how long he is likely to be missing for.

If he's out for a while, it is another blow to Liverpool's defensive-midfield options.

Whether you're a Manchester City fan or a Liverpool fan, one thing for sure is that the second-leg tie is going to be a must-see event.

Whichever Premier League team makes the final must be thinking that they're the hot favourites, given that the other two remaining teams spend their daily lives in the division below.

They say anything can happen on Cup Final day, and that is something which City or Liverpool should do well to remember.

Whilst a 1-0 win for Liverpool is great for the Anfield faithful, you do have to wonder what type of beast Manchester City now may unleash in a fortnight's time.

Away goals only count in the Carling Cup at the end of extra time, so be prepared for some edge-of-your-seat thrills come Jan. 25.

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