Jovetic overshadows Balotelli’s arrival at Liverpool as he helps champions to impressive win

While all the pre-match talk was of Liverpool’s new £16m striker – watching from the directors’ box just hours after finalising his move from 
AC Milan – it was another forward who had previously made the move from Italy who took centre-stage.

The Montenegro international endured a miserable maiden campaign dogged by illness and injury, but is now reaping the benefits of a full pre-season with City’s first two goals either side of half-time in this victory.

In 153 minutes this season he has scored as many times in the league as he did in his first nine matches 12 months ago.

Sergio Aguero, his main rival for a starting spot up front, added a third less than 20 seconds after coming off the bench to wrap up victory before Pablo Zabaleta’s late own goal offered Liverpool some consolation.

City had a clinical cutting edge which Liverpool will look to rediscover – presumably with Balotelli at the forefront – having lost the mercurial talents of Luis Suarez.

While not exactly cagey in the early stages both sides seemed to be lacking the surety which so often defines these encounters between the top sides.

For all their endeavour and ambition the best either could offer in the opening 40 minutes saw Edin Dzeko and Zabaleta shoot off target and Yaya Toure draw the first save out of Simon Mignolet, while for the visitors Daniel Sturridge had a near-post effort batted away by Joe Hart.

Alberto Moreno, a £12m summer signing, had arrived on the back of a Europa League triumph with Sevilla, but for all his natural pace the speed of the Premier League will take some adjusting to.

He was fortunate his lunge at Zabaleta did not concede a penalty but the Spaniard’s next missed connection – from Lovren’s weak defensive header – allowed Jovetic to steal the ball from under his nose and blast past Mignolet.

Jovetic proved his first was no fluke with a second in the 55th minute, converting Samir Nasri’s cut-back from David Silva’s nifty flick, and should have had a hat-trick but bundled a shot wide from possibly his best position of the night.

Another former City striker Sturridge, who had what he thought was an equaliser ruled out for offside, forced Hart into a reaction save with an angled shot but there was little else from the visitors, who gave second-half debuts to winger Lazar Markovic and Emre Can.

But Aguero’s strike, racing onto fellow substitute Jesus Navas’ through-ball, and exploiting the space Mignolet left at his near post showed rather pointedly that City have well and truly moved on from Balotelli.

Liverpool’s final substitute of the night Rickie Lambert provided a small crumb of comfort by following in his own header which Hart had brilliantly saved only for the final bounce to come off Zabaleta before it crossed the line.