Liverpool scrape City draw to hang in title race

Having completely outperformed Liverpool in the first half, holding their nerve, composure, playing the game and the football they would’ve wanted and are used to playing, reigning champs Manchester City will have been disappointed to go in to the changing rooms only leading their challengers 2-1 when a true reflection of the Blues’ domination would’ve seen them ahead by two or three goals and the contest – and the title – out of sight.

Still, Liverpool, rattled, playing poorly, with their most reliable players – Alisson Becker and Fabinho – looking particularly ropy, hung in there, doing what they’ve been doing since the New Year, which is rely on determination, willpower and having the gumption to take chances when they present themselves.

Thus, City having gone ahead after five minutes – a deflected Kevin De Bruyne shot bouncing wickedly off the surface and giving Alisson no chance – were pegged back within seven minutes after some superb build up play, involving Thiago Alcantara, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, concluded with the Reds’ right-back on the City goal line knocking the ball back into the path of Diogo Jota who scuffed his shot but still managed to squeeze it underneath Ederson, who may be disappointed he didn’t manage to keep it out.

Reds’ fans must have hoped that equalising so soon after going behind would’ve settled Liverpool, but this wasn’t the case. Rather, Reds’ play continued to be slack and wayward as Manchester City cut through the Liverpool defence at will, with cross-field passes and through balls, looking permanently dangerous and superior to their opponents.

It seemed only a matter of time before the league leaders restored their lead and, indeed, on 36 minutes, a cross from the City left by Joao Cancelo caught Alexander-Arnold, finding himself in the left-back position, off guard and Gabriel Jesus snuck in to knock the ball over the advancing Alisson into the roof of the net.

It was no more than City deserved and Liverpool could have no complaints going into half time behind.

Liverpool’s resilience and good fortune were rewarded within the first minute of the second half when good play down the right between Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson ended with a sublime little pass from Mo Salah into the path of Sadio Mané, who firmly clipped the ball over the City stopper.

For the next 10 minutes, Liverpool were in the ascendancy and looked as if they had enough to overwhelm City going forward. But it was City who scored the next goal, Raheem Sterling, having been put through by man-of-the-match De Bruyne, tucked the ball under Alisson. Fortunately for Liverpool, a VAR review found the City striker was marginally offside when he received the pass and the goal was ruled out.

Substitutions, fouls and nerves conspired to put a dampener on the game for the last 20-25 minutes with neither side managing to maintain sufficient pressure to break down the other team.

The best chance was the game’s last, after Riyad Mahrez was put through, again by De Bruyne. The Algerian went for a chip over Alisson but got too much on the ball, which went sailing over the bar.

Liverpool will be relieved not to have lost the game, even if their need to win was greater, given that they were a point behind City at the start of the day. Conversely, City will be upset that having been the better side, created the better chances, they weren’t able to win this game and take a firm grip on the title.

Still, with seven games to go in the league, City have the easier run-in, which must make them favourites to go on and retain their title. On today’s performances, it will be deserved. Liverpool have been on an extraordinary run to get back in the chase but fell short today when it really mattered.

Next Saturday, the two sides meet again in the FA Cup semi-final and Liverpool will look to play better and have to play to better to progress to the final.

Before that matchup, Liverpool have the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie against Benfica to contend with, though they do go into it as heavy favourites, having won the first game 3-1.

Reds not too sure what to feel after Man City draw

Having been outplayed in the first half and lucky to escape it without Manchester City not only scoring but having well and truly put the game to bed such was their dominance and good play, Liverpool will still be disappointed that the game ended 2-2, having been up twice only for Pep Guardiola’s side to find a way to come back.

Indeed, while at full-time friends and international colleagues from the opposing sides smiled, hugged and exchanged warm words, Liverpool’s star player, Mohammed Salah, having scored one of the goals of his career to put the Reds 2-1 up, looked furious and disappointed that his team weren’t able to see the game out from two winning positions.

Salah’s first major contribution was on 59 minutes when he picked the ball up just inside his half after a superb round-the-corner pass from Fabinho, darting 25 yards towards the Man City area, leaving retreating defenders in his wake, then stroking a perfect pass to Sadio Mané, who’d made a perfect run across the box to latch onto the ball and decisively slot it into the back of the net.

The momentum of the game should’ve swung in Liverpool’s favour, but disappointingly for the Reds City got back into the game relatively quickly – it would’ve been interesting if desperation had got into City’s game and left Liverpool opportunities on the counterattack – and, indeed, when the equaliser came it was too easy. 

On 69 minutes, Gabriel Jesus ran at the Liverpool defence – without significant challenge – and found Phil Foden in the Liverpool box, with James Milner – in for the injured Trent Alexander Arnold and who’d been given a torrid time by the City striker all game – not close enough to him and Alisson Becker caught in two minds as to whether to come out to Foden or stay on his line, choosing the latter option and as he hastily retreated giving Foden enough sight of the far corner, which he found with a well struck shot.

Then Salah decided to win the game for Liverpool. The Egyptian picked the ball up on the Liverpool right after good play from Curtis Jones thirty yards from the City goal and only had one thing on his mind, to head for the opposition goal and score. He turned City defenders inside out, leaving Bernardo Silva on his backside, before walloping the ball with his weaker right foot from the edge of the six yard area giving Ederson no chance.

Such a fantastic goal deserved to win the game and it seemed luck was on Liverpool’s side too when a clumsy tackle from Milner on Bernardo should’ve seen the Reds’ right-back earn a second yellow card, only for referee Paul Tierney to take pity on the Liverpool man – much to the fury of Guardiola, who got himself a booking for his vociferous protests – but Guardiola was soon celebrating after his side swept forward from a throw in on 81 minutes in their own half and after Liverpool failed to get the ball away it fell to Kevin de Bruyne on the edge of the area. His strike was heading for the corner, Alisson had it covered, but a deflection off the knee of Joel Matip, who got his body into an awkward position trying to keep his hands behind his back to avoid a handball penalty, carried the ball over the diving keeper into the Liverpool net.

There were chances for both teams to win the game in the last 10 minutes. A Liverpool free-kick from the right was botched by Man City’s defence and keeper and the ball fell to Fabinho three yards out with the goal gaping, only for Rodri to launch himself to incredibly block the shot. Then, Liverpool’s bete noir Raheem Sterling, on as a substitute for the ineffective Jack Grealish, found himself inside the Liverpool area but, lacking the confidence that is keeping him on the bench, he declined to strike for goal, instead turning back and though he still found Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian striker’s shot hit Andy Robertson and the chance was gone.

Liverpool have now played their two main title rivals, Chelsea and Man City, at Anfield and not won, drawing 1-1 against Chelsea and 2-2 today. That will concern Jurgen Klopp, as will the fact that City beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 1-0 last week and are showing it is going to take a remarkable effort to wrest the Premier League crown from them. 

An international break now and when Liverpool come back, they face three away games, first at Watford – who sacked their manager Xisco Munoz today after an indifferent start to the season that has found them 14th with seven points (though it’s difficult to know what the Hornets’ board was expecting for the newly promoted side) – before games against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and Manchester United in the league.

Liverpool thrashed by Man City leaving title defence in tatters

 

Form suggested that Liverpool – two wins in nine Premier League matches – would struggle against Manchester City, who’d won nine games in a row to go seven points ahead of the champions with a game in hand. And struggle the Reds did, never looking a serious threat to Pep Guardialo’s team in the first-half, a header from Mané and a volley from the edge of the area from Roberto Firmino notwithstanding. 

City were comfortable defensively and Raheem Stirling against Trent Alexander Arnold posed a relentless threat as City went forward, Sterling has a history of exposing, like no other player, Alexander Arnold’s lack of defensive abilities. Thus, it was Stirling easily swayed passed the flimsy Alexander Arnold and got into the Liverpool area where he ran into Fabinho and won a penalty for his side in the 37th minute.

Gundogan blazed over the bar but had he scored Man City would have deserved the lead. It was a lead they took four minutes into the second half when the hapless Gundogan redeemed himself by tapping in after a shot from Phil Foden – set up by Stirling – was parried by Alisson Becker into his path. 

On 63 minutes, a penalty as soft as the one given on Stirling in the first half was awarded to Mo Salah, after he was pulled back by Ruben Dias in the area. Salah stepped forward and calmly chipped the ball into the centre of the goal as Ederson dived to his left.

There was a 10 minute spell after Liverpool equalised when some of the champions’ old confidence seemed to have returned; but this was cut short by some calamitous goalkeeping from Alisson Becker. On 73 minutes, a careless clearance from the Reds No.1 landed at the feet of Foden, who drove into the area and picked out Gundogan to score an easy second for himself and put City ahead again. 

A clearly perturbed Liverpool stopper made a similarly catastrophic pass three minutes later, clearing the ball to Bernardo Silva who raced to the byline and scooped the ball to Stirling to nod in to the goal. 

The humiliating rout was complete on the 83rd minute when Foden cut in from the City right and, facing no challenge from Andy Robertson, powered the ball passed Alisson who, if he hadn’t been falling expecting a curling shot, would’ve been in a better position to make a save. 

  
An awful day for Liverpool, who in the last six weeks have seen their title challenge disintegrate with some horrendously anaemic performances. Next up for the Reds is a trip to Hungary to play RB Leipzig in the Champions League knock out phase. The game was moved from Germany for Covid reasons. Confidence will be low, but this is Liverpool’s last chance of silverware this season. Getting into the top four to qualify for next year’s Champions League is what remains for Liverpool this year in the Premier League.

Reds come away with Man City draw after de Bruyne penalty miss

Liverpool's hopes of returning to the Premier League summit were frustrated as they fought out a high-quality draw at Manchester City, who paid a heavy price for Kevin de Bruyne's missed penalty.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp opted for an all-out attacking line-up at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with in-form Diogo Jota included alongside the established front three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool, who knew victory would see them leapfrog Leicester City and Tottenham, reaped an early reward when Salah put them ahead from the spot in the 13th minute after Kyle Walker brought down Mane - but City levelled just after the half-hour when Gabriel Jesus turned superbly before slotting past Alisson.

Read more here.

Reds defeat Man City to make title statement

There had been little more than millimetres in it during the previous two meetings of English football’s current powerhouses. Remember John Stones’s goalline clearance for Manchester City at the Etihad last January in his team’s 2-1 Premier League win or when Kyle Walker did the same at the very end of the Community Shield at the beginning of this season? City would squeak to victory that day on penalties.

Liverpool authored a different story here, one underpinned by ruthless finishing and which came to be coloured by comfort. The much-hyped top-of-the-table collision was to all intents over when Sadio Mané headed Liverpool into a 3-0 lead on 51 minutes and what it all meant bristled with possibility for his team and the club’s fans, who last knew what it felt like to be league champions in 1990.

Liverpool briefly held a 10-point lead over City last December, although that was cut to seven the following day when Pep Guardiola’s team won their game in hand. And so the nine-point advantage which this victory gave to Liverpool felt like new ground – hugely significant new ground.

Read more here.

Reds unlucky in Community Shield loss

It is the Community Shield. Both sides were very obviously rusty. Both sides were slack in ways one would not expect them to be. Even the spray of shiny streamers to greet the winners felt understated, a little half-hearted. It is probably unwise to draw too many conclusions from a sultry August afternoon at Wembley but, if there is a lesson to be drawn, it is that last season may not be a blip, that there really may not be much between Manchester City and Liverpool.

This has the potential to be one of the great rivalries, what Sunderland v Aston Villa was in the 1890s or Liverpool v Leeds in the late 1960s and early 70s or what Manchester United v Arsenal was around the turn of the millennium. These are two excellent sides – even if there was much that was not excellent here – and the jostling for honours is beginning to build an antipathy. There was even a brief spark in the buildup of the sort of mind games that were almost entirely absent last season as Jürgen Klopp chuntered about City’s spending. But if that rivalry is properly to develop, there is a need for Liverpool to win, to beat City either to the title or in a major final. Or even a minor final – or whatever the Community Shield is.

Read more here.

Disastrous Lovren costs Reds against Man City

It was the night Manchester City made it clear they have no intentions of giving up their Premier League crown without a considerable fight. For Pep Guardiola and his players there is still a game of catch-up to play at the top of the table but they will like to think this victory could be a decisive blow. As the song goes, City intend to fight to the end and, if they are to relinquish their grip on the trophy, finger by finger, it will need something special from Liverpool to hold them off.

That much felt very clear during those jubilant scenes at the final whistle when City celebrated a victory that could conceivably give them fresh impetus in their quest to defend the title. Liverpool chose a bad night to concede two league goals for the first time this season and Leroy Sané’s decisive strike brings the gap down to four points.

Read more here.

Reds' front three stay flat

The top of the table clash at Anfield wasn't the kind of match that we imagined – we all thought there would be goals given the way the two teams play – but Manchester City paid Liverpool a tremendous compliment in the way they changed their game and philosophy.

Pep Guardiola's comments about how great he feels Liverpool are shows what a great job Jurgen Klopphas done. 

They're a very good team and I think that's the best that I've seen Manchester City defend against Liverpool for donkey's years.

Having said that, we're very flat up front. It's been like that for some time now for the front three.

Read more here.

Reds fail to make statement against Man City

It was a match that changed nothing about the title race in terms of the table, other than involving Chelsea and Arsenal a little more than they were before, but the wonder from Anfield is whether it will change the tone of that race; the mentality.

That was one consequence of a 0-0 draw where so little happened, other than one single big incident. Who will feel happier after it? Who most benefits?

Manchester City did at least end what had been an increasingly concerning run of defeats to Liverpool while getting a point away in a title-race match – a good place-holding result – and yet they could have had so much more.

That awful Riyad Mahrez penalty simultaneously meant this will feel like a reprieve for Liverpool and like the burden to win this game was on them; that they needed the statement, that they needed to propel themselves.

Read more here.

Mahrez penalty miss keeps Reds' unbeaten run going

One of the worst penalties you’ll see, but perhaps the best reflection of this dismal let-down of a showdown. Riyad Mahrez’s blazed 86th-minute penalty was also one of the few moments of actual action in this drab match, that otherwise offered a whole lot of nothing, right down to the effect on the title race.

This 0-0 draw between Liverpool and Manchester City – the first ever between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola – leaves so much as it was, but that at least might leave Liverpool a little more satisfied given they were on the brink of defeat. It only left Gabriel Jesus disgusted, as he had insisted on taking the penalty. Mahrez has now missed four of his last six penalties, which begs the question as to why he was allowed take it, not to mention the fact he is a new player in a team of so much technical talent.

Hey, it at least offered something to talk about from this match. The only people that could otherwise have been any way excited by it were a soaring Chelsea, who went level on 20 points with both sides after their earlier 3-0 win at Southampton.

Read more here.

Liverpool v Man City: full-backs will decide game

It is all about the full-backs but these days it is always all about the full‑backs. From a tactical point of view Sunday’s meeting between Liverpool and Manchester City is likely to be settled by Trent Alexander-Arnold against Aymeric Laporte and Andy Robertson against Kyle Walker – and, if it is not, it will be because Pep Guardiola has chosen not to take on that fight. Jack Charlton’s observation after the 1994 World Cup that full-back had become the most important position on the pitch seems wiser by the day.

Full-backs, Louis van Gaal insists, are the key to Guardiola. The biggest difference between the football he practised with Guardiola in his midfield at Barcelona in the late 90s and that played by City now, he said in an interview for The Barcelona Legacy, “is that a lot of times he has two full-backs in front of the central defenders. Guardiola takes a big risk and that’s why he can lose. The space behind is too big for the central defenders and he doesn’t have such fast central defenders.

Read more here.

Liverpool v Man City tactical preview

The two most exciting teams in England - maybe even Europe - play each other on Sunday. Two thrilling sides full of creativity, pace, skill, made up of individuals determined to play open, fast football.

It's the Premier League's record points scorers vs their very real, very frightening rivals. The 'tactical genius' vs the manager who keeps beating him.

What message would a win deliver for the victors? What effect might a defeat have? And more importantly - how will the game be decided?

Read more here.