Result
The most high-profile game of the 2021/22 Premier League season played out on Sunday evening.
Liverpool faced a trip to the Etihad for what was billed as a potentially title-deciding fixture.
Manchester City began the day top of the table, one point clear of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. As a result, a loss for the latter on the day would have proven altogether more damaging for their title hopes than if it was City on the end of a defeat.
When all was said and done in Manchester, though, the points were shared.
Raheem Sterling fluffed his lines three minutes in but Man City did take the lead when Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected effort went in off Alisson’s post.
Liverpool would respond well, though, and equalised after 12 minutes when Andy Robertson’s cross was put back across the City box by Trent Alexander-Arnold, allowing an unmarked Diogo Jota to slot home the equaliser.
Man City restored their lead 36 minutes in when Gabriel Jesus converted a Joao Cancelo ball to the back post.
Yet again, though, Liverpool equalised, this time through Sadio Mane after less than a minute of the second half.
After that, neither side was able to add a third and the points were shared, leaving Manchester City top of the Premier League.
Manchester City player ratings
Ederson (6) – Despite conceding twice, he did not do an awful lot wrong.
Kyle Walker (6.5) – Got in behind Robertson a few times and put in some decent crosses
Aymeric Laporte (7) – Put in a huge tackle right at the end of the first half to prevent a second goal from Jota.
John Stones (6.5) – A solid if unspectacular showing.
Joao Cancelo (7) – Could have done a better job marking Jota for Liverpool’s equaliser early on. Going forward he had some joy getting in behind Alexander-Arnold and, of course, played an excellent ball to Jesus for City’s second.
Rodri (6.5) – Helped play tick along nicely for City and was key in overloading Liverpool’s left-hand side.
Bernardo Silva (7) – Showed great awareness to take the quick free-kick which led to the opening goal. Excelled in a deeper position that saw him play a crucial role in City building from the back.
Kevin De Bruyne (8) – Defence-splitting pass to set up Sterling’s miss early on before scoring the opener thanks to a big deflection. Continued to cause Liverpool issues with his superb passing and marauding runs throughout the game.
Gabriel Jesus (7.5) – Was tasked with keeping Thiago quiet and did a decent job in the first 45. Also made a clever run and produced a smart finish to make it 2-1 on the day. Was somewhat selfish when attacking, though, opting to shoot on a number of occasions when a pass made a lot more sense.
Raheem Sterling (6.5) – Should have done a lot better with his attempt three minutes in. Made some good runs in behind but went too early for an offside goal after an hour. Off after 73 minutes.
Phil Foden (5.5) – Got in behind Alexander-Arnold a few times but failed to have the kind of impact he normally enjoys vs Liverpool.
Substitutes
Riyad Mahrez (2.5) – Hit the post from a free-kick and then should have passed to Foden in the dying moments of the game instead of shooting.
Jack Grealish (3) – Failed to have the desired impact.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson (6.5) – Made a huge save to deny Raheem Sterling three minutes in but could do nothing about De Bruyne’s deflected effort two minutes later.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (6) – Great vision to pick out Jota for the equaliser. Poor defensively throughout the match.
Joel Matip (5) – Really struggled to deal with Gabriel Jesus and Sterling’s running in behind.
Virgil van Dijk (7) – Made some key tackles and interceptions but the Dutchman looked nervy by his usually high standards in the first half. More composed in the second and made a big block to deny a second Jesus goal.
Andy Robertson (6.5) – Excellent ball to Alexander-Arnold in the build up to Jota’s equaliser. Struggled to deal with Kevin De Bruyne.
Fabinho (4) – A really poor start to the game and continued to struggle somewhat in the second half, bringing down Bernardo Silva who was operating in a deeper role alongside Rodri.
Thiago (5) – Apart from one quality pass up the pitch in the passage of play before Jota’s goal, the Spaniard had a very quiet first half. Perhaps lucky to stay on the pitch after a number of cynical fouls.
Jordan Henderson (4) – Really struggled to keep up with the pace of the game. Was replaced by Naby Keita for the final 13 minutes.
Mohamed Salah (6) – Hardly saw the ball in the first half but made an instant impact in the second, setting up Mane’s equaliser with a great ball.
Diogo Jota (7) – Tidy finish for Liverpool’s first of the day. Taken off after 70 minutes.
Sadio Mane (7) – Poor attempt at clearing the ball in the build-up to the opener and was kept quiet by City until his equaliser less than a minute into the second half. Did little else of note.
Substitutes
Luis Diaz (3) – On for the final 20 minutes of normal time but hardly saw the ball.
Naby Keita (3) – Did little of note whilst on the pitch.
Roberto Firmino (3) – Hardly touched the ball during the short time he was on.
What they said
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne : "It was hard. To be fair I think we played excellent. The way we played was very good and we should score more. It is what it is. It was a great game.
"I think it should [be more before half-time] but we were still winning. The way the second half started is the disappointment. I think we played great and created enough chances to win the game."
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota: "Very intense game. They are very good and playing at home. We tried to do our best but we felt at the end we could have done a little better. They had their chances and we had our too. We were fighting until the end."
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