MANCHESTER CITY 2, LIVERPOOL 1
Manchester City hauled themselves back into the title race with a 2-1 win at the Etihad against Liverpool who could have taken the lead but for a John Stones clearance off the line but went down to goals by Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane with Roberto Firmino’s equaliser for Liverpool keeping City on their toes until the very end even after Sane’s winner.
Embed from Getty ImagesCity boss Pep Guardiola made two changes from the team that beat Southampton but crucially, with Fabian Delph suspended, opted to use Aymeric Laporte at left back with John Stones stepping into central defence in place of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Riyad Mahrez was the other player to miss out with Leroy Sane coming in on the left wing in his place and Liverpool were equally conservative – picking a midfield of James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum and leaving Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Xherdan Shaqiri on the bench.
For ten minutes the game was a thunderous north west derby with both teams going at each other and trying to force mistakes but it soon developed into a different kind of attacking performance by both sides.
Liverpool had the first realistic chance with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross flicking up off Roberto Firmino and off a defender but safely into Ederson’s grasp.
The collective crowd heart rate in the Etihad rose again after Mane was sent clean through by Mo Salah but his shot came off the post and was cleared off the line by Stones with millimetres to spare after 18 minutes.
Salah was so close that Stones’ clearance went through his legs after the defender’s own clearance looped back over his head off the prone Ederson and goalwards.
Salah was also scythed down after half an hour by Kompany, with the City captain perhaps lucky not to be sent off.
The game had settled into a more tactical game of cat and mouse until Bernardo Silva’s cross reached Sergio Aguero who rifled the ball into the roof of the Liverpool net from 3 yards out and wide on the left just five minutes before half time.
James Milner was replaced by Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri came on for Sadio Mane as Liverpool tried to put pressure on City after the break.
Liverpool equalised after 64 minutes when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross went over the head of Danilo and was volleyed back into the centre by Andy Robertson where an unmarked Roberto Firmino stooped to head Liverpool back level after 64 minutes.
Guardiola acted immediately, replacing the misfiring David Silva with Gundogan.
Aguero forced a save from Alisson after Sterling had broken free and when the Argentine was pushed while trying win an aerial ball up to him Guardiola threw his scarf on the floor in disgust at the fourth official as Liverpool were allowed to break instead of having a foul awarded against them.
City’s goal was under immense pressure and Wijnaldum’s late shot was blocked but it was the home side who scored what turned out to be the winner after Raheem Sterling beat the offside trap, threaded the ball through to Leroy Sane who coolly arrowed a low shot in off the back post with 18 minutes to go.
Forced to attack again, Liverpool threw everything at City who had to defend for their lives.
City made late changes to protect their booked players and Bernardo Silva saw his shot blocked with Sterling sending the attempted clearance wide as the game went into 5 tense minutes of injury time in which City were happy to use any means necessary to clear the ball until the relief of the final whistle.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 2, Liverpool 1
Ederson: 7. Early action for the Brazilian goalkeeper who kept City in the game.
Danilo: 7. Solid at right back. Neat passing.
Vincent Kompany: 7. Captain’s performance. Goal line clearance off Firmino but might have been sent off in the first half.
John Stones: 7. Almost responsible for an own goal off his own goalkeeper but made a last gasp goal line clearance to correct his own mistake.
Aymeric Laporte: 7. Unfamiliar role at left back. Did better upfield. Booked. Subbed off as Liverpool put City under immense pressure at the end.
Fernandinho: 8. Some nice interceptions including robbing Salah in the City area. Distribution good as usual but his sense of danger eliminated much of Liverpool’s midfield effectiveness and he had willing help from Bernardo Silva.
Raheem Sterling: 8. Had a penalty shout denied after Robertson wrestled him to the ground in the area in the second half. Set up his wing partner Leroy Sane for City’s second and could have put the icing on City’s victory but missed a chance to finish off Liverpool after Bernardo Silva’s effort rebounded to him in the las minute.
Bernardo Silva: 9. The Portuguese took his defensive duties seriously, making tackles and interceptions alongside Fernandinho throughout the game. He set up Sergio Aguero for a brilliant opening goal with a cross from the left wing after Van Dijk’s poor clearance. Could have capped a fine performance with a 90th minute goal but his shot was saved.
David Silva: 6. Passes misplaced too often. Looked like a passenger. Was replaced by Ilkay Gundogan after Liverpool equalised.
Leroy Sane: 8. Put some good crosses together and did his share of defensive work too. Cool as ice when breaking free down the left to fire City’s second goal under the dive of Alisson and inside the far post.
Sergio Aguero: 8. Always scores against Liverpool at home – now 7 in 7 games. He beat Dejan Lovren to the ball and beat Alisson at his near post with a powerful shot into the roof of the net from point blank range.
Ilkay Gundogan (for David Silva 65): 6. On to hold midfield.
Kyle Walker (for Aymeric Laporte 86): No time to mark
Nicolas Otamendi (for Vincent Kompany 88): Kompany asked to come off so the Argentine replaced him instead of Sergio Aguero.
GOALS – Manchester City 2, Liverpool 1
Man City 1, Liverpool 0: 40. Bernardo Silva’s cross from the left slammed into the roof of the net by Sergio Aguero from 3 yards out after Aymeric Laporte’s original cross was only half cleared to the Portuguese who was allowed to reach the byline for another attempt.
Man City 1, Liverpool 1: 64. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross over Danilo’s head to Andy Robertson who volleyed the ball back across the area to Roberto Firminho whose stooping header from 4 yards levelled the scores.
Man City 2, Liverpool 1: 72. Leroy Sane put City back into the lead after Raheem Sterling beat the offside trap and threaded the ball through to him and the German skipped through the Liverpool defence and shot low inside the back post from 12 yards out from the left side of the area.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 2, Liverpool 1
Man City: Ederson, Danilo, Kompany (Otamendi 88), Stones, Laporte (Walker 86), Fernandinho, Sterling, Bernardo Silva, David Silva (Gundogan 65), Sane, Aguero
Man City Subs not used: Muric, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Jesus
Booked: Kompany 31, Laporte 45+2, Bernardo Silva 89, Ederson 90+5
Goals: Aguero 40, Sane 72
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner (Fabinho 57), Henderson, Wijnaldum (Sturridge 86), Salah, Firmino, Mane (Shaqiri 77)
Liverpool Subs not used: Mignolet, Keita, Moreno, Lallana
Booked: Lovren 20, Wijnaldum 38
Goal: Firmino 64