Premier League leaders Liverpool welcomed reigning champions Manchester City to Anfield Stadium on a damp Sunday afternoon (March 10). The potential Premier League title decider had numerous noteworthy moments, with both teams creating a bucketload of chances to win the game. Luckily for last season’s Premier League runners-up Arsenal, the two sides failed to come up with a winner, settling for a 1-1 draw.
The stalemate in Merseyside allowed Arsenal to go top of the Premier League rankings, thanks to their superior goal difference to Liverpool (46 vs 39). Manchester City, meanwhile, are now third in the table with 63 points, trailing the Gunners by a solitary point.
Corner-Kick Routine Comes To Manchester City’s Aid In The First Half
As expected, Pep Guardiola’s side took control of possession early on in the game. They kept the ball moving from side to side and vertically, not allowing Liverpool a moment’s respite. Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Phil Foden all regularly made inroads into the Reds’ box, but the home side held firm to deny them a goal.
Of course, open-play brilliance is not the only trick Manchester City bring to the table. They are also a notoriously clinical side from set-pieces. On Sunday, their dead-ball prowess came to the fore, as De Bruyne brilliantly set up John Stones for City’s opener. In the 23rd minute, the Belgian swung in a low cross toward the near post. Stones, completely unmarked, got to the ball unchallenged and poked the ball beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.
In the 39th minute, Haaland had a chance to put City two goals to the good, but he could not overwhelm Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk in a foot race. The Norwegian succeeded in getting his shot away but Kelleher had no trouble holding on to it.
Then, in the first-half injury time, Kyle Walker had all the time and space in the world to set De Bruyne up for a tap-in at the far post. The Englishman, however, put too much power into his cross and missed his mark.
Liverpool Respond With A Thumping Second-Half Performance
After seeing City threaten time and time again in the first half, Liverpool decided to take matters into their own hands in the second 45. They tightened their defense, paid even more attention to transitions, and took the fight to the champions by pressing even more aggressively up the pitch. Their efforts paid dividends only a couple of minutes into the second half, as Darwin Nunez won a penalty after going down under the challenge of Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.
With Mohamed Salah watching on from the bench, Alexis Mac Allister got the opportunity to put his team back level from the penalty spot. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner went right with his kick, and although Ederson got his fingertips to it, the shot had too much power for him to keep out.
Substitute Salah almost made an instant impact as he sent Luis Diaz through on goal with a perfectly weighted through ball. The Colombian, however, failed to apply the finishing touch, sending his effort well wide with just Stefan Ortega to beat. In the 66th and 71st minutes, Mac Allister and Nunez came agonizingly close to scoring, with Ortega somehow keeping them out. In added time, Salah went down inside the City box after a brush-off with Ake. The hosts vociferously appealed for another penalty, but the referee was not interested.
Owing to their strong second-half performance, Liverpool ended the game with an xG of 2.70, as opposed to Man City’s 1.56. They also had more possession (53-47), had nine more shots (19-10), and completed more passes (490 vs 435) than the Cityzens.
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