Liverpool share spoils with Man City as Arsenal stay top

Liverpool held defending Champions Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Sunday afternoon to leave the title race wide open.

The result means that Arsenal top the Premier League standings on goal difference, and only a point separates the three teams going into the business end of the season.

In front of a vociferous Anfield, it was Pep Guardiola’s side who started on the front foot.

Man City have best of first half

Kevin De Bruyne just hit his dinked cross a little too hard for the onrushing Phil Foden in the fourth minute before Caoimhin Kelleher kept out the Belgian just minutes later.

The hosts did well to settle into the game past the opening stages and stroked the ball around with aplomb and had a goal disallowed due to offside inside the opening twenty minutes.

John Stones opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, steering off De Bruyne’s corner at the near post. It very well looked like a well-worked set piece from Pep Guardiola’s side straight from the training ground.

After conceding, Liverpool did come out of their shell as they dominated possession, buoyed by the home faithful.

Luis Diaz had a tremendous half causing the City backline all sorts of problems.

The traveling side almost scored their second on the stroke of halftime, but Kyle Walker, having brilliantly run the full length of the pitch, hit his cross a bit too hard before De Bruyne could slide into the empty net at the far post.

Liverpool come back hard in second half

Following the restart, it was all Liverpool. The Reds won a penalty when Ederson took out Darwin Nunez following Nathan Ake’s poor back pass in the 47^th minute.

With the City goalkeeper receiving treatment, Alexis MacAllister made no mistake, restoring parity after a brief delay. The Brazilian was unable to continue and was subbed off minutes later as Stefan Ortega took his position under the sticks.

Jurgen Klopp’s side outplayed City all over the pitch and should have taken the lead in the 72^nd minute.

Andrew Robertson delivered a stunning in-swinging ball from the left corner, but Nunez could only hit it towards Ortega as City survived.

Just seconds later, as Phil Foden aimed to get on the cross of Ake’s brilliant ball, Kelleher came rushing to parry the ball away, but it struck the City attacker to come back off the post.

City substitute Jeremy Doku struck the post with a low drive in the 89th minute before Cody Gakpo just minutes later in stoppage time spurned a glorious opportunity to snatch the game for the Reds.

The match ended in a frenzy as Doku appeared to have kicked MacAliister’s chest in the penalty box but both referee Michael Oliver and VAR waved away claims of a spot kick to the hosts.

At the final whistle, both managers embraced themselves in what has been a riveting rivalry between the modern-day greats.

The result sees City trail by Liverpool by just a point with ten games left. Post the International break, Guardiola’s side take on table toppers Arsenal at home as Liverpool switch focus to Brighton next at home in the Premier League.

Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images.