Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool: 5 talking points as the high-octane clash ends on an even keel | Premier League 2021-22
Manchester City and Liverpool remain a point apart in the Premier League standings as they played out a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
It was a highly entertaining game which got off to a flying start with Kevin De Bruyne scoring in the fifth minute of the game. Liverpool pulled one back through Diogo Jota's 13th-minute goal.
Gabriel Jesus put the hosts in the lead in the 36th minute but birthday boy Sadio Mane equalized straight out of the gate within seconds of the restart. In an end-to-end game, the two sides could not be separated.
FT: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool.
The fight for the Premier League title continues 😤 https://t.co/5o5ykNhryM
As the title race is set to go down to the wire, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Trent Alexander-Arnold makes assist-providing history with Liverpool
Liverpool's marauding right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has made a name for himself for his precise assists. He picked up an assist for Jota's goal in the 13th minute of the game to take his assists tally for the ongoing campaign to 12.
It was his 17th assist across all competitions and no player in Liverpool's history has provided more in a single season in the 21st century. With the assist against the league leaders, he has now helped set up a goal for his teammates against all of their 19 sides currently plying their trade in the English top-flight.
#4 Liverpool lost the midfield battle against their well-drilled Manchester City counterparts
Manchester City overran the visiting side in midfield with the trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Rodri displaying great synergy and solidity.
Silva enjoyed a great outing and while he picked up an assist for De Bruyne's opener, he assumed a deeper position as the game progressed. The Portuguese made more tackles than any other player on the pitch (5). This allowed his Belgian teammate to enjoy more time in goalscoring positions.
Fabinho and Thiago did not look convincing in their tackles and their distribution skills also took a hit. The duo failed to play a single key pass in the game.
They both picked up bookings, with the Spaniard lucky not to have been sent off for his challenge on De Bruyne late in the second half.
#3 Manchester City denied their three points by the thinnest of the margins
Raheem Sterling thought he had scored the winning goal for Manchester City at his old stomping ground. However, his joy was short-lived as VAR ruled out his goal in the 63rd minute.
The English winger was deemed offside and City failed to take the lead for the third time in a close game. Virgil van Dijk's tactical foul against De Bruyne in the 89th minute earned him a yellow card but the result could've been much worse for the defender. Riyad Mahrez's ensuing free-kick went just wide after grazing the outside of the left post.
Man City: 339
Liverpool: 338
Premier League points across the last four seasons after today's game.
🔵 Man City: 339
🔴 Liverpool: 338
Man City sit on top of the league just one point above Liverpool 😯 https://t.co/A2g7Dcam3C
The hosts looked to be the better side for the majority of the game but came up just short of opening up a decisive gap in the league standings.
#2 Liverpool forced to dig deep to come back from behind twice
Liverpool had a shaky start and saw themselves go one goal down just five minutes after kick-off. With the game touted as a title-decider, the pressure seems to have got the better of the visiting side.
Though they restored parity in the 13th-minute, their performance in the first half was not up to the mark. They conceded their second goal in the 36th-minute as they were caught napping after clearing a corner. Joao Cancelo whipped in a good cross and Gabriel Jesus popped in at the right moment for a simple tap-in.
The Reds got off to a flying start in the second half, equalizing for the second time in the game and upped their performance significantly. Had they started the game with the same intensity, we would've had a much more interesting outcome here.
#1 Both sides take home a well-deserved point from the pulsating draw
Liverpool and Manchester City played out a classic Premier League game on Sunday. Both teams went all-out in search of a win in the potential decider for the 2021-22 Premier League title.
It was the first time this season that City scored first and did not go on to win the game in the league, winning all 22 games before today when they had scored first.
For Liverpool, it was the first time this season that they found themselves trailing at the break. The Cityzens maintained their one-point lead at the top of the standings and with seven games to go, the first to blink loses out.