Relief for Liverpool. Rejection for Manchester City. Those would be the moods mirrored within the respective dressing rooms at the moment as Liverpool eked out a scrappy 1-1 draw towards league leaders Manchester City on the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
Pep Guardiola’s aspect dominated majority of the sport, holding on to possession as common and threatening the Reds’ protection time and time once more. But, an instinctive strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold within the second half clinched Liverpool a a lot-appreciated draw because the title race brews on, with merely one level separating each groups.
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City’s plan of assault was easy but efficient: unleash Jeremy Doku. The Belgian continued to plunder Liverpool’s defensive ranks on the left wing, alongside Bernardo Silva to persistently menace the Reds with runs and crosses galore.
Both groups began the sport with an intent to press excessive and drive errors from the opposite, however it was Liverpool who discovered it merely unimaginable to cease Doku from dominating as he happy.
Another main tactic that proved useful was the persistent stress the assault positioned on Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker. The likes of Haaland particularly gave the Brazilian no room for error because the City striker frequently pushed him out of his consolation zone.
The stress appeared to get the most effective of Alisson although, as within the twenty seventh minute, as a misplaced move from a lackadaisical Alisson discovered its method to Ake. Ake sliced by the Reds’ protection with a easy by-ball to Haaland, who inevitably discovered the again of the web with a strike to the underside nook of Liverpool’s aim.
Haaland’s aim took his present season’s tally to 14 objectives in 14 video games, and in addition made him the quickest participant to achieve 50 Premier League objectives in PL historical past.
The Norwegian achieved the feat in a mere 48 video games, surpassing the legendary Andy Cole who achieved the identical feat in 65 video games.
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The second half started with City going about enterprise as common, dominating the assault with Doku operating riot over Trent Alexander-Arnold.
But, Liverpool’s persistence paid off, and Trent would get his revenge within the sweetest kind doable, because the Liverpool wing-again slotted in a pure instinctive end to the underside left nook of the City aim within the eightieth minute to deliver Liverpool again into the sport.
A pissed off City tried to push for a winner, all all through the remaining time, and virtually discovered it within the final minute of the match.
With seemingly the penultimate kick of the ball, Julian Alvarez delivered a swirling cross into the field from the nook flag that discovered Erling Haaland. Yet, the Norwegian’s tough header was simply vast off the mark and Liverpool held on to take dwelling the draw.
“It is always difficult when we come here. We have played a lit of better games and lost here. We are not proud of our performance today, but we got the result. They are such a difficult team to play, and I believe we deserved the result today”, mentioned Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold in a put up-match interview with Michael Owen.
The outcome ensures that Liverpool stays at touching distance away from City, who’re nonetheless high of the desk.
But, a window of alternative for yet one more aspect has opened up.
Arsenal, who’ve a recreation in hand, can take the highest spot in the event that they safe a win of their subsequent fixture, the place they play Brentford.
