Liverpool vs Man City
Sunday’s marquee Premier League clash would play out a short time ago.
Said match would pit Liverpool against Manchester City at Anfield. The pair have dominated the English top-flight in recent years and are expected to be amongst the favourites for the title this campaign as well.
Liverpool headed into the game as the only side still unbeaten in the PL this term, whilst Manchester City had a mixed week which included them beating Chelsea and then losing to PSG.
But when all was said and done on Merseyside, the two Premier League powerhouses were forced to settle for a share of the points.
Man City dominated the first 45, with Liverpool looking especially weak in midfield.
1 – Liverpool have had just one shot in the first half, their fewest in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match at Anfield since January 2017 against Chelsea (also one). Tepid. pic.twitter.com/HH5eCUjVbu
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 3, 2021
However, they could not make their chances count and would be made to pay in the second half when Liverpool were given a much lease of life.
The Reds would open the scoring shortly before the hour mark when Mohamed Salah burst forward to slip in Sadio Mane who nudged his effort past Ederson.
Liverpool lead! 🔴
Superb work from Mo Salah, and Sadio Mane produces a clinical finish! 💥
What an atmosphere inside Anfield! 🔥
📺 #LIVMCI on Sky Sports Premier League pic.twitter.com/iF4ZdZwnqW
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 3, 2021
Man City would eventually hit back after 70 minutes via Phil Foden.
🎙️ “What a player he is!”
Phil Foden delivers against Liverpool yet again! 💥
Stunning strike from Foden, after a brilliant run from Gabriel Jesus!
📺 #LIVMCI on Sky Sports Premier League pic.twitter.com/5eOyPrMAYB
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 3, 2021
But Liverpool would quickly restore their lead through a sensational Salah goal. This was followed minutes later by Kevin De Bruyne netting a thunder strike of his own to make it 2-2 80 minutes in.
Here are five things 101 learned from the game.
Joel Matip is Klopp’s go-to centre-back
With Joe Gomez returning from injury and Ibrahima Konate signed from RB Leipzig over the summer, many likely expected the ageing, injury-prone Joel Matip to be far down the Liverpool centre-back pecking order this term.
However, Matip would once again be selected by Klopp to partner Virgil van Dijk on Sunday.
The 30-year-old has now started in all but one – the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace – of Liverpool’s Premier League ties this campaign and it is easy to see why, given how solid he has been so far this season.
Konate and Gomez will likely eventually take their places alongside VVD, but for now, it appears Klopp is aiming to stick with experience for the time being.
And on Sunday, though Liverpool were dominated for much of the first 45, Matip was one of the Reds’ best performers.
Grealish false-nine experiment fails
Sunday’s clash would see Jack Grealish as the latest City forward to be deployed in the false-nine role this season.
So far, we have now watched Phil Foden, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and now Grealish used in this role as City continue to try and cope without the services of a traditional number nine until at least January.
On the whole, Grealish was not terrible when deployed through the middle, though he did very little to convince Pep he should start in that spot next game as well before being replaced by Raheem Sterling.
So far, Foden and Torres have put in the best displays in this role and are likely to frontrunners to start there for Man City vs Burnley on October 16th.
Man City need to keep Bernardo Silva
Over the summer Pep Guardiola would confirm that Bernardo Silva was amongst the City players looking to potentially leave the club.
Of course, the Portuguese would end up staying put, and what a great boost that has been for the Sky Blues so far this season.
The 27-year-old has been one of City’s star performers and he would put on another superb display vs Liverpool.
The Reds were especially overrun in midfield during the first 45, with Silva one of the main reasons why.
The former Monaco man looked sharper than most on the pitch, with his ability to glide past players and pick a pass causing the hosts all sorts of problems.
A super save following a stunning Bernardo Silva run 🏃♂️#LIVMCI pic.twitter.com/M0cM7aWnke
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 3, 2021
Of course, Silva may still wish to depart City in the near future, but Sunday’s game once again proved why they need to try and maintain Silva’s services at all costs.
Liverpool miss Wijnaldum
Whilst Bernardo Silva and co. should be praised for their dominance, it was also fairly clear, especially in the first half, that Liverpool were missing the presence of Georginio Wijnaldum.
The Dutchman was an absolute workhorse during his time at Liverpool, and Sunday’s tie was crying out for him to be in midfield chasing players down.
Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones gave it their best on the day, but it was clear Wijnaldum is a cut above said players when it comes to tracking runners and chasing the ball.
Granted, Liverpool did eventually grow into the game and go on to draw, but if Man City had a decent striker and took their chances from the first half, it could have been a very different story.
Liverpool should have had 10 men before Salah goal
As already mentioned, Salah made it 2-1 to Liverpool late in the game.
Moments before, however, the Reds should have clearly been down to 10 men.
James Milner was already on a yellow card from the first 45 when he brought down Bernardo Silva for what was perhaps the most obvious yellow card offense committed on a football pitch.
However, the referee did not deem it so. Pep Guardiola was furious at this, and it is easy to see why as Milner would be involved in the Salah goal to make it 2-1.
James Milner now taken off. Jurgen Klopp should not have had the option to do that. He should have been sent off for that foul on Bernardo Silva. Joe Gomez on.
— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) October 3, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 7 | 12 | 16 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 4 | Everton FC | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 7 | -5 | 10 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 12 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Watford FC | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 7 | -7 | 6 |
| 17 | Southampton FC | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 7 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 7 | -14 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 3 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Hwang, Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 4 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 4 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Veltman, Joel | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 3 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Azpilicueta, Cesar | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
