Pep Guardiola: “That was an excellent performance,” says City’s manager in an interview with the BBC. “I am really proud that after eight years we are still playing that way. We were really good in all departments and needed to be against an incredible team.
“Maybe we missed the last pass a little bit but they defended really well. To concede just two shots on target against Liverpool is a big compliment for the way we work.”
Match report: Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool
Premier League: Trent Alexander-Arnold cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 50th Premier League goal as Liverpool grabbed a point against champions and title rivals Manchester City. David Hytner reports from the Etihad Stadium …
Jurgen Klopp: “It’s a really good moment,” says Liverpool’s manager in an interview with Sky Sports. “It’s a tough place to come – it’s no coincidence that they win that many home games. You’d need more time to prepare for the game properly, especially in these kind of circumstances.
“We’re still in a process. If we’d played really well today, we could have won – we didn’t. We played OK. We caused them problems as well, but our good moments didn’t feel that good to us [in the first half]. We had to stretch ourselves again [in the second half]. We adapted our positioning slightly. Unfortunately we lost Diogo [Jota], with Ali we’ll have to see.
“I told the boys at half-time, imagine what it would be like if we were playing well. We had to settle a little bit. Putting Trent in a different position defensively, plus Dom [Szoboszlai] and Mo [Salah] closing that gap in the second half gave us much more stability. From there we could play football ourselves.
“We had good moments. I wish we could have had more. For the moment we’re in, we should take the point as a success. I have nothing to complain about there. Trent made a difference today. Before we start talking about positioning, I think it helps us having him on the right wing from time to time.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold: “It’s definitely a result that’s better than what we got here last year,” says Liverpool’s goalscorer in an interview with Sky Sports. “We havern’t had too many good results here in general, to be honest. It’s a points game and we’ll take the point because it wasn’t an amazing performance from us at all. We take the point and there was positives. We had chances to win the game.
“I don’t think we played particularly well, first half especially. TYheir formation and the way they set up really challenged us. They have a lot of bodies in there and it’s difficult to play afgainst them. We regrouped at half-time and came out with a bit more of a game plan to press them. It’s always difficult because subconsciously when you play against Manchester City you’ve got a lot of respect for them and the way they play.
“You think you can’t really get tight to their players and you stand off them a little bit. That seemed to be the problem in the first half. In the second half we put that respect to the side to try to get a result and that’s what we did.”
A quick recap: Perhaps it’s down to the early kick-off time or the international break, but this was a very odd, occasionally entertaining game that neither team seemed hugely fussed about winning. There was precious little urgency from either side, even after Manchester City went ahead through Erling Haaland. Liverpool conjured up a fine equaliser through Trent Alexander-Arnold and were able to resist some late pressure from their hosts in added time.
Liverpool will be pleased with the draw but look like they might be without their first choice goalkeeper for a few weeks, as Alisson pulled up in the dying seconds with what looked like a case of hammy-twang. Sunderland’s ancient record of 24 consecutive home wins remains intact, as City have failed to win today after 23 victories on the bounce at the Etihad.
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Full time: Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at the Etihad, where the points have been shared. City stay top of the table, with Liverpool just a point behind them in second.
90+8 min: Oof! Haaland gets his head to an Alvarez corner but sends his glancing corner narrowly wide of the far post.
90+7 min: Alisson goes down holding his hamstring but will have to see the game out because Liverpool have used all their substitutes.
90+6 min: Phil Foden sends a cross wide to give Liverpool a little breathing space after a sustained period of pressure from the home side.
90+5 min: Bernardo Silva has a thunderous shot from the edge of the Liverpool penalty area blocked by Joel Matip as City search for a late winner.
90+4 min: Haaland gets on the ball down near the corner flag but his attempted cross is blocked and the ball goes out for a throw-in.
90+2 min: A slightly weird game threatens to peter out with the players on the pitch and the fans in the stands all seeming fairly lethargic. There’s another six minutes of added time due to be played, so somebody from either side might be able to conjure up a winner.
90 min: This is one of two banners being flown over the Etihad today. The other was organised by Everton fans criticising the Premier League on the back of their club’s points deduction.
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88 min: Akanji goes down holding his head after an airborne tussle and the ref stops play. City’s players complain because a promising attack is stopped and Bernardo Silva’s name goes into the book for dissent.
86 min: Joel Matip is booked for a foul on Doku as the City winger tried to jink his way into the Liverpool penalty area from the left. From the ensuing free-kick, City win themselves a corner. Alisson does well to gather the inswinger and is bundled over the line with the ball in his hands by Akanji. Free-kick for Liverpool.
85 min: Liverpool double-substitution: Endo and Harvey Elliott on for Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. Liverpool have used all five available substitutes while City haven’t used any of theirs.
83 min: City win a free-kick in a promising position but Julian Alvarez fires his effort into the defensive wall.
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81 min: There’s been a conspicuous lack of urgency from both sides in this second half and City might be forced to pay a heavy price for theirs. Their failure to put Liverpool to the sword has allowed Liverpool back into the game courtesy of Alexander-Arnold’s strike. The Liverpool full-back was teed up by Mo Salah, with no Manchester City defenders anywhere near him.
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool (Alexander-Arnold 80)
It’s all square at the Etihad. Trent Alexander-Arnold sends a low diagonal drive into the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area.
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79 min: Liverpool break upfield with Mo Salah feeding the ball out wide to Tsimikas on the inside left. He cuts inside but his cxross is a poor one. Ruben Dias cuts it out with a header.
77 min: Phil Foden gets caught in the face by the trailing arm of Luis Diaz as the two players contest the ball. It’s a free-kick for the home side, just inside their own half. Kyle Walker sends the ball long and Liverpool clear.
75 min: Tracking back in a bid to put a stop to Phil Foden’s gallop, Darwin Nunez gets the first booking of the game for fouling his rival. Free-kick for City, wide on the right. Haaland makes a near post run to get in front of Mac Allister but heads Julian Alvarez’s delivery over the bar.
72 min: Liverpool substitution: Cody Gakpo on for Dominik Szoboszlai.
71 min: Alisson isn’t having one of his better games in a Liverpool shirt and can consider himself a mite fortunate that Dias’s goal was ruled out. Akanji wasn’t exactly clambering all over him and the Liverpool goalkeeper made a total pig’s ear of his effort to deal with the cross.
Manchester City 1-0 Liverpool
It’s as you were. Alisson flapped at an inswinging corner under pressure from Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias was on hand to tap home at the far post. The goal doesn’t stand as Akanji is adjudged to have fouled Alisson.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Liverpool (Dias 67)
City double their lead from the set-piece but there’s a VAR check for a foul on Alisson. The goal is disallowed.
67 min: Doku is released into space again and gets the better of Joel Matip. His final ball into the penalty area is found wanting again and Liverpool hack clear for a corner.
67 min: A Rodri piledriver from outside the penalty area strikes Ryan Gravenberch on the backside and City’s players appeal en masse for handball and a penalty. They are forced to make do with a corner, from which nothing comes.
63 min: Jeremy Doku gets on the ball again after Nathan Ake intercepts a Ryan Gravenberch pass towards Diaz. He plays the ball wide to Alvarez but fails to make the run to the far post to meet the ensuing cross. Goal kick for Liverpool.
61 min: Ruben Dias comes perilously close to poking a Szoboszlai cross from the right past his own goalkeeper and into the back of the net while trying to prevent the delivery reaching Luis Diaz. He gets away with conceding a corner instead and City clear their lines.
59 min: In the City penalty area, Nathan Ake slides in to take the ball off Darwin Nunez’s toe. The ball goes out off the Liverpool player but his side are incorrectly awarded a corner. Nothing comes of it and a potential controversy is mercifully avoided.
57 min: City attack on the break again as Foden sends Doku on his way from a Liverpool corner. The winger’s first touch is a poor one and a back-pedalling Alexis Mac Allister is on hand to snuff out the danger.
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56 min: City get the ball launched into the Liverpool penalty area and a poor headed clearance from Trent Alexander-Arnold sets up a half-chance for Haaland. His shot on the turn from 18 yards sails over the bar.
55 min: Jurgen Klopp rings the changes as Luis Diaz and Ryan Gravenberch come on for Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.
52 min: In acres of space on the left, Doku receives a crossfield pass from Alvarez and gives Alexis Mac Allister the slip. He checks his run and tees up the Argentinian on the edge of the penalty area. Alvarez shoots high over the bar.
52 min: Liverpool are dominating the early stages of this second half and win themselves a corner. Kostas Tsimikas sends the ball into the penalty area, where Ederson plucks it from the air and tries to send Phil Foden upfield on a counter-attack.
50 min: Mo Salah cuts in from the right towards the byline, getting the better of Nathan Ake. Akanji is quick to get over and give his teammate a dig-out, shepherding the ball out of play as he gets between it and the Egyptian.
49 min: On the touchline, Jurgen Klopp is ranting and raving at his players, urging them forward and instructing them to play with a little more urgency.
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48 min: Manuel Akanji is forced to hoof the ball out of play for a throw-in after good work down the right by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
47 min: It’s an extremely low key start to the second half in a ground where the atmosphere seems curiously muted considering City are on top. We can probably put that down to the early kick-off.
46 min: City are looking for their 24th consecutive home win and will equal a record held for well over a century by Sunderland if they take all three points today.
Second half: Manchester City 1-0 Liverpool
46 min: Liverpool get the second half under way and will feel reasonably confident that they can turn things around. There are no changes in personnel on either side.
Erling Haaland: The Norwegian required just 48 games to score his 50th Premier League goal. Andy Cole, next on the list of quickest half-centuries, took 65 games. In mitigation, Cole will no doubt point out that he didn’t take penalties.
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Half-time: Manchester City 1-0 Liverpool
Peep! Chris Kavanagh blows his whistle to bring an absorbing half to a close with Manchester City leading courtesy of Erling Haaland’s 50th Premier League goal. A poor kick-out from Alisson gifted possession to City and after excellent work from Nathan Ake, the combined forces of Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip were unable to prevent Erling Haaland scoring his latest landmark goal after just 48 league appearances for his club.
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45+1 min: With a low Szoboszlai shot heading wide, Ederson inexplicably tries to “save” the ball and palms it into a danger area just outside his own six-yard box. Kyle Walker scrambles it cleasr before anyone in a red shirt can react. It’s half-time.
43 min: Phil Foden brings a smart save out of Alisson who dives to his left to palm the ball around the upright after the City winger had cut inside from the right and unleashed a low, fizzing drive. It was heading for the bottom corner.
41 min: A rogue pass from Kyle Walker drops at the feet of Alexis Mac Allister. He plays it forward to Szoboszlai, whose shot is blocked. Manchester City advance upfield on the break with Doku on the ball and Haaland and Alvarez either side of him. He plays the ball left to Alvarez, who tries to pick out Haaland at the far post. His cross sails wide and a great opportunity for City to double their lead goes to waste.
39 min: Looking back at the goal, it seems Van Dijk and Matip could have done more to stop Haaland as he ran on to Nathan Ake’s pass. Each seemed to leave him for the other to stop and the City striker made the most of their indecision.
37 min: Doku picks up a wonderful pass upfield from Bernardo Silva and puts Trent Alexander-Arnold on the back foot again. He cuts inside the defender again but is unable to pick out the killer pass.
35 min: Darwin Nunez shoots wide from a very tight angle after good work by Szoboszlai, who had pounced on a loose pass from Manuel Akanji and scurried upfield.
33 min: Doku surrenders posserssion to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who picks out Darwin Nunez with an inch-perfect 30-yard pass upfield. City’s players appeal for handball but referee Simon Hooper doesn’t blow his whistle. Nunez advances upfield and plays the ball wide to Salah when he should have tried a shot himself. Salah runs into traffic and City clear up at the back.
31 min: Bernardo Silva plays the ball up the left flank, picking out Doku. He cuts inside Alexander-Arnold but his cross is blocked and put out for a corner by Joel Matip. Nothing comes of the set-piece.
30 min: For the record, that was Erling Haaland’s 50th Premier League goal. He’s banging them in at a rate of more than one a game.
28 min: Attempting to send his side upfield on the counter-attack, Alisson kicked the ball straight to Nathan Ake. The City defender slipped Haaland in behind with a pass between two defenders and a sublime first touch enabled the big Norwegian to get the ball out from under his feet and fire past Alisson. The goalkeeper got something on the ball but was unable to keep it out of the bottom corner.
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Liverpool (Haaland 27)
City lead! Erling Haaland fires City in front, capitalising on another error from Alisson.
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26 min: City corner. Bernardo Silva’s inswinger is headed out for a throw-in by Dominik Szoboszlai.
25 min: With over a quarter of the game played, both sides have had just one good scoring opportunity each. City are dominating the game, with Doku looking particularly menacing on the left flank.
24 min: Julian Alvarez is lucky to avoid a booking after stopping a dangerous Liverpool counter-attack with a cynical pull on Darwin Nunez near the halfway line.
23 min: Jeremy Doku gets the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold, using his pace to get around the full-back and send another cross towards Haaland. Alisson is quick off his line to intercept the ball.
19 min: Liverpool break upfield with Dominik Szoboszlai on the ball moments after Haaland had come quite close to capitalising on a Liverpool mix-up at the back between Alisson and Curtis Jones. The Liverpool midfielder played something of a hospital pass to his goalkeeper, who cleared the ball as Haaland dived at his feet. They get away with it but only just.
18 min: There’s a bit of an obvious and understandable lunchtime feel to this game, which has become stuck in something of an early rut as both sides continue to size each other up. One suspects a goal for either side would liven things up no end.
15 min: Joel Matip powers forward with the ball at his feet and plays the ball wide to Mo Salah. His wafting cross finds the head of Darwin Nunez and Ederson is forced to palm the ball clear. Had Nunez been able to get more power on the ball, he would almost certainly have beaten the Brazilian.
13 min: Joel Matip loses the ball halfway inside his own half after receiving a pass from Alisson but City are unable to capitalise. Jeremy Doku’s cross towards Haaland is headed clear.
11 min: Liverpool are struggling to touch the ball as City enjoy a sustained period of possession. When they finally do get the ball back, Alisson miskicks a pass straight to the feet of Phil Foden a few yards outside the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area. Caught by surprise, the Manchester City midfielder is unable to get any power behind his shot and scuffs a weak effort straight towards a mightily relieved Alisson.
9 min: Liverpool cough up cheap possession in midfield and City work the ball back to Ederson. The ball’s played wide to Doku, who plays it back inside to Akanji as City press and probe for an opening.
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8 min: After concerted pressure down the left, Rodri pings the ball wide to Kyle Walker on the other side of the pitch. City’s right-back is unable to prevent it going out for a goal kick.
6 min: It’s worth noting that Trent Alexander-Arnold is dropping into midfield when Liverpool are in possession, while Manuel Akanji is performing a similar role for City when they are on the ball.
5 min: Bernardo Silva, Doku and Akanji link up down the left side but are unable to create an opening. Liverpool clear their lines again, with Joel Matip cantering upfield with the ball at his feet.
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4 min: Manuel Akanji cuts out a through ball that Curtis Jones hoped might send Mo Salah on his way in behind the City defence.
2 min: There’s a break in play as Alexis Mac Allister goes to ground heavily after contesting a high ball. He appeared to land on his shoulder but is OK to continue.
1 min: Within a minute, Jeremy Doku gets on the ball and cuts inside, striking early terror into the Liverpool defence. With Trent Alexander-Arnold standing off him, he attempts to pick out Erling Haaland with a low ball towards the edge of the six-yard box but his pass is wayward. Liverpool clear.
Manchester City v Liverpool is go ...
1 min: Bernardo Silva gets the ball rolling, with both teams wearing their customary home kits.
Not long now: Led by referee Chris Kavanagh and his team of match officials, both sets of players march out on to the Etihad Stadium pitch. Kyle Walker skippers Manchester City today, while Virgil van Dijk wears the captain’s armband for Liverpool. It’s a crisp, dry afternoon in Manchester and kick-off in this seismic fixture is just a few minutes away.
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Pep Guardiola speaks: “Jack Grealish is feeling unwell,” he tells Sky Sports in his pre-match pow-wow. “John Stones is not ready either but is on the bench. We play with 11 players, that’s for sure.
“Both teams are there [at the top]. We both compete for Premier Leagues, our games have been so, so tight, many times. The quality of the manager, Liverpool itself, the players - it’s there.
“With all due respect to Liverpool, we’ve prepared the same way. Both teams want to attack, the transitions are unbelievable. I think it’ll be an attractive game, as it has been in the past years.
“If you sit deep, they have a lot of passes. They have good deliveries from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas. Liverpool are a team that are built to run and attack the box quickly.”
Jurgen Klopp speaks: “A little bit of what Chelsea did, when they were super aggressive and unpredictable,” says Liverpool’s manager, upon being asked by Sky Sports how his side c an beat Manchester City. “Everyone who pressed made the final step … these kinds of things. The respect they create, the threat they are, it holds you back from time to time because nobody wants to look silly.
“In the best games we ever played, we lost the most challenges. If we let them roll with it, then they are too good and it’s really tricky. If you can interrupt that rhythm then we can have our own moments. We will see, we are prepared as good we can be but the boys have to do it now.”
Those teams: Despite assorted injury concerns which were flagged up during the week, Ederson, Nathan Ake and Erling Haaland have all been passed fit to play for Manchester City, but Jack Grealish is absent through injury. City have named just six outfield players on a substitutes’ bench that looks a little light on numbers.
Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz all start for Liverpool, despite having played for their countries in South America late on Wednesday night. In midfield, Curtis Jones returns after recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of his side’s past three games.
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Manchester City v Liverpool line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodri, Bernardo, Doku, Foden, Alvarez, Haaland
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Phillips, Stones, Gomez, Gvardiol, Bobb, Lewis
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones, Salah, Nunez, Jota
Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Konate, Diaz, Gakpo, Elliott, Gravenberch, Quansah
Today’s match officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Referee’s assistants: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: John Brooks
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Early team news
Manchester City are sweating on the fitness of Erling Haaland, who faces a late fitness test after aggravating a foot injury while on international duty with Norway. The participation of Ederson, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez and Mateo Kovacic is also in doubt. Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Matheus Nunes are all absent through injury.
Liverpool have injury concerns of their own, with Thiago Alcantara, Andy Robertson and Stefan Bajcetic all sidelined, while Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones are all due to have assorted knocks and niggles assessed ahead of kick-off.
Premier League: Manchester City v Liverpool
With the latest international break receding in the rear-view mirror, the Premier League resumes with what could be the mother of all ding-dongs at the Etihad Stadium. In the corresponding fixture last April, Liverpool’s midfield and defensive shortcomings were horribly exposed, prompting something of a summer rebuild by Jurgen Klopp. In second place in the table, his team look much improved in the current campaign but face a serious test of their new found mettle this afternoon.
Manchester City, the reigning champions, go into this game on the back of that chaotic 4-4 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while their visitors beat Brentford at Anfield in a game that was a tougher assignment for Liverpool than the 3-0 scoreline suggests.
A City win willl send Pep Guardiola’s side four points clear at the summit of the league table, while a first Premier League victory at the Etihad in eight years for Liverpool will see them leapfrog their rivals and go two points clear at the top. Kick-off in Manchester is at 12.30pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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