Guardiola's full-time instruction
After nine minutes of injury time, referee Anthony Taylor called time on a feisty encounter between Manchester City and Liverpool, with the hosts taking all three points. There was plenty of reasons for City to be annoyed with the result, from their own performance, to some inconsistent refereeing decisions. It seems a few players were keen to head out of the Anfield pitch and down the tunnel to drown out a rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.
However, after stopping for a quick chat with matchwinner Mo Salah, it seems City boss Pep Guardiola ensured all of his players made their way to the away end to salute the travelling support. Two players, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne, were already heading down the tunnel when the manager stopped them and pointed them towards the Anfield Road end.
Back to a back three
Manuel Akanji was presumed to be the stand-in right-back when City's team was announced, but it was in fact Joao Cancelo on the right and Nathan Ake shifted over to full-back on the opposite side. And for large portions of the game, when City had possession, they lined up in a clear back three with Ake coming inside alongside Akanji and Ruben Dias - with Cancelo moving into midfield.
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City often allow a full-back to push up in possession, but this felt like a more defined back three, even if Cancelo resumed his position out of possession. The days of such a formation striking fear into Blues fans may have gone, with a group of quality, versatile defenders able to rotate between different systems within games - and a back three might be possible again thanks to Akanji and Ake's good form this season.
Liverpool target Bernardo
From the start, Liverpool took advantage of referee Anthony Taylor's decision to let 'small' fouls go, and they used that stance to target Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese playmaker has little love lost with Liverpool, from his infamous cup of tea during City's 2020 Guard of Honour for Liverpool at the Etihad, and a number of other high-tempered meetings with Sunday's opponents.
So the Liverpool players appeared to take it in turns to go in hard on Bernardo, who looked to enjoy giving it back as well. When he became involved in a wrestling match with Mo Salah in the second half, dragging the Egyptian to the floor as he lost his balance, Anfield was incensed - even if Bernardo had been getting similar physical treatment all game.
Referee stops City attack
And when Jurgen Klopp raced down the touchline to protest that decision not to award a foul against Bernardo, it earned him a fairly straightforward red card - and one he later accepted in post-match interviews. The issue was that after the officials had decided no foul had been committed, City were allowed to break upfield in search of an equaliser.
Yet as they looked to send numbers towards goal, Taylor inexplicably stopped the game in its tracks to issue Klopp with a red card. For all Taylor's attempts to play on, he prevented City a clear chance to attack on the break to send Klopp off when that could have waited a few seconds more. Although Klopp's reaction had City scored may have earned him two red cards in one.
What Pep said to the crowd
According to reporters sat behind the dugouts, Pep Guardiola had an angry message when protesting Taylor's decision to rule out Phil Foden's goal for an earlier foul. Guardiola had got into Taylor's face as he made his way to the monitor to inevitably overturn the decision, and he was furious when the free kick was given.
And it's claimed he walked off shouting 'This is Anfield!' in his following protests - something he repeated a number of times in post-match interviews. Guardiola, and his players, would later explain their frustration at the officials penalising a 'soft' foul having let plenty go before and after the VAR decision. Klopp added after the game that he and Guardiola were in agreement over some of the inconsistent decisions from the officials.
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