Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City: Reds miss chance to return to the top

Liverpool and Man City played out an epic Sunday slog at Anfield in which both teams would rue missed opportunities for all three points.

For City, they improved dramatically inside the first half but could not get the goal their play might have expected.

However, the reds were a different beast in the second half and twice took the lead, before de Bruyne equalised with a deflected shot.

Teams

The reds made no changes after the 5-1 win over Porto.  Trent Alexander-Arnold's absence, and the lack of a compelling right back choice, meant that James Milner was chosen once more to track down Phil Foden.

As it happened: LFC 2-2 City

City could afford two changes - Foden and Gabriel Jesus back in at the expense of Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

Sir Roger

Liverpool started brightly in the crisp October sunshine.  A tribute to Roger Hunt before the kick off and Liverpool asked to kick towards the Kop, and the setting sun, by a Man City side that won the toss.

Becker, Milner, van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Jones, Jota, Mane, Salah

Subs: Kelleher, Konaté, Keïta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Williams, Minamino, Gomez, Firmino

The reds started brightly, but no clear chances were created, as City did all they could to take the sting out of Liverpool's opening threat.

Slowly, but surely, City gained the upper ground.  Foden causing Milner all sorts of problems, with Trent looking on from the stands.  Jack Grealish, here employed as a semi-striker, didn't offer much for the away side and was eventually replaced in the second half by Guardiola.

City's pressure increased, and increased, but somehow the reds made it to half-time with a clean sheet intact.  No doubt in large part to a couple of quick reaction runs from Alisson to deny Foden a goalscoring angle.

Whatever Klopp said at half time, with no substitions made, worked.

Liverpool looked an entirely different proposition in the opening 15 minutes after the break and Diogo Jota had two opportunities to create something - giving Ederson his first test of the evening.

Eventually magic Mohamed Salah collected a ball and powered forward, threading the ball to Sadio Mane who had timed his run to perfection and put Liverpool 1-0 ahead.

But Phil Foden, in space down Liverpool's right wing, collected a pass over the top and lashed an angled shot past the Liverpool keeper.

The reds regrouped, and from nothing Mo Salah got a deserved goal - weaving past Rodri, then Bernardo Silva, then Aymeric Laporte before he helped the ball to evade Ederson too.   Sublime.  Worthy of winning a game, but sadly not this one.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, Kyle Walker's mis-kick meant the ball landed at de Bruyne's feet and his shot - deflected off Joel Matip - went past the wrong footed Alisson.

Salah magic was evident at another point when his cross completely bypassed Ederson, landing at the feet of Fabinho.  The Brazilian couldn't react quick enough to put it into the empty net and was tackled before he could connect.

2-2 then.  A fair result most likely on the balance of the game.

There was the usual Guardiola fury when he hoped James Milner would receive a second yellow card.  The yellow card eventually awarded to himself by the referee.

But he enjoyed the moment of the equaliser as if it had been all three points.

We enter the international break and last season's top four - Chelsea, Liverpool, City and United are all separated by the thinnest of margins.  31 more games to go.

Man of the Match: Mo Salah

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