Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City
Well…could this be Liverpool’s year? Beating Manchester City tonight was a huge result for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it’s not a title decider but it puts the Reds firmly in pole position.
This was the biggest Premier League match of the season so far, and boy did it live up to expectations, as Liverpool raced into a three-goal lead after we’d had the customary VAR drama.
The Sky Blues go into the international break in the fourth position after yesterday’s Premier League 2019 results saw Leicester City beat Arsenal to go second and Frank Lampard’s Chelsea overcome Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola’s side is nine adrift of the leaders now and that is one big gap.
Much of the pre-match chat surrounded the goalkeeping position at Manchester City. First choice stopper Ederson was substituted at half time in the midweek draw with Atalanta, and wing-back Kyle Walker ended up in the nets after substitute keeper Claudio Bravo got himself sent off. Pep Guardiola trusted Bravo with the goalie’s jersey again at Anfield.
Highlights of the game
What a start to the game!
Liverpool were pretty much at full strength for this vital clash but it was the Sky Blues who began brightly, and John Stones had an excellent chance to score when he was left alone at a corner but he headed well wide. And then, with just six minutes on the clock, Liverpool were ahead in both controversial and spectacular circumstances.
In another City attack, the ball bounced into the danger area and Trent Alexander-Arnold handled. It looked a clear penalty and as Sergio Aguero led the appeals, Liverpool charged up the pitch and when the ball ran free to Fabinho, he hit a bullet from 30 yards past Bravo and into the net.
The VAR official Paul Tierney looked at the handball…and gave the goal. 1-0.
It was a big, big moment and if anyone can explain VAR to me please get in touch!
Furious City swarmed forward and Raheem Sterling missed a golden chance when he headed Kevin de Bruyne’s free-kick wide. And then the Reds hit the champions with another sucker punch. On a fast break, Andy Robertson swung in a cross which the unmarked Mo Salah headed in on the bounce.
The Sky Blues had played all of the early football but in two passages of play Liverpool were 2-0 up!
For all City’s nice football they had failed to defend on the two occasions they were tested. The injury to Aymeric Laporte in August has left Pep Guardiola’s defence in disarray on more than one occasion.
Aguero is yet to score at Anfield and, fuelled by a sense of injustice, he jinked his way into space and fired towards the far corner, but Alisson saved; and City came within inches of scoring when Angelino picked up a ball from De Bruyne and managed to get a shot away, but it bounced away off the upright.
2-0 is a tricky scoreline and the next goal is always crucial. The Sky Blues started the second half as they did the first in an attempt to half the deficit, but within four minutes the game was gone. Jordan Henderson picked out Sadio Mane with a peach of a cross and the Senegalese striker nodded home at the far post.
City had another penalty appeal when Mane appeared to push Sterling over in the penalty area but, again, VAR was unimpressed. And then, as De Bruyne surged into the penalty area and crossed, Aguero somehow failed to tap the ball into the empty net.
The Sky Blues kept pressing and eventually pulled one back on 78 minutes when Angelino squared and Bernardo Silva finished smartly into the bottom right corner. A minute later Gabriel Jesus was inches away from scoring as the jitters set in at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold’s hand got in the way of a Sterling effort but while Pep went wild on the touchline, this time it would have been harsh to award a penalty and the Reds held on.
Key Statistics
When the list of the 2019 Ballon d’Or nominations was recently announced 13 of the 30 names were from Liverpool (seven) or Manchester City (six). And they put on a great show today.
The Sky Blues played some fine football, with 55 per cent possession and 18 shots to Liverpool’s 12, but the Reds were more clinical
It just wasn’t Sergio Aguero’s day. He made his 250th Premier League appearance, and in an amazing career at City he has scored 173 goals, but not one in 11 attempts at Anfield.
What’s next?
The latest Premier League 2019 betting odds suggest the Reds quest to end 30 years without a title could well be about to end, but there’s a long way to go.
Next Jurgen Klopp takes his Reds to South London to take on Crystal Palace. Selhurst Park is always a difficult place to get a result but his team is flying.
The Sky Blues have another crunch match at home to Chelsea, and that’s one we’ll be watching here at SBOBET, so keep stay with us for all the latest news updates and the best range of betting offers.
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