Manchester City and Liverpool on Sunday played out a compelling 2-2 draw in their Premier League summit meeting that leaves the title race too close to call.
Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus either side of a Diogo Jota strike put leaders City 2-1 up at halftime, but Sadio Mane leveled seconds after the restart to change the tone of the match.
Juergen Klopp’s visitors, who had been on a 10-match winning run in the league, threatened to cut through again in the early minutes of the second half before City recovered their composure.
Photo: AP
Neither side could find a winner, leaving Pep Guardiola’s defending champions just one point ahead of Liverpool with seven games to go.
Guardiola said his side had no margin for error in the run-in.
“Seven games left, we have to win all of them or it will be over,” he told Sky Sports. “We are going to play for that.”
Klopp compared the contest in Manchester to a bout between two prize fighters.
“I think we can describe it as a boxing fight, both arms down for a second and you get a massive knock,” he said. “I liked a lot of things. I thought we were closer than ever.”
Billed as one of the biggest matches in Premier League history — between two of the finest sides English football has seen — the contest at a crackling Etihad Stadium lived up to the hype.
City made a flying start in the fifth minute, as De Bruyne skipped past Fabinho on the edge of the area and unloaded a shot that took a wicked deflection off Joel Matip before glancing in off the far post.
City’s joy at De Bruyne’s sixth goal in his past six games was short-lived, and Liverpool were level eight minutes later.
Andrew Robertson’s cross reached Trent Alexander-Arnold at the far post, and he clipped the ball toward Jota, whose low shot from 10 yards beat Ederson’s weak attempted save.
City regained the lead in the 37th minute, as Joao Cancelo’s superb pass picked out Jesus’ run behind the slow-to-react Alexander-Arnold and the Brazilian forward guided a fine finish in off the underside of the bar.
Trailing at halftime in a Premier League game for the first time in a year, Liverpool hit back 47 seconds after the interval.
A sublime defense-splitting pass from Mohamed Salah found Mane’s run and the Senegal forward fired a composed strike into the top corner to celebrate his 30th birthday in style.
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