Live: Man City vs Liverpool
Pep Guardiola’s teachers and students took the lead twice but were held to a 2-2 draw by Liverpool in the match for the top of the Premier League table round 31, on the evening of April 10.
This result helps Man City maintain a one point gap with the opponent in the championship race when the season has seven rounds left. But Pep Guardiola’s reaction after the final whistle expressed regret. Perhaps, the echo from the missed phase in injury time of Riyad Mahrez still clings to the Spaniard. In fact, Man City played well, especially in the first half when they continuously cut into the position of Trent Alexander-Arnold to create many opportunities.
The ball hit Matip’s foot from De Bruyne’s shot, helping Man City open the scoring. Image: Reuters.
In the fifth minute, the home team had a chance to open the scoring when Raheem Sterling faced Alisson Becker after a cross by Gabriel Jesus. But the Man City striker’s shot hit the opponent’s goalkeeper. However, Man City did not have to wait for the opening goal for too long. Less than a minute later, Kevin De Bruyne dribbled past Fabinho and then shot diagonally in front of the box. The kick that touched Joel Matip’s foot changed direction, slamming the edge of the post into the net in Alisson’s helplessness.
The game was sloppy in the early minutes, especially in defence, but it took Liverpool only eight minutes to equalize. From Bernardo Silva’s poor header, Andy Robertson crossed the far post for Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool right-back touched the ball just enough to put Diogo Jota in a favorable position. The Liverpool striker’s low shot was just enough to beat Ederson, who touched the ball but was unable to block it.
After a few minutes of attack with high speed, the two teams slowed down and waited for the opponent’s opening. But Man City quickly realized they could completely control the game by cutting into Liverpool’s right wing, taking advantage of the speed and cunning of Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden. From the 20th minute, the Liverpool goal was constantly on alert for the home team’s side attacks. The most unfortunate situation was the situation where Cancelo passed to De Bruyne in the penalty area, but the Belgian midfielder missed the post.
Mahrez’s miss in injury time. Image: PA.
Man City were rewarded for their effort in the 37th minute. The unsuccessful corner kick created an opportunity for the home team to deceive the Liverpool defense. Four Man City players were offside in this situation, but Jesus was not when he went down to receive Cancelo’s cross. The Brazilian striker then beat Alisson with a close-range ball to give the home team a second pass. Before the first half ended, Liverpool had a chance to equalize, but Jota handled it too personally and angered Mohamed Salah.
Witnessing Liverpool’s performance in the first half, many fans worried about them. But the course of the game after the break changed direction. Liverpool equalized 2-2 in the first minute of the second half. John Stones’ deep drop broke Man City’s offside trap, allowing Sadio Mane to properly receive Salah’s slot, before defeating Ederson in the face-to-face phase.
The equalizer blew Liverpool’s will to fight and Man City became the team under pressure in the next minutes. Jota had a chance to score a brace but couldn’t beat Ederson. 10 minutes later, from De Bruyne’s slit, Sterling faced and defeated Alisson. But VAR determined that the England striker came down a bit early. It wasn’t long before Sterling missed again though De Bruyne’s slit opened space in front of him.
Mane beat Ederson to equalize 2-2 for Liverpool early in the second half. Image: PA.
For the rest of the game, City created more chances. Initially, they promoted good counter-attacks thanks to De Bruyne’s ability to launch. The last 10 minutes, Man City created pressure, although not as great as the first half, but still enough for them to score. However, Mahrez’s free kick, or the situation where the tire was too high for the goal of the Algerian midfielder, led to the home team’s hope of winning three points.
In the middle of next week, Man City and Liverpool will kick the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final after winning the first leg. At the end of the week, they reunited in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. A point is not a disaster for Man City because their schedule of the last seven rounds is quite light with rivals Wolves, Brighton, Watford, Leeds, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Liverpool must face heavier opponents, including: Man Utd, Everton, Newcastle, Tottenham, Villa, Southampton and Wolves.
Quang Huy
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
