What was certain, however, was that this was a game with everything, including the VAR intervention to properly block Raheem Sterling’s goal in the 63rd minute for offside. At that stage, Liverpool had twice canceled a lead for City to equalize the score: Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesούςs scored for the hosts, with Diogo Jota and Santo Mane returning. The result of the 90 minutes at the end is that, with both teams having seven league games to play – there is also the trivial issue of next Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley (Live Stream: 10:30 a.m. ET, ESPN +) – only one point separates the clubs that have dominated the Premier League for the last five years. “It was like a boxing match,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “You have your hands down for a second and you get a huge hit and you shake a little bit. It was a great game and a result that we have to live with and we can live with.” – ESPN FC daily stream on ESPN + (US only)– Do not have ESPN? Get instant access City maintain the lead and their remaining games suggest that Liverpool need a surprise result to go in their favor to claim first place. Aside from the visits to Wolves and West Ham, there is no cause for concern for Pep Guardiola’s players from now until the season finale at Aston Villa, led by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. Liverpool has a tougher match. They should make the job of troubled rivals Manchester United and Everton at Anfield easy, but these games are always full of emotion and unpredictability. A home game against Tottenham on May 7 can also be dangerous, while Klopp’s men must also face Gerrard Villa. As each team has shown in this game, their top level is in a different stratosphere than any other team in the league, so City’s success in avoiding defeat and maintaining first place could ensure that this will be the decisive day. in the title. race. But while both teams showed incredible quality, there were also rare flashes of nervousness and mistakes from players such as Liverpool defender Virgil van Dyke, City goalkeeper Anderson, Liverpool striker Roger Mohamed’s Mohamed’s City. In a case that should have been at its absolute best, it might not have come as a surprise that the top performers underwent the strange swing. Jota’s persistence almost forced Anderson to concede an embarrassing own goal in the first half and Van Dijk uncharacteristically dismissed De Bruyne in the second half with a cynical foul that deserved the booking that followed, as he stopped City’s move. to the goal. Salah was in and out of the process, his best moment came 40 seconds after half time when he created Mane’s goal, while Sterling made a lot of bad decisions in key positions before being replaced by Mahrez with a quarter of an hour left. Jurgen Klopp, left, and Pep Guardiola, right, oversaw a classic match at the Etihad Stadium. Getty Elsewhere, there have been many great performances to make the occasion so enjoyable. For City, Joao Cancello was unbeaten and unstoppable on the left back as he held the side of the field, while Aymeric Laporte also created many crucial blocks in the back. Liverpool’s Joel Matip was impeccable in central defense, as was goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who saved Sterling and Jesus as City rushed into the early stages. But the big winner, one day when the teams shared the points, was Guardiola, with the City coach doing everything right, from his starting line-up to dynamic high-pressure tactics and changes. Sterling’s replacement with Mahrez was a key decision that increased the threat in the final stages. It has become a bone of contention that Guardiola is thought to be thinking too much about tactics and options in the big games. Although he is a winner in a row, recent examples in the Champions League – last season’s final against Chelsea, when he started without a defensive midfielder and striker, was an obvious case – saw him let the opponent go into his mind. 2 About The choice of Jesus from the beginning was another surprise here, but Guardiola was rewarded with a rare goal and an incredible pace of work by the international Brazilian, whose energy lifted the crowd and his teammates around him. The pace in City’s first line with Jesus, Sterling and Phil Foden created countless problems for Liverpool and only in the second half, after Mane’s goal, Klopp’s team stood firm and returned to the game. Even then, City always carried the biggest threat and seemed the most likely winners, to the extent that the draw was a good result for Liverpool, at least on the same day. However, it was probably not in the broader context, as leader Jordan Henderson admitted. “We have to wait and see,” said the Liverpool captain. “They do not lose a lot of points, we know that. We have to concentrate on ourselves and win as many games as possible. If they slip, we have to be right behind them. We will continue until the end. It is not the end of the world, we are still in the fight “. Henderson was a young Liverpool player when a slip upset the balance of a title race, so perhaps a subconscious reference to Gerrard’s mistake against Chelsea in 2014 reminds us that anything can happen in the final stages of the season. But City are on track to win their fourth title in five seasons and midfielder De Bruyne knows his side just need to stay in shape to lift the trophy on May 15. “Today we played very well, I think we had the upper hand. De Bruyne said: “This is the way we need to play the rest of the season. “I know people said that whoever wins gets the title, but it’s very difficult, the program is very difficult for both teams to win every game, but we will try.” There are 21 points to play. If one side fails to claim it all, it will end up in second place.
