Arsenal stay top as Manchester City hold wasteful Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League rivalry with Pep Guardiola ends with Liverpool being held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester City at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola shook hands on a point apiece in their last-ever Premier League battle as Manchester City came away from Anfield with a 1-1 draw against a wasteful Liverpool.

The final chapter in the managers’ captivating top-flight rivalry began with John Stones prodding the champions ahead thanks to a brilliantly worked set piece, but Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty got the hosts back on terms early in the second half.

Klopp’s crop huffed and puffed for the remainder of the match and were not bereft of opportunities to complete a stunning turnaround, but profligacy plagued them in a frenetic contest as Arsenal fans celebrated their side ending the weekend at the summit of the table.

Despite coming off the bench against Sparta Prague in the Europa League, Mohamed Salah did not meet the starting threshold for Klopp, who also benched Andrew Robertson and was without Ibrahima Konate entirely.

Far from full strength, the Reds struggled to settle during an explosive start to proceedings, where Caoimhin Kelleher got down low to stop Julian Alvarez’s drive from a tight angle in the third minute, before Kevin De Bruyne went for a cheeky lob in the eighth minute but saw his attempt drift over the top.

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 10, 2024
Liverpool soon found their groove, though, and the ball was in the back of Ederson’s net in the 19th minute as Luis Diaz tapped in from Darwin Nunez’s pass, but the Uruguayan was clearly offside.

However, just as the Anfield crowd sensed that a goal may have been coming for their side, they were undone by an ingenious Man City corner in the 23rd minute, as Stones met Kevin De Bruyne’s low, swerving delivery to the near post and prodded the ball past Kelleher.

Nathan Ake played a key role in the set-piece routine, blocking off Mac Allister to prevent the Argentine from clearing De Bruyne’s delivery before it reached Stones, and the officials saw nothing wrong with the Dutchman’s tactics.

A promising chance for Dominik Szoboszlai to respond for Liverpool arrived in the 31st minute, but the Hungarian headed a fraction over the top from Harvey Elliott’s delivery, eight moments before Haaland shot straight at Kelleher after a highly-anticipated one-on-one with Virgil van Dijk.

The champions were guilty of complacency, though, and Diaz found himself in acres of space to let fly inside the D after City had lost possession in the middle, but the Colombian could only shoot wide in the 42nd minute.

Klopp held off on making any half-time alterations, and the German’s decision to stick rather than twist paid dividends just two minutes into the second half, as Ederson wiped out Nunez inside the area after Ake sold him short with a backpass.

The Brazilian hurt himself in the process of conceding the penalty, which Mac Allister took after a slight delay, and even though Ederson went the right way, the Argentine’s spot kick was perfectly placed into the top corner.

As Liverpool began to smell blood, the injury which Ederson had sustained during the penalty incident eventually led to his withdrawal for Stefan Ortega, whose opposite number Kelleher flaunted his one-on-one prowess to deny Foden in the 58th minute, making himself big at his near post.

The Irishman was a mere spectator in the 10 minutes that followed, though, as a fired-up Liverpool – reinforced by Salah and Robertson’s introductions – penned Man City back into their own defensive third and fashioned chance after chance, albeit without really working Ortega’s gloves.

The newly-introduced Salah spotted Diaz’s run with a sublime through ball in the 63rd minute, but as the Colombian tried to find the corner, he opened up his body too much and fired wide of the target.

Just one moment later, Diaz took one touch too many a few yards out from goal – allowing Kyle Walker to prod the ball behind – and Guardiola soon opted for a conservative change, bringing on Mateo Kovacic in place of a miffed De Bruyne, who exchanged words with his boss after being taken off.

The champions almost benefitted from a huge stroke of luck in the 73rd minute, though, as Kelleher punched an Ake cross onto Foden and was relieved to see the ball smack the crossbar, although the City attacker had inadvertently used his arm anyway.

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 10, 2024
Liverpool remained the most likely to nick a winner, though, and Jarell Quansah was the next to try his luck in the 80th minute – Ortega could not hold onto his speculative attempt but ultimately did enough.

For all of the Reds’ fluffed chances, City came agonisingly close to stealing the win in the 89th minute through Jeremy Doku, whose strike across goal struck the inside of the post and bounced into Kelleher’s grateful grasp.

Both teams were gifted eight additional minutes to try to find a winner, the third of which saw Cody Gakpo smack the bar from close range before Elliott tucked the rebound home, but the offside flag had long gone up against Salah.

Sky blue hearts were in mouths in the final seconds, as Doku caught Mac Allister in the chest inside the penalty area, but the Belgian got enough of a connection on the ball to avoid giving away a last-gasp spot kick before Klopp and Guardiola warmly embraced on the sidelines.

A point for the hosts was enough to move them level with Arsenal, but the Gunners’ superior goal difference keeps them atop their perch, while the Citizens stay third, one point worse off than their two rivals in red.

Liverpool must now complete the formalities of their Europa League last-16 tie with Sparta Prague – whom they demolished 5-1 in the first leg – on Thursday, while City take on Newcastle United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in six days’ time.

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