Manchester City’s cloak of invisibility vanished at Anfield this weekend as Jurgen Klopp got the better of his nemesis Pep Guardiola yet again in the Premier League encounter on Sunday. In what turned out to be a pulsating encounter, Liverpool continued their Anfield dominance against Manchester City, taking their unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions, as Guardiola’s men tasted their first defeat in the league this season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the game, which was cancelled out by Leroy Sane, not long before the half-time whistle. City seemed to have come out for the second half determined to take all three points but an error-prone spell of three minutes, that saw Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane get on the score-sheet game Liverpool a two-goal advantage.
Ederson’s mistake gifted Mohamed Salah a fourth and though Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan reduced the deficit to just a goal, Liverpool managed to hold on and go level on points with Chelsea. Al off Liverpool’s goals were among the best scored in the league this season and here are the player ratings for the Reds in this tie:
Liverpool Players Rated And Slated
Loris Karius (5):
Should have done far better to save Sane’s opener but was confident with his handling and distribution all game.
Joe Gomez (5):
Was solid all night, keeping the likes of Leroy Sane quite but made a mistake that allowed City to get back into the game, and seems to be making them all too frequently.
Joel Matip (7):
Winning almost everything thrown at him in the air, Matip never allowed Aguero to settle on the ball and did well to minimize his danger for most of the game.
Dejan Lovren (8):
A superb performance from the skipper of the side, Lovren hardly put a foot wrong, nicking the ball of every Manchester City player in the attack and keeping his side on the front-foot.
Andrew Robertson (9):
Was full of energy and running all night and turned into a Kop favourite for the number he pulled on Raheem Sterling on the left flank.
Emre Can (8):
Was all over the City midfield in the first half, driving Liverpool forward with every opportunity and not allowing the visitors to settle on the ball.
Georginio Wijnaldum (8):
Just too smart for City on occasions, where he turned the midfielders to get in behind. Can be far more productive with his final ball but was more than effective in his defensive duties as well.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (9):
Opened the scoring on the night and was involved in almost every goal, also picking up the assist for Firmino’s goal. Probably one of his best performances in a Red shirt.
Mohamed Salah (8):
Scored an opportunistic goal, created the chances for Sadio Mane and was a constant threat in the attack on the flank, in yet another productive performance from the Egyptian.
Sadio Mane (8):
Probably his best game for Liverpool after coming back from the injury, Mane, scored a stunner to take Liverpool 3-1 up and was Liverpool’s most effective outlet for most of the game,
Roberto Firmino (9):
Never gave the Manchester City defence time to settle on the ball and won it back on a number of occasions. Scored one of the goals of the season and created the early goal for the Ox, to help his side to a crucial victory.
Substitutes:
James Milner (5):
Was slightly at fault for Manchester City’s second and failed to provide the composure Liverpool needed to see off this tie.
Adam Lallana (N/A)
Ragnar Klavan (N/A)
