Manchester City and Liverpool played a pulsating game at the Etihad and the Citizens came out the winners by two goals to one. The game ebbed and flowed and both teams produced a footballing masterclass and the victory has definitely thrown the title race wide open.
The game was a slightly cagey affair in the first half as Liverpool allowed Manchester City to have possession. The away side got the best chance as Sadio Mane hit the bar and the City defence almost made a hash of it while clearing the ball. Sergio Aguero put the home side into the lead after some good work by Leroy Sane and the first half ended at 1-0.
Liverpool scored through Firmino after a brilliant diagonal from Trent Alexander Arnold. But Leroy Sane had the last say as he finished brilliantly to beat the diving Alisson and the reigning champions held on to a win in the end.
Ederson 5.5
Definitely gave some nervy moments with his ball handling but his distribution was on point.
John Stones 7
The ball was 1.12 centimetres away from crossing the goal line in the first half and City have to thank Stones for that brilliant clearance. Had a top game overall as he looked solid and pressed well.
Vincent Kompany 6
Made a poor challenge in the first half and on another could have received a red. Looked shaky at times but did enough in the end.
Aymeric Laporte 5.5
Didn’t look comfortable as a left back and made some poor challenges. Liverpool weren’t able to involve Salah much so Laporte probably got away with it in the end.
Danilo 7.5
Was robust in his challenges and played a big role in the second goal as he found Sterling brilliantly. Walker is likely to stay away from the first team after a performance like that from the Brazilian.
Fernandinho 8
Stamped his authority on the game with some good crunching challenges. Showed why he is the most important player in this setup. His reading of the game and pressing of Liverpool players was top notch.
David Silva 5.5
Was anonymous for the most parts of the game and City weren’t able to get him on the ball in dangerous areas. Substituted early in the second half.
Bernardo Silva 7
Worked his socks off by applying the pressure in midfield when Liverpool had the possession. The Portuguese definitely showed another side of his game as he is normally known to be a silky smooth player on the ball.
Raheem Sterling 6
The Englishman has never really had a significant influence against his former club and again it seemed like the same as he lost quite a few duels with Robertson. However, kept on persevering and made some good runs in the second half and assisted the winning goal.
Leroy Sane 9
Simply wow from the German. Definitely deserves to take away all the plaudits. His marauding runs were too good for the likes of Lovren and Alexander-Arnold to handle. Finished brilliantly for the second and played a part in the opening goal as well. To go with all that, tracked back well when required and put in a huge shift.
Sergio Aguero 7
The Argentine once again showed why he is one of the best strikers of the world as he scored the goal against the run of play from a very acute angle. His movement was sharp. Guilty of missing a chance in the late moments.
Substitutes
Ilkay Gundogan 6
Provided fresh legs on the pitch and helped in pinning Liverpool down in their own half.
Kyle Walker N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
Nicolas Otamendi N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
