Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool: Five talking points as the intriguing encounter ends in the stable

A fascinating encounter between Manchester City and Liverpool ended tied for the Etihad with neither team finding a winner in a 1-1 draw.

The Reds dominated the early stages and took a deserved lead when Mohamed Salah converted a penalty in the 13th minute.

But City responded after half an hour when Gabriel Jesus cleverly turned on the box and walked past Alisson to level his side.

City had a chance to take the lead before halftime when they were awarded a penalty of their own, but Kevin de Bruyne strangely missed it.

The second half was a bit more cautious affair and, in the end, both teams seemed content to settle for a fair result.

Here are five talking points from the game …

Premier League at its finest

Meetings between these two teams rarely disappoint, and tonight’s match was another brilliant announcement for the Premier League.

Both teams went through hell for leather, particularly in the first half, and any concerns that it might be a cautious encounter were quickly resolved in what was an end-to-end, largely attacking affair.

Sky Sports insider Jamie Carragher predicted before the game that despite good starts from players like Tottenham and Leicester, Liverpool and City would still be the only two title contenders at the end of the season.

The quality displayed on Etihad proved that it might as well be right.

Klopp’s brave call

After days of debating whether Roberto Firmino or Diogo Jota would start tonight’s game, Klopp surprised many by playing both in a highly offensive 4-2-4 formation.

It was a risk that certainly paid off at first, with Liverpool looking far more inventive, menacing and dangerous than City for the vast majority of the first half.

The formation change left them open and vulnerable to City counters from time to time, but that only added to what was a riveting sight.

There’s no question that Mane, Salah, Firmino and Jota’s quadruple forward is one who could well tear apart weaker sides than City, and Reds fans had a tantalizing glimpse of what could happen in the future.

The city needs a Walker upgrade

City right back Walker looked like a man beyond his prime tonight.

Despite starting the season quite well, the 30-year-old was beaten by Mane at the Etihad, and was clumsy in handing out a penalty early on.

Roy Keane criticized Walker as an “idiot” and a “car accident” on Sky Sports at halftime, and while this seems a bit harsh, it is not the first time the English international’s decision making has been questioned. .

Walker is not getting any younger, and he will surely continue to fight fast forwards like Mane even more as time goes on.

Guardiola has remained faithful to Walker despite his mistakes in the past, but it may be time to look for another option at the winger position.

It will be intriguing to see if the city rolls out its checkbook in January.

Shaqiri still has a role to play

Xherdan Shaqiri has largely been a forgotten man in Liverpool for the last year or so.

The Swiss winger made just seven Premier League appearances last season, and was expected to leave in the summer.

But after a move failed to materialize instead of sulking, Shaqiri kicked up his socks and worked hard, and was recently involved against Midtjylland and West Ham.

The fact that Klopp had enough faith in the player to bring him in after 59 minutes against City on such an important occasion shows that he still trusts the 29-year-old and believes that he will still have an important role to play this season.

If he can stay injury free, Shaqiri will still be hopeful that he can make an impression and make a significant impact in the months ahead.

The debate on Jesus continues

We saw the good and the bad of Jesus once again tonight.

The 23-year-old got his team back in the game out of nowhere with a brilliant spin on Trent Alexander-Arnold and a cool finish on Alisson to show just how good he can be.

However, he was far less clinical in the second half, missing a great opportunity to give his team the lead when he headed wide off a Rodri cross from eight yards.

With Sergio Agüero now 32, there has naturally been a debate over whether Jesus is the long-term predecessor of the Argentine legend.

But the jury is still very deliberate, and the Brazilian continues to wear the City colors.

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