[ad_1]
It felt like a trick of the eye. Kevin De Bruyne had scored his 42nd minute penalty for the bottom corner and as Alisson had moved the wrong way, everyone inside the stadium waited for the net to bulge. And then the ball kept passing, passing the post before hitting the billboards.
De Bruyne had taken this game by the nape of the neck, helping Manchester City get back on a level playing field after Liverpool’s quick start, propelling his team with trademark art and energy. He doesn’t get many penalties but when he does he tends to score them. Only once before had he failed.
Everything went wrong this time, and in the final analysis it would be costly. City started the day in 12th place, although with one game less, and they needed victory more than Liverpool and not because they were at home; the benefit of that advantage seems less clear these days.
They needed a win to regain some ground over their rivals, who have started the season more consistently, to make a statement as they attempt to regain the title from a team whose triumph last time turned into a procession. They couldn’t pull it off and the numbers now show they’ve had their worst start to the league season since 2008.
Jürgen Klopp had described City as the toughest rival in world football, but he did so with his approach from the start. The greatest advancement for him had been an apparent one or the other between Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota. Klopp chose them both. He wanted courage from his players and he showed the way with his team.
With Jota on the right, Firmino pressed high alongside Mohamed Salah in the center and Sadio Mané on the left, the best way to describe the formation was 4-2-4. Laying the foundations for what was a positive draw.
Liverpool started with all guns blazing and their goal came early on when Mané received a pass from Andrew Robertson and cut on goal. Kyle Walker misinterpreted Mané’s play and found himself in a bad position, on the wrong side, as he tried to deal with him. Walker made contact, the Liverpool side fell and it was a clear penalty. City weren’t happy that Jota had avoided censure for a barge on Raheem Sterling moments earlier at the other end, out of the box, but they couldn’t have any complaints about the awarding of the penalty. Salah scored his first goal against a “big six” club in 13 games.
Liverpool had threatened from the start, with Ederson forced to cleverly leave his line to deny Firmino after a ball overhead and Trent Alexander-Arnold creating a header opportunity for Mané. The visitors bristled with speed and threat. City did not dare to lose the ball to invite transitions. Furthermore, they needed to establish an attack position. In the later stages of a spectacular first half, they did.
De Bruyne, who was looking for spaces from his role as an itinerant midfielder, was the key figure. He hit Sterling in the 26th minute with a curling cross after pinching the ball from Gini Wijnaldum only for the City winger to cut in and saw a shot blocked by Alisson. Could I have taken it for the first time? Perhaps the angle was too narrow.
De Bruyne set the tie with a ball to Jesus, though it was more about how the center forward, in his first start since opening day, edged out Alexander-Arnold with a beautiful first touch and spin. With the second, he passed Alisson.
De Bruyne fired a low shot past the post from a distance, but it was more costly when he did the same with the City penalty. The kick was awarded on the advice of the VAR when a cross from De Bruyne hit Joe Gomez. The Liverpool defender’s arm was away from his body, a fatal position these days.
Liverpool closed the first half with a skillful counterattack that ended with Alexander-Arnold extending Ederson; The City goalkeeper then reached back to catch the ball in front of the line and Jota. The margins were fine; The action went from end to end and the passions were better reflected in the gesticulations in the band of Pep Guardiola and Klopp.
The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily soccer email
The second half was less hectic for a simple reason: Players are not machines. Keeping up with the former was physically impossible. The danger of a blowout was obvious and, sadly, Alexander-Arnold suffered one; They forced him to leave when he felt a muscle vibrate in the back of his leg.
The chances became slimmer, although both teams had one after the break. Ederson made the unusual decision to clear Salah’s shot and was relieved when Jota’s follow-up was weak, while Jesus threw a gold-edged starter in 55 minutes. João Cancelo chose him but, alone, Jesús made the wrong angle and directed his head-butt out. It was not the only wasteful moment the City would regret.
