Liverpool vs Manchester City Review
Manchester City scored a penalty in stoppage time, resulting in a 2-1 victory over the defending Premier League champions Liverpool. This win maintained the pressure on league leaders Arsenal and ended Liverpool’s eight-game unbeaten streak at Anfield. Early on, City should have taken the lead when Bernardo Silva set up the usually dependable Erling Haaland for a shot, but Alisson saved his attempt, and Milos Kerkez cleared the loose ball. Another significant opportunity came for Omar Marmoush, who faced Alisson alone but surprisingly missed the target, with the offside flag preventing further embarrassment.
Liverpool had very few opportunities in the first half as City kept them pinned back in their own half. Mohamed Salah created the home team’s first significant chance when his shot deflected off Marc Guéhi and just missed the post. Liverpool went into halftime feeling somewhat wronged, as Salah appeared to have his shoulder pulled by Silva in the box, but neither referee Craig Pawson nor VAR spotted any foul, much to the frustration of most fans at Anfield.
After the break, frustration returned when the game’s first clear chance was missed, Salah delivered a perfect ball into the box for the unmarked Hugo Ekitike, who surprisingly headed wide from just six yards out. Opportunities kept coming and going for Arne Slot’s side, with Florian Wirtz being the latest to miss a great chance, as his shot was heroically blocked by Guéhi after a sweeping team move. Guéhi was involved in a controversial moment when he fouled Salah just outside the area, narrowly avoiding a red card after a VAR review.
This match was always expected to be decided by a single decisive moment, and Dominik Szoboszlai delivered just that with a powerful 74th-minute free-kick from 35 yards that hit the post and went in, electrifying the crowd at Anfield. Unfazed, City responded six minutes before the end when Silva tapped in after Haaland’s assist, setting up a thrilling finale. This led to a fairy-tale finish for City, after Alisson fouled Matheus Nunes in the penalty area, Haaland calmly converted the penalty.
Donnarumma made a crucial late save, but then Rayan Cherki’s long-range shot from the halfway line trickled toward the goal, only for Szoboszlai to foul Haaland as the ball was about to cross the line. Szoboszlai was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring chance, but this somewhat absurd moment didn’t stop City from claiming just their third victory in their last 39 trips to Anfield, keeping the title race very much alive.
