On Thursday evening, the 21st round of the English Premier League season featured a matchup known as the clash between "Manchester City" and "Liverpool" clubs.
This season, the unbeaten "Liverpool" team had to swallow a bitter pill at the "Etihad" stadium - Pep Guardiola's side defeated the visitors with a score of 2-1 and returned to the title race.
The match was intense from the start - both teams sought to impose their game conditions, but neither managed to score a quick goal that could change the game plan.
At the 18th minute, the "Liverpool" team had a great opportunity to take the lead, when Sadio Mane scored a fantastic goal during a great attack. The ball could have ended up in the goal when John Stones tried to clear the ball and hit Ederson, but the English goalkeeper's sacrifice saved the hosts, even though there were only a few millimeters left until the goal.
Incredible defending by "Man City" players kept the visitors from Liverpool dry, and they struck in the 40th minute, when Sergio Aguero, after a pass from Bernardo Silva, scored a powerful goal from a sharp angle that left no chance for Alisson.
In the second half, the "Citizens" were not going to retreat to defense, but "Liverpool" also started to play more actively in their opponents' half.
The stadium fell silent in the 64th minute, when after a hidden pass from Andrew Robertson, Roberto Firmino, left alone in front of the goal, equalized the score with a header
The draw was enough for the "Liverpool" team, so the "Man City" team had to start taking risks. Active pressure paid off in the 72nd minute - Raheem Sterling took the ball, saw Leroy Sane in the penalty area, and the latter quickly forced Alisson to pull the ball out of his goal for the second time in this clash.
Both teams created chances in the remaining time, but in this exciting match, there were no more precise shots that found the back of the net.
These three points were vital for the "Man City" team, as "Liverpool" melted their advantage to just four points after their first season loss.
Result:
"Man City" 2 - 1 "Liverpool"
40' [1 - 0] S. Aguero
64' [1 - 1] R. Firmino
72' [2 - 1] L. Sane
Tournament table:
Starting lineups:
"Man City": Ederson, Danilo, Kompany, Stones, Laporte, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Sterling, David Silva, Sane, Aguero.
"Liverpool": Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
