Pep Guardiola and Darwin Nunez engaged in warmed trade after Man City versus Liverpool FC
After a very tense and rather feisty encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Darwin Nunez and Pep Guardiola exchanged some words after Liverpool drew with Manchester City
Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had to be pulled apart from each other at full-time.
Jurgen Klopp’s side managed to snatch a dramatic draw against last season’s Treble winners. A wonderful 25-yard strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold saw the Reds’ cancel out Erling Haaland’s first half goal, which was also his record 50th Premier League goal in 48 matches.
Ironically, this encounter was surprisingly controversy free, with both sides not being on the end of any contentious decisions throughout the match. However, tensions seemed to overboil when the final whistle went.
Liverpool held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium, preventing City from equaling the English top-flight record of 24 straight home wins in all competitions.
Haaland’s record-breaking goal came in the 27th minute when he capitalized on a miscued kick from Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson, after receiving a pass from Nathan Ake.
The Norwegian forward reached the milestone of 50 top-flight goals in just 48 matches, surpassing Andrew Cole’s previous record.
Despite Haaland’s early goal, Liverpool remained resilient throughout the first half, with Darwin Nunez missing several good opportunities.
The visitors’ goalkeeper, Ederson, made a crucial full-stretch save to deny Nunez’s header.
The match was evenly contested, with both teams contributing to an entertaining display.
In the second half, Manchester City created better chances, but Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold stole the spotlight with a sublime low shot into the far corner in the 80th minute, silencing the home crowd and securing a draw for his team.
The result meant that Manchester City fell short of the historic 24 consecutive home wins record, set by Sunderland in the 1890s. City maintains a one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool in the Premier League standings.
Looking ahead, Manchester City will face RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League before a domestic clash against Tottenham on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures include a UEFA Europa League match against LASK and a Premier League encounter against Fulham at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool have kept themselves within touching distance of Manchester City after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent finish inside the box cancelled out Erling Haaland’s opener. Express Sport takes a look at four things learned from the match.
Alisson has been Mr Reliable for Liverpool ever since joining from Roma back in 2018, regularly pulling off match-winning saves on the big stage. But he looked shaky in the opening 45 minutes and it was his wayward kick that led to Haaland’s goal.
The Brazilian also failed to clear his lines on a couple of occasions to leave Liverpool defenders scampering. A rare off game for Liverpool’s No 1 and against a side like City that was always going to be punished.
Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah off the mark
The Premier League’s most lethal duo this season were far from their best against a resolute City defence. Chances were few and far between for the Liverpool duo, but they were wasteful when opportunities did present themselves.
Salah often enjoys playing against City and had scored in six of his last eight league matches against Guardiola’s side prior to Saturday’s contest. Klopp will be hoping his attackers are back on form next week when they host Fulham.
Klopp vindicated
Klopp has regularly faced questions on how best to use Alexander-Arnold with the full-back often criticised for mistakes at the back. But the Liverpool manager’s desire to move Alexander-Arnold further up the pitch in a more central role is due to the player’s undeniable talents on the ball.
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And the England international repaid his manager’s faith in his attacking abilities with a well-taken goal to silence the home crowd at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s reaction said it all as he looked back towards in his bench in anger with the City boss aware how important that goal could be come the end of the season in the title race.
Liverpool’s favourable run
This game is always Liverpool’s toughest test – as it is for every Premier League side heading to the Etihad. But now Liverpool have a favourable run of fixtures with games against Fulham, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace in the coming weeks.
It’s those games where Klopp’s side can’t afford to slip up if they hope to challenge City for the title this season. And that could help build some momentum going into tricky games against Manchester United and Arsenal before Christmas.
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