The very eagerly awaited Premier League fixture between City and Liverpool ended in a goalless draw at Anfield. Though City were presented with a golden opportunity in the ending stages of the match, but Riyad Mahrez missed the penalty and the match went to a draw.
Next up for both sides, Liverpool travels to John Smith’s Stadium to take on Huddersfield Town before their Champions League fixture at home to Red Star Belgrade and the Reds would be looking on earning six points from these two clashes while City on the other hand, welcomes Sean Dyche’s F.C. Burnley’s side at home before their Oblasny SportKomplex Metalist when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk at the Champions League.
So before these matches, here are three things we learned from both sides last week in the Premier League as garnered up by our beloved journalist Syed Moshin:
City learned from their mistakes
Manchester City were unstoppable in the previous season. Pep Guardiola’s team won one game after another in quite an easy fashion. At one point, the invincible record was looking within their grasp. However, Liverpool ended their amazing run at Anfield. Not only that, Klopp’s team went thrashing City 3-0 in the Champions League match as well. The previous season saw Guardiola’s title-winning team helpless against Liverpool.
Therefore, Manchester City was very cautious this time. They launched attacks but without leaving their defense in danger. They committed no defensive mistakes that could be exploited by Liverpool’s attacking trio.
The initial part of the game saw a huge energy and intensity from Liverpool to get the lead. However, Guardiola’s men defended very well to thwart the attempts of Liverpool, and once City players got their confidence back the game proceeded in an equal manner.
Kevin De Bruyne could have secured victory
Although Manchester City has no dearth of quality in the midfield, still their advanced playmaker Kevin De Bruyne’s absence could easily be felt in the game. The resourceful midfielder could have created chances for City even when nothing would be on. He has already been named Manchester City’s Player of the Year in 2016 and 2018. While in their previous league winning-campaign, he scored 8 goals and provided 16 assists for City.
This season he only featured in City’s opening game against Arsenal in August. After that, he got injured while training and has been out of the team since then. Manchester City could have come away with 3 points from Anfield if De Bruyne would have been playing. However, the good news for City now is that he could be back in the team for the coming Burnley match.
Liverpool can be restricted at their own home
Liverpool’s strength lies in their incredible attacking trio comprising of Firmino, Salah, and Mane who can strike fear in any team. Particularly at Anfield, they can crush any team with their attacking ability. However, Manchester City proved that Liverpool can be stopped from playing with their usual flow.
The fact that Liverpool could not score a goal at their own home speaks volumes about Manchester City’s brilliance in this game. Had Mahrez not missed that penalty, City could even have come away with a victory.