Liverpool 1, Manchester City 2 – Match Recap: Slow Burn Heartbreak

LIVERPOOL 1 – 2 MANCHESTER CITY

Liverpool:Szoboszlai 73’
Manchester City:Silva 84’, Haaland 90+3’

Pre-Match

The unbeaten streak has ended and we’ve started all over again. We’ve won our last two with ten goals to one after the disappointing loss to Bournemouth in stoppage time, but the real test is here with our rival in skill. Manchester City come to Anfield, eight points ahead of us and four places in the table. It has been a helluva season for us, not in a good way, and the last time we met City was in the November fog of losses, the blow that took us back to Earth after we thought maybe we’d found the path out. I know, we’d rather not be reminded. There is a faint optimism this time, now that Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz have found themselves on the pitch, despite our defensive woes. Sometimes you just have to score more than the other guys, and maybe we can do that against City today.

First Half

Anfield is in full color at Manchester City come out and we get underway. City take control early on and get in front of goal a minute in, and Alisson comes out a little far but Erling Haaland isn’t able to finish it off thanks to Kerkez scurrying the ball away. It only takes a few more minutes for Liverpool to do the reverse, with Ekitike getting to goal and trying to lay it off to Salah but a scramble by City’s defense ends the attack. Things appear open in these starting minutes, with both teams up for the fight. Both teams are pressing and dueling for every ball and finding spaces to move. Trying very hard to be optimistic here, we’re only eight minutes in. City win a free kick a mile outside the box and it is delivered well by Bernardo Silva but Khusanov’s header goes wide ande the threat is no real threat at all, thankfully.

Anfield have peppered in some boos for Marc Guehi, which is nice, and things have remained open, play going back and forth in front of each goal since the free kick. City win their first corner in the 16th minute, and it gets into the scrum easily but Van Dijk dispatches it with the same amount of ease. Unfortunately most of the possession has been held by the visitors, so we have had to be a little more reactionary, but we’ve been able to keep them from scoring in these first twenty minutes so it’s not all bad, with Kerkez actually being the standout defensively. Liverpool finally get their own corner, after Alexis Mac Allister releases a beautiful pass through City’s defense to find Salah, who wasn’t entirely prepared for it and his shot goes just wide for the first corner on the other end, just as the rain starts to come down.

The control seems to slowly be shifting in our favor as the first half hour passes, and Wirtz is able to find Ekitike from the midfield, getting the striker right in front of the goal but Guehi gets the ball away for a goal kick and the ball returns to the Reds. Alisson comes out worryingly far and has to handle the ball with his feet which is always a little anxiety inducing, and it goes out before coming back in to Haaland’s feet. He takes a chance and it’s thankfully caught securely by Alisson to deny the Norwegian. Despite the lack of goals on our end, there should be a lot to be proud of honestly. We’ve stifled one of the best strikers in the world so far and and though they’ve had all the possession, they haven’t been able to do much with it as we’ve been in the way every time.

Things have gotten a little more exciting just at the end of the half, as Liverpool take a free kick and there’s potential for a penalty as Salah looks to be pulled down. VAR rules it out though and play goes back to the way it was with a goal kick from Donnarumma. One goal before the break, from the Reds, would be great, as Ekitike does his best to get forward but he’s bullied out and it’s another goal kick. There’s two minutes added to the half, but looks like nothing else will happen before the whistle goes.

Second Half

We come back for the second half with no changes made, attacking towards the Kop, and get control of the ball quickly to get in front of City’s goal but are beaten back. Alisson once again comes out too far, leaving the goal open and thankfully Szoboszlai is there to kick the ball away out of danger. Van Dijk earns the first yellow card for the Reds after tackling Haaland uncharacteristically, but honestly it’s nice to see him actually put himself in danger. It has been nearly all Liverpool in these opening minutes of the second half, and there is definitely a feeling that we could catch them out and get a goal soon – especially after the commentators revealed that City haven’t scored in the second half all season.

The first real sniff at goal comes from, who else, but Hugo Ekitike getting the ball from Cody Gakpo and Florian Writz, but the effort goes high and wide. It doesn’t take long for the Reds to win the ball back and go back on the march, though they aren’t able to connect the pieces sitting in front of goal. They keep turning the screw here and Ekitike even has a collision with Donnarumma, but it’s ruled offside and so nothing comes of it. The match has truly turned up the energy as City get in front of Alisson and Antoine Semenyo takes a shot but it goes right into the Brazilian’s arms, and he releases it classically towards our forwards and Ekitike has another chance, but it goes wide again. Chances are coming quickly for Liverpool now, and the goal is definitely coming soon.

Manchester City make the first changes of the match with Ruben Dias coming on for Khusanov and Ryan Cherki coming on for Marmoush. Khusanov comes off for concussion protocol so City get an extra sub later on if they need it, which is not fun knowledge. Gravenberch goes down hard after a challenge from a City player but they get away without a warning and play continues with City taking the advantages and getting closer to goal than in the last ten minutes. We’ve reached the hour mark and Liverpool get a lucky break with Gakpo passing to Ekitike who backheels it to Wirtz, and his effort goes off target for a corner. Szoboszlai sends it in but it’s defended by Haaland and out again.

There’s another chance for a penalty in the 68th minute as Salah goes down in the box after Guehi pulls on the Egyptian’s shirt but only a free kick is given by the referee before VAR checks it and approves the decision, but sure. Salah steps up to take it and the free kick routine they had perfected and his effort goes towards the space station instead of at goal. We have twenty minutes left in the half and it looks like we need a little bit of a wobble – a substitution would be great – to get back on the front foot. Liverpool win another free kick in Szoboszlai’s preferred area after Gravenberch is taken out and the hope is alive. Szoboszlai steps up to take it and AND IN IT GOES!!!!! LIVERPOOL LEAD!! DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI SHOOTS A ROCKET, HITTING THE POST AND INTO THE BACK! Donnarumma didn’t move, even Konate could barely believe it! Four goals, all from free kicks this season. What a player.

Liverpool get back on the march with only a little over ten minutes left, but that goal will be more easily defended. Another one before the end wouldn’t hurt though. The control is still in Liverpool’s hands, with City looking toothless here at the end. It looks like another one without a sub for Liverpool, too, which is frustrating with Sunderland on the horizon just two days away. The Reds switch off briefly, long enough to allow Haaland to pass to Silva and the visitors score to equalize. Of course that is what triggers the first sub for Slot, with Curtis Jones coming on. The pressure is back on to find a winner before the clock runs out. Seven minutes are added in stoppage time and City are given a penalty after Alisson runs into Matheus Nunes after he takes a shot. He’s been making crazy decisions all match so this feels apropos. Haaland steps up and scores, and City take the lead. All the wind out of the sails.

Just to add insult to injury, Alisson goes up for a corner (!!) leaving the goal open, and Donnarumma actually hits it out Cherki while the goal is undefended, despite Szoboszlai’s best efforts and the ball rolls across the line. The goal is ruled out, VAR tells Craig Pawson to check it pitchside for a possible foul, and it goes from bad to worse with Sozoboszlai gets sent off and City gets a free kick. Absolutely insane.

Final Thoughts

It looked like Liverpool would do the thing, but can’t help feeling disappointed with that result after fighting so hard for the opening goal. We’d kept City out for 80 minutes but that is the problem with City, underestimate them (and PGMOL) at your peril.