Liverpool vs Manchester City at Anfield
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Anfield
Referee : Michael Oliver
10th November 2019 4:30 PM (GMT)
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3 Liverpool
- ‘6' Fabinho
- ‘13' Mohamed Salah
- ‘51' Sadio Mané
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1 Manchester City
- ‘78' Bernardo Silva
#mancity
Commentary By Caroline Oatway @Roline_MCFC
Signing off 👋
Well, that's all from me.
A disappointing day but as Pep and Bernardo say, there's still a long way to go yet...
Onwards and upwards.
Bernardo Silva 💬
"We played against one of the best sides in world.
"When you play at Anfield - against one of the best steams - it's never easy.
"We started well. We conceded the first goal when we were playing better than them
"The first counter was their first goal. It's their quality. You cannot give them much space. If you give them an inch, they will take that and score goals.
"It was a good performance from us but we want more - we want to win
"You can play better than Liverpool and be 2-0, 3-0 behind.
"They are maybe the best team in the world with their counter attack, second balls, set pieces...
"At the end of the game, you can feel it's unfair but it's football
"It was 2-1 to them Congratulations. We'll fight until the end."
Guardiola 💬
"It's part of the game. We lost because they scored three goals and we scored one
"There are many things about a team - how we play and how we have to grow
"There were incredible situations which sometimes influence the result but was so good
"We had a feeling, we tried. We always be positive and never give up, that's why we won back-to-back titles.
"We want to fight until the end. We dropped points for our faults and for other things, we cannot control.
"It's important for us to grow as a club.
"It was a great honour and spectacle for the Premier League - two teams who want to attack and create chances.
"Hopefully, Jurgen thinks the same."
Pep Guardiola 💬
"What happened today is that we showed why we were the Champions.
"In this stadium, to play way we played, we did incredible. I'm so proud of my team.
"They're the strongest team in europe and the way we played, we played so good
"I don't want to take about the referees. I want to talk about our performance - it was so good.
"For the performance we had, it was awesome. One of the best.
"There is still seven months. If Liverpool win the title, I will be the first to congratulate them for how good they are.
"In the boxes, it was similar to the Champions League quarter-finals. Three shots on target; the first three goals.
"After that, we continue."
FULL-TIME ⏱
That's that.
The curse continues, as City fall to a 3-1 defeat at Anfield, despite a dominant performance.
Tonnes of controversy with penalty appeals waved away but City weren't clinical either - unlike the hosts, who scored with their first shots on target.
A very bitter pill to swallow. Not our day on several counts.
Time running out
Into stoppage time now.
It will take something miraculous for City to salvage anything now.
Liverpool change 🔄
Salah for Gomez.
Over the bar!
Last weekend's match-winning duo can't repeat their success, as Walker leaps to reach Angelino's delivery but heads over.
TWO penalty shouts!
Nothing given for handball against Alexander-Arnold... and then nothing given as Alisson dives at Gabriel Jesus' feet.
To say Pep Guardiola is not happy would be a bit of an understatement...
What a chance! 😫
Agonising as City carve open the defence and Sterling cuts back for Gabriel Jesus, who just can't swivel the right way!
The ball hits is heel and is cleared.
Liverpool change 🔄
Oxlade-Chamberlain comes on for the hosts, replacing Firmino.
GOAL! BERNARDO PULLS ONE BACK!
Just when there looked to be no way through, Bernardo drives home first-time to give us a lifeline.
COME ON!
Unlucky.
Sterling drives forward once more. Mane sticks a leg out and almost diverts the ball into the near post but Alisson is alert.
📷 Not his day today.
City change 🔄
Gabriel Jesus is introduced in place of Aguero.
ARGH!
Aguero centrimetres away from pulling us back into it but he misses De Bruyne's cross and the chance goes begging!
Another penalty shout!
Once again, City are denied a penalty, as Sterling is shoved over - but receives nothing!
Rodri is shown a yellow card for dissent.
😑
Liverpool change 🔄
Milner comes on to face his former Club in place of Henderson.
⛰
Liverpool taking control now - even showboating a little.
City heads have gone down and we can't seem to fashion a clear-cut chance to get back into it.
Even De Bruyne's dangerous deliveries have been poor this half.
End-to-end
At the other end, Fimino looks for a fourth but his clipped attempt sails over the bar.
Close.
Sterling does brilliantly to weave his way into the box but his effort is blocked and deflected over.
Goal for Liverpool.
They've done it again.
Mane steals in at the backpost to head Henderson's delivery into the near post.
Bravo got hands to it but couldn't keep it out.
Good start
City have started the second half as we did the first - on the front foot.
Gundogan tries to curl one goalward but it's deflected just over the top.
SECOND HALF ⏱
A HUGE 45 minutes ahead. A big performance needed with a mountain to climb...
Let's show that Champions mettle.
COME ON, CITY!!!
📷 Keep battling!
HALF-TIME ⏱
A painful opening 45 minutes for City, who have dominated possession but find ourselves 2-0 down from the hosts' first two shots on goal.
Tame 😩
Aguero with another chance but his effort lacks the pace to trouble Alisson.
Almost three!
City concede possession cheaply from a throw-in in our defensive third and Salah tries a long-range first-time curler.
Bravo dives to make a fine save.
Wide of the mark!
Aguero goes in search of a route back into the game, played through by De Bruyne - but his effort skews wide.
Fantastic from Ferna 👏
Fernandinho with a perfectly-timed, superb tackle to dispossess Salah and thwart another Liverpool attack.
Wayward
Walker lines up a shot from distance but it's well, well wide.
Save!
Bravo called into action to deny Firmino. Was an awkward one but he kept it out.
📷 A time for leaders.
Living dangerously
A poor corner sets Liverpool off again.
Salah's cross is only half-cleared to Firmino, who takes a touch to create a yard before poking the ball over the bar.
Phew.
Lovren gets up to head a Liverpool corner towards the far post but fortunately, he can't direct it on target and the ball bounces wide.
OFF THE POST! 😩
Desperately unlucky for City, as De Bruyne does brilliantly to put Angelino through but his effort is deflected and comes back off the woodwork!
We're not getting any of the luck.
Decent response
City back in possession now, looking to push forward, but are struggling to find a way through the well-organised, pressing Reds' wall.
Crowd are playing their part too.
Better!
Great effort by Aguero, who nips inside to create a yard before curling goalward.
Alisson makes the save.
Heads up, City! 📷
Keep calm
Liverpool in control now - City look stunned.
Need to regain possession, regain confidence and continue to create chances.
Definitely need to sure things up at the back too - two chances, two goals - and both scorers had all the time in the world.
Panful
This is tough to take.
City have absolutely dominated possession (and should have had a penalty) and yet Liverpool find themselves 2-0 up with their only two ventures forward.
Goal for Liverpool.
Unbelievable. It's a second for the home side - again, against the run of play.
Salah this time, who heads past Bravo.
Agonising!
De Bruyne with yet another swinging set-piece - Stones flies in to connect but it just evades everyone.
Argh!
Chance for Sterling as De Bruyne whips in a good delivery but he heads wide at the near post.
Perhaps should have left it for Aguero...
Suckerpunch
A real blow, that.
The ball definitely struck Alexander-Arnold's arm but nothing was given.
The City players implored the referee but the goal stood. Need a response now.
Goal for Liverpool.
Fabinho opens the scoring with a long-range piledriver.
There's huge controversy though, as City feel we should have had a penalty at the other end for handball before the Reds broke away.
Bright Blues
Really good start from the Champions.
De Bruyne at the heart of everything as City are awarded a series of corners and a dangerous free-kick.
Stones heads the latest delivery wide of the mark though.
Been all City so far.
Promising start
City attacking the Liverpool defence from the off.
We win an early corner, as De Bruyne's volleyed cross takes a deflection and lands on the roof of the net.
It's low and the hosts are out quickly to block.
KICK-OFF ⚽
We are under way at Anfield. City kick things off.
They don't come much bigger... Three points needed.
COME ON, CITY!!!
We will remember them 🌹
The two sides gather in the centre circle for the minutes' silence.
Lest we forget.
A reminder of our City starting XI 🗒
Here we go 🙌
Out come the two sides to a wall of noise from all corners of the ground.
The atmosphere is electric. Both sets of fans are doing all they can to spur their side on.
Time for the handshakes now - get the pleasantries out of the way!
It's almost time... ⏱
The teams are in the tunnel, as kick-off edges ever closer.
Rightly so on this day, we pause to remember those fallen in the war, as a poppy is laid in the centre circle.
There will be a minutes' silence in commemoration of Remembrance Sunday.
15 minutes to go... ⏱
How are the nerves? The atmosphere is building here at Anfield - nerves and excitement.
Everyone knows what's potentially at stake and how crucial three points could be.
Both sides will have strong memories of last season and how one victory swung the title race; how a points lead can be cut with just one goal.
City will have to be on top form in every department - solid at the back against a world-class attack, composed in possession in the middle and clinical upfront.
Can we end the jinx today?! Let's hope so...
Claudio Bravo 💬
"My experience is going to be important on a day like this, at this level. The pressure is massive.
"We've done it previously - been at this high level; we've done it in the past.
"We set a goal at the start of the season to try and fight for the trophy - no matter what.
"That's what we're working on and we want to get three points to reduce the gap and fight for the title race again.
"It's like every other game - we don't contemplate any other scenario than winning. We are going to try."
Pep Guardiola 💬
(On Rodri):"He felt good over the last few days. He felt okay and we decided to select him."
(On Bravo): "The past is the past in football. He's a ''keeper playing at a top club and his national team and he has a lot of experience.
"Go out there and play as good as you are."
(On Anfield): "We will try to win the game. You have to run when you don't have the ball and play when you do have the ball. We will try to do that.
"The quality of the opponent is so strong - we know it. That is the challenge.
"After winning back-to-back Premier Leagues, we need to push as well. They are going to help us for the next three or four years and show this Club the level we have to achieve.
"We want to be up there as long as possible."
👊
Throwback to the last time we met in the Premier League. What a game! ⚡
Sergio Aguero 💬
“You know what I’ve always said. We’ll fight until the very end
“It’s my personal philosophy and a motto of this football club.
“We’ve made it abundantly clear last year, holding the lead during that gruelling home stretch.
“This season didn’t start off the way we wanted it to, and some of the results we’ve had weren’t the one we set out to achieve.
“However, there’s a quite a bit of road ahead of us.
“It certainly won’t be easy, but who said it would ever be?
“We have to trust our game, give our utmost effort, and, just like usual, fight until the very end.”
Wouldn't swap places with ya in a million years! 😉
🤩
Team news and tactics ⬇
Six changes for City 👤
Club journalist Neil Leigh: "Rodri is fit again and returns to the City line-up for today’s keenly anticipated Premier League trip to Liverpool as manager Pep Guardiola makes six changes to the side that drew at Atalanta in midweek.
"The Spanish midfielder has been side-lined since suffering a hamstring injury in our Champions League home clash against Atalanta last month but has overcome the problem and returns for the trip to Merseyside.
"As the boss confirmed on Friday, Claudio Bravo starts in goal, in place of the injured Ederson, while defensive trio Kyle Walker, John Stones and Angelino along with striker Sergio Aguero also return to the starting line-up.
"And in a further boost for the Champions, midfielder David Silva has also overcome the muscular injury which ruled him out of the midweek trip to Italy and is named on the substitutes bench."
Liverpool team news 🔴
📣 CITY TEAM NEWS 📣
Two minutes to team news! 🚨
Tick tock, tick tock...
More from the boss 💬
Pep Guardiola says his players will put the poor record Anfield to the back of their mind on Sunday.
City have recorded just two wins away to Anfield since 1956 – a 3-1 win in 1981 and a 2-1 victory in 2003.
The Catalan is not interested in historic stats, however, and says it is all down to what his players do on the day.
“We try to tell them what they have to do to win the game,” said Pep.
“The mental approach and tactical decisions - I am going to focus on that.
“Statistics? I don't think about much those, but a long time without winning shows how difficult it is to succeed at Anfield.
“Maybe Sunday, it will end. Life goes on. It’s a game and we will do what we have do to win try and win it.
“I cannot explain our record there. I can explain my periods there. In the last few minutes, we had a penalty to win at Anfield last season.
“It’s not easy to go to stadiums like Anfield. They are bigger stages and Liverpool are a good team - what can I say? Everybody knows it.”
Agree...? 🤔
⚠⚠⚠
Liverpool have only lost one of their last 28 top-flight home matches against City and are unbeaten in their last 16 against us at Anfield in the Premier League (W11 D5).
Roberto Firmino has had a hand in seven goals in his eight Premier League matches against City, scoring four and assisting three. He has both scored and set up a goal in three different meetings.
Once a Blue, always a Blue 💙
Unbearable! 😱
Only one topic of conversation in today's headlines! 🗞
BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD?!' | The Liverpool v City Totally Football Show 🎙
A good time to break that duck! 🏏
He may be our all-time top goalscorer and the greatest forward to have donned the sky blue shirt but Sergio Aguero (somehow!) has never scored at Anfield in seven appearances.
He's had ten shots but only two on target... but he heads into this afternoon's encounter in fine form with 13 goals already this campaign.
Another odd statistic... Kun has scored 49 goals in 79 Sunday Premier League matches and could become just the second player to reach 50 on after Wayne Rooney, who struck 63 times in 142 fixtures.
(If you fancy a full read of SWP's interview, here it is! Shameless plug of my own work but hey...) 🤷
What a day that was! 💥
Shauny Wright Wright Wright! 💙
Spoke to City legend Shaun Wright-Phillips this week about the game and his memories of the last time we won at Anfield - he provided the assist for Nicolas Anelka's stunning injury-time leveller!
“I always say Anfield is one of the best places to play but also one of toughest - with the fans, and the fact Liverpool always seem to have a strong squad, especially at home," he said.
“I remember that game in 2003 very well. To get one over on them and win there was an achievement in itself!
“The goalscorer being Nicolas Anelka (who used to play for Liverpool) and us also having Robbie Fowler in the team as well… maybe that was the reason we managed to get it.
“Peter Schmeichel had a worldie, too – he had one of those every now and again, the old man!
“To be honest, I didn’t think too much about the assist – the way it came to me, it was just about playing it on, but Nico still had a lot to do to be fair to put it in the back of the net.
“I suppose I can see Pep liking that goal!”
You have to watch this! Kevin De Bruyne takes on a quiz that charts his career against Liverpool players... 👀
Ferna (on our Anfield record) 💬
“There’s always a first time in the life. As a team, we are searching for this first time to win at Anfield.
“As I say, we go there and try to win the game. The mentality is to always try to win the game. I am confident we can go there and do well.
“We’ve had a few days to prepare for Liverpool after the Atalanta game and will be ready, I can assure you.
“We have games every three or four days, but you get used to that. We know to prepare for the next challenge and then the next one.”
Fernandinho 💬
“Every match our aim is to win and get the three points and it is no different against Liverpool.
“Sometimes it’s not possible, but I think the most important thing is to keep going every game and look to try to improve as a team and as players both individually and collectively.
“For sure we want to win at Anfield and to try to reduce the gap because, when you are closer you have more chances and not to let them get too far ahead.
“As I say to the lads, with a game like this, if you can’t win you don’t lose."
Few and far between(!) but some enjoyable memories amongst this lot... ⬇
Tough one to predict 🤔
There's been so much talk about today's game across the footballing world - the media, pundits, former players, fans - but opinions are divided on who will come out on top.
Liverpool of course have an excellent record at Anfield, while we... erm, absolutely do not(!) and we head into the game with a spate of injuries; most notably to goalkeeper Ederson.
Many expect the Reds are the favourites, especially on home soil, but having watched City for a very long time, this does have the feeling of one of those Typical City games - when the odds are seemingly stacked against us.
Who knows...?!
💙💙💙
Yes please 🤩
Greetings from Anfield 👋
It's a gorgeous day across the northwest - albeit chilly! - and we are live from the Red half of Merseyside.
Of course, this hasn't been a happy hunting ground for City in recent years (a lot of recent years!) but we know how crucial three points today would be for our title hopes.
And a friend of mine has just text me to tell me he's seen the team bus en route to Liverpool so that has to be a good omen!
Lest we forget 🌹
A must-read! 📘
Pep Guardiola 💬
"For me as a manager, last season when we won the Premier League, Liverpool were the best contender I ever faced in my career.
"It was one of our biggest achievements as a club. We were there. It remains the same
"Right now, Liverpool are one of the strongest teams in the world; we know what it means to lay at Anfield. It's 90 minutes,we are going to try to follow the plan in this game."
Early team news 📋
Ederson has been ruled out of today's game, having been substituted at half-time against Atalanta after suffering a muscular problem.
Pep Guardiola confirmed his absence at his Friday press conference, adding he is unsure how long the Brazilian will be unavailable.
David Silva is a doubt after picking up a muscle problem against Southampton, while Aymeric Laporte, Leroy Sane, Rodrigo and Oleksandr Zinchenko all remain sidelined with injury.
It's matchday! ⚽
A very good morning from Manchester!
Today's the day... it's the big one: Liverpool v City at Anfield.
The current league leaders host the Premier League Champions in a fixture which is being billed as 'the match of the year' and a potential title decider... in November!
It's a 4:30pm kick-off and as always, we'll have all of the pre-match build-up, minute-by-minute coverage and post-match reaction right here in the Matchday Centre.
Share your thoughts ahead of the game on Twitter using #cmoncity!
Other games that day
As it stood