Manchester City fought back to claim a 1-1 draw against Premier League champions Liverpool but will leave the Etihad Stadium clash wondering what might have been.
That’s because Kevin De Bruyne missed a golden chance to give City the lead just before half time but the Belgian put his penalty wide of goal.
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Mohamed Salah gave the Reds the lead early in the match with a penalty of his own after Kyle Walker tripped Sadio Mane.
The home side hit back with Gabriel Jesus producing a fine piece of skill before poking the ball home.
Pep Guardiola’s side could have turned the match on its head when Joe Gomez was penalised for handball.
But De Bruyne couldn’t oblige, sparking feelings Man City and their fans are all too familiar with when facing Liverpool.
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City had the better chances to claim the three points but it was Liverpool who started the stronger as Klopp went for the surprise call to play an ultra-attacking line-up, with both Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota starting.
But the decision appeared to have paid off with Liverpool overwhelming their opponents. The penalty was awarded in the eleventh minute as Mane was felled by Walker – the defender’s actions earning a scathing assessment from Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane. Salah duly slotted the ball home.
The hosts came back into it and their first effort on goal saw De Bruyne’s excellent low cross from the right find Raheem Sterling. The England international had the option to lay the ball off to Jesus but went for goal himself and Alisson was equal to it before the returning Joel Matip cleared the danger.
Unlike Sterling, Jesus showed he had his shooting boots on as he foxed Trent Alexander-Arnold with a flick before poking the ball through the onrushing Alisson.
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The assist came from De Bruyne and the midfielder did more good work as won his side a penalty when his cross struck Gomez’s arm. De Bruyne took the spot-kick himself but it went wide of the post.
It’s not the first time City have missed a penalty against Liverpool, with Riyad Mahrez firing over when the two sides met at Anfield back in the 2018/19 season.
In truth, the contest began to peter out after that but both sides had a decent chance to take the lead with the ball almost squirming under Ederson after Alexander-Arnold fired in powerfully.
Meanwhile, Jesus headed a Ferran Torres cross just wide in an uneventful second period which saw both sides appear to be increasingly content with a point as the match wore on.
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