BEVERLY HILLS, November 08, (THEWILL) – The story of this clash of English Premier League heavyweights will centre around the penalty miss that could have changed the game and maybe the scoreline. But, Kevin De Bruyne’s missed penalty proved costly for Manchester City as they played out an engrossing 1-1 draw with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
The pre-match focus had mostly centred on Jurgen Klopp’s team selection. The German solved his selection dilemma involving Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino by picking both, seemingly deciding attack to be the best form of defence for his team following the recent history in this fixture.
That bold approach reaped an early reward, though it was a Kyle Walker gift. The English right-back made an ill-timed lunge on Sadio Mane in the box leaving the referee no choice but to award a penalty. Salah duly slotted home from the spot in the 13th minute for his eighth league goal of the season.
City took their time to get to grips with Liverpool’s attacking system. Kevin De Bruyne’s ability to find pockets of space allowed him to set up the equaliser for City forward Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian’s turn deceived right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and allowed him to poke the ball beyond Alisson, in goal for Liverpool.
Then came the glorious opportunity for City to take the lead before the break. Centre back Joseph Gomez was punished when a cross struck his outstretched arm.
After consulting with VAR, the referee awarded a penalty to the hosts. Only for De Bruyne to uncharacteristically drag his spot-kick wide.
Jesus also spurned a glorious opportunity of his own, heading right-back Joao Cancelo’s inviting cross wide, during a second half that saw a more considered approach from both teams.
Liverpool soon faded as an attacking threat as the minutes ticked by, not helped by the injury to Alexander-Arnold. They, however, avoided suffering any late knockout blow, thereby maintaining the five-point gap between themselves and City on the log.
The battle between the champions and the team they dethroned did not disappoint during the opening half, not even the incessant Manchester rain putting a dampener on proceedings.
Klopp said before kick-off it “made sense” to go with Jota and Firmino – a bold approach that worked early on – but withdrew the latter before the hour.
Jota stayed on for the full game and his 50th-minute attempt, saved easily by Ederson, was the last on target by either side, while City’s final tally of seven shots was their lowest in a home league game since February 2010.
De Bruyne’s penalty attempt was the first in the Premier League to completely miss the target since October 2018, when Riyad Mahrez blazed over at Anfield.
Both managers will hope for a clean bill of health from their players away on international duty before the domestic season resumes. City head to Tottenham on Saturday, November 21, that game kicking off not long after Liverpool have hosted Leicester City at Anfield.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
