This article is part of our Match of the Week series.
Liverpool and Manchester City's tilt Sunday didn't disappoint in a back-and-forth match ending 1-1 after 90 minutes. The two teams split both of their contests this season, each walking away with two points after their contest in November ended 1-1, as well. This kept the top three at a standstill following Arsenal's win Saturday, as Liverpool remain second, only missing out on the top spot due to goal differential, while City stay in third, one point behind.
Starting XIs
City continued their 3-2-4-1 formation with the ball that Pep Guardiola has preferred in the last month. They made an overload of changes from their UCL win against Copenhagen on Wednesday. Beginning with the defense as Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker and John Stones all saw the start. Then came Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva returning to the starting XI, with only four players maintaining a starting role from the last contest.
Liverpool also received a handful of movement, with four players reintroduced to the starting XI. Those players would be Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, while Jarell Quansah got the start in place of the injured Ibrahima Konate. The biggest surprise was Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley starting at full-back, leaving Andrew Robertson on the bench.
Match Facts
First Half
As the match kicked off Sunday, you could tell it was set for a barn burner of a contest, with neither team supporting much tactical presence until around the 10th minute. The game began looking almost like a tennis match, as the ball was pinged between each team due to the world-class high press from the sides, while they looked to take the front foot early by catching the opposition off guard with a counterattack and gaining the first goal.
However, shortly after the feel-out opening minutes, the game slowed down, with City setting up tactically first. They maintained the typical fast-paced possession style of play that they favor, though they did see some change when moving the ball forward, specifically with their intent to get into the box. They took a step away from the standard direct passing into Erling Haaland and using him as a poacher. Instead, they used him as a target man, utilizing him to receive the ball in the middle of the pitch before passing out to one of the wingers, as Haaland would attract all the attention in the middle of the pitch.
This was mainly demonstrated on the left wing, as Bradley would push further up the pitch when Liverpool was attacking, leaving the defense in a back three, with City using that to their advantage by pulling Bradley to the middle before playing Alvarez in on a through ball down the open left flank that Bradley was supposed to be covering.
The Cityzens also tried to use their normal build-up from the back using quick and intricate passing, but much of that was foiled by Liverpool's press. For the first time this season, City were held to under 50-percent possession while also completing 55 fewer passes than the opposition.
The defensive setup was also very similar to previous matches, as they would switch to the 4-2-3-1 when on the back foot and immediately press on possession loss. However, they struggled to maintain that shape for much of the match, usually getting caught out with only the two defenders they use when attacking due to Liverpool's speedy counterattack. This would develop into City's most considerable issue during the match.
Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp came in with a plan much more suited to stop City but still kept to their roots with the primary intents of their tactics. They kept with the usual high press based counter-attacking strategy, looking to hold the ball near the opponent's final third and around the box, always searching for a lethal pass into the center of the box. They still had some possession-based play in the middle of the pitch, but much of the possession earned was not due to holding the ball but instead due to their effective pressing.
When in possession or on the attack, Liverpool preferred a back three in the defense, moving Bradley up to the wing while Harvey Elliott shifted centrally, creating a wall of six players in the midfield, making it very difficult for City to keep possession after they had won it. However, this came with its wins and losses, as they gained numerous opportunities with this tactic but also suffered some close calls due to the movement, leaving the left wing open for action when Bradley was not able to track back quick enough or was caught in the midfield.
The most significant factor moving forward for Liverpool was the speed of their attack when breaking out on a counter. Nunez and Luis Diaz were constantly beating the two defenders left back by City. Once a pass forward was made, it was usually tracked down by one of the two before an overlapping through ball was made to the other for a chance on goal, with this development happening at least five times. However, like much of the season, the problem came with their finishing, as the two combined for three chances created, four shots and six passes into the final third despite not notching an assist or goal, while also adding two big chances missed.
Defensively, they dropped into more of a 4-1-4-1 formation, allowing Endo to sit in a holding midfield role that he excelled in Sunday, notching six recoveries, six duels won, four tackles, two interceptions and two clearances while only committing one foul. They sat very tight in the middle of the pitch when defending, something most clubs do when facing City, making it immensely difficult for the Blues to enter the box. Manchester entered the final third multiple times but found problems when locating someone on the other end of the cross due to the accumulation of Liverpool defenders in the box.
Much of the match was back and forth in the first 45, with the teams separated by just six-percent possession while being even on shots with seven. However, City would be the first to break through in the 23rd minute after a perfectly executed corner kick saw Stones open up at the front post for a tap-in goal, ending the first half with a 1-0 lead for City.
Second Half
As the second half started, it looked to be more back-and-forth football between the two clubs. However, that would quickly change in the 50th minute, as Alexis Mac Allister converted from the penalty spot after Ederson crashed into Nunez, giving Liverpool a spot kick.
For a good portion of the match moving on, the Reds appeared to hold all the momentum, as they started to implement more possession into their tactics as they became more comfortable. Mac Allister, Endo and Szoboszlai began to dominate the midfield, giving City almost no space to move and winning back possession as soon as it was lost while also being phenomenal in picking out passes to the three players running forward.
The primary changes tactically came from the managers once they made their first substitutions, as Robertson and Mohamed Salah entered in the 61st minute to completely change the game. Klopp went full guns blazing on the attack, overloading each side of the pitch when moving forward, with Robertson and Diaz on one side, while Gomez and Salah controlled the other. This would cause prominent problems for City, as they are used to a usually higher line from their wingers, allowing a lot of two-on-one positions for Ake and Walker on the flanks of the defense. This would lead to multiple great chances from Liverpool, as Nunez, Diaz and Salah just missed on a plethora of chances from the 60th to 70th minute.
After Pep saw his team get peppered with shots during that span, he decided to make a change on the wing as Alvarez made way for Jeremy Doku. This would cause Elliott, now serving in the midfield, to shift down and help Gomez due to Doku's rapid pace and great one-on-one talents. Perhaps the most crucial moment of the match for City was that change, as the drop to two from three in the midfield for Liverpool foiled much of their possession and movement going forward, making it a much more even contest again.
From there, the match was played in segments of momentum for both teams, as they both shaped out great shots despite not finding the net again, with Salah and Diaz both narrowly missing the bottom corners of the net while Doku and Foden both reverberated the crossbar with the club's final chances. There was one more point of controversy right before the whistle for full time, as Liverpool called for a possible penalty for a high boot.
The match most likely ended the way it should have, in a stalemate, as both managers put on tactical masterclasses as they tried to inch closer to a Premier League title. However, even as a biased City fan, I have to say it was most likely Liverpool's match to win, with the most prominent factor of the game being their rapid front three against the two center-backs of City. They had more momentum in the match, holding 53 percent of the possession while registering three big chances, 19 shots and 2.70 xG, compared to City's two, 10 and 1.56, respectively.
Man of the Match
This was a tough decision, as the likes of Endo, Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk could have taken home the prize, but in the end, it has to be Endo for his world-class performance on both sides of the ball. I honestly don't see Liverpool getting a point from the match without him, as he played a crucial role in stopping many of City's attacks while distributing the ball well going forward, leading to multiple opportunities. He ended the match by completing all but three of his 62 passes, registering three passes into the final third and winning six of his seven duels. He also added six recoveries, four tackles, two clearances and one interception in the defense.
Upcoming Fixtures
Manchester City just finished the opening parts of their gauntlet of a schedule, as they now face Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday before hosting Arsenal at the end March. They kick off April with another tough match against Aston Villa before getting a break against Crystal Palace and Luton Town.
Liverpool has a much more relaxed schedule, concluding March with a tie against Manchester United in the FA Cup and then facing Brighton. April begins with a match against Sheffield United before facing Man United again, finishing the five-game spell with Crystal Palace.
Looking Ahead
I don't have to break this segment into two parts this week because both teams have the same goal to finish this season, as they both push for the Premier League title. Neither team can afford to drop a point, as it is a three-way race for first, with Arsenal also getting in on the action. Luckily for Liverpool, they will have a slight edge in the schedule, with City's being much more difficult to close out the season, especially with tough UCL contests on the horizon (though Liverpool also have UEL to worry about).
Gameweek 29 Preview
With only four games taking place next week, there is little to pick from when it comes to the match of the week. However, there's always something to look forward to, as Nottingham Forest and Luton Town meet for a massive six-point tilt. The two remain separated by three points with Luton Town sitting 18th and Nottingham just ahead of them in 17th. A win from Luton Town would see Nottingham fall into the bottom three, while a loss for Luton may ensure their relegation.
