Premier League leaders Liverpool welcomed reigning champions Manchester City to Anfield Stadium on a damp Sunday afternoon (March 10). The potential Premier League title decider had numerous noteworthy moments, with both teams creating a bucketload of chances to win the game. Luckily for last season’s Premier League runners-up Arsenal, the two sides failed to come up with a winner, settling for a 1-1 draw.
The stalemate in Merseyside allowed Arsenal to go top of the Premier League rankings, thanks to their superior goal difference to Liverpool (46 vs 39). Manchester City, meanwhile, are now third in the table with 63 points, trailing the Gunners by a solitary point.
Corner-Kick Routine Comes To Manchester City’s Aid In The First Half
As expected, Pep Guardiola’s side took control of possession early on in the game. They kept the ball moving from side to side and vertically, not allowing Liverpool a moment’s respite. Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Phil Foden all regularly made inroads into the Reds’ box, but the home side held firm to deny them a goal.
Of course, open-play brilliance is not the only trick Manchester City bring to the table. They are also a notoriously clinical side from set-pieces. On Sunday, their dead-ball prowess came to the fore, as De Bruyne brilliantly set up John Stones for City’s opener. In the 23rd minute, the Belgian swung in a low cross toward the near post. Stones, completely unmarked, got to the ball unchallenged and poked the ball beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.
In the 39th minute, Haaland had a chance to put City two goals to the good, but he could not overwhelm Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk in a foot race. The Norwegian succeeded in getting his shot away but Kelleher had no trouble holding on to it.
Then, in the first-half injury time, Kyle Walker had all the time and space in the world to set De Bruyne up for a tap-in at the far post. The Englishman, however, put too much power into his cross and…
Source link : https://sportslens.com/news/liverpool-1-1-manchester-city-arsenal-go-top-premier-league/
Author : Sushan Chakraborty
Publish date : 2024-03-11 07:14:46
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.