Liverpool’s draw with Man City gives them PL title race edge،
LIVERPOOL, England – Arsenal were the only winners at the end of the titanic battle between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield, but after fighting back to secure a 1-1 draw against the champions, Jurgen Klopp's team were the ones who really the advantage. the race for the Premier League title.
After scoring a late winner to seal a 2-1 win over Brentford at the Emirates on Saturday, Arsenal took top spot in the table and kept it as two of the best teams of the Premier League era clashed for almost 100 minutes. Sunday to end the day with one point each.
But although a first glance at the table suggests the momentum is now with the Gunners, who are a point clear of Liverpool at the top by finishing the day ahead of Pep Guardiola's side – a side who bid to become the first English team to win four consecutive titles – Liverpool will now believe their destiny is in their own hands.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (US)
Win each of their remaining 10 league matches and they will finish ahead of City, regardless of how many wins Guardiola's side achieve by the end of the campaign.
And with Arsenal due to travel to City in their next match, before negotiating ever-difficult away matches at Tottenham and Manchester United during the run-in period, the odds look favoring Liverpool as they attempt to put an end to Klopp's reign as coach. see him walk away with the title.
Arsenal will have to banish any such doubts over their ability to keep their cool in the final weeks of the season as Mikel Arteta's players buckled under the strain while chasing the title and a top-four finish over the course of the season. from each of the last two seasons. However, Liverpool have now faced Arsenal and City twice, so their path is clear and City will know that Klopp's side now have the ability to make it 10 wins in a row.
That's why Alexis Mac Allister's second-half equalizer from the penalty spot could prove so important. If the Argentina international had not reached Liverpool's level and City had won, there would have been a sense of inevitability that City would take the lead and then do what they always do by crushing all their opponents in the coming weeks to win another title.
But Liverpool hit back with a second-half performance full of spirit and desire to maintain their slim one-point lead over Guardiola's side. If VAR had asked referee Michael Oliver to review a penalty incident nine minutes into added time, when Jérémy Doku appeared to catch Mac Allister with a foot to the chest in the penalty area, the home side could have won and taken a four-point lead, but Doku escaped.
“It was a 100 percent penalty,” Klopp said. “They [officials] will find an explanation. It was a 100% foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card. All the people with iPads around me were like, “Wow, that’s clear.” Maybe they can hide behind the phrase “it's not clear and obvious.”
“It's of course a penalty but we didn't get it and that's great. The most important thing for me is that we can play football like this. I saw so many sensational performances today. “
Klopp's assessment of his players highlighted the real reason his team got a point. Unable to name Mohamed Salah or Andy Robertson in his starting team due to fitness concerns – both were introduced on time – Klopp had to rely on youngsters Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley at the back and on Harvey Elliott, 20, on defense. midfielder, but each of them, as well as unsung players such as Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez and Luis Díaz, put in immense performances.
City started like the slick machine they have become under Guardiola and their outstanding player, John Stones, gave them the lead by scoring from a Kevin De Bruyne corner in the 23rd minute. City continued to hit the crossbar and post, but Liverpool's second-half display outplayed Guardiola's side and they ended up outscoring City by 19 shots to 10 to underline their dominance. It was a dominance that led to Guardiola replacing a disgruntled De Bruyne with Mateo Kovacic in the 68th minute.
“We needed a player who keeps the ball,” Guardiola said, leading the Belgian midfielder to challenge the decision with the manager and coaching staff on the touchline. Liverpool had made City lose their rhythm, made life uncomfortable for the champions and left them holding on to a point in the end.
“After we awarded the penalty we suffered,” Guardiola said. “We had our moments, they had theirs. We take that into account.”
Guardiola's expression, however, hinted at a different reality: he knew how damaging it could be for his team to fail to score all three points. Liverpool are formidable rivals and, if they beat Brighton at Anfield on March 31 – 2.5 hours before City host Arsenal – they will move to the top of the table and only an Arsenal victory at the Etihad will dislodge them.
That's City's problem. If Liverpool keep winning, they won't be able to catch them, and that's why Klopp and his players now hold the advantage in a thrilling title race.
