Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champions, visited Etihad this evening to lock horns with Manchester City in an electrifying weekend encounter. The game started exquisitely with both the team creating opportunities, however, the 1-1 outcome at the end of an eventful first half turned out to be final scoreline when both the sides opted to play it safe after the break.
The Reds had their chances early on but lacked accuracy with their final deliveries. They did not take much time to break the deadlock though as Kyle Walker brought Sadio Mane down inside the box.
The Sky Blues were claiming a foul on Raheem Sterling at the other end of the pitch just before the counter-attack was staged, but the referee Craig Pawson waived it off and Mohamed Salah made no mistake from the spot to earn the visitors a well-deserved lead. City had to respond quickly to avoid further damage and they did so in style when Kevin De Bruyne set it up for Gabriel Jesus to find the equalizer.
The Brazilian was excellent to fool Trent Alexander-Arnold and fire in beyond his compatriot Alisson Becker around the half-hour mark. A late drama earned De Bruyne a spot-kick when the controversial VAR rule penalized Joe Gomez for handling the ball inside the box. It was extremely unfortunate for the Englishman as his hand was in a natural position and the justice was served when the Belgian surprised all by failing to convert the opportunity. A balanced first-half ended 1-1.
