Man City were set to equal incredible record before Liverpool and Trent Alexander-Arnold struck

Liverpool succeeded in spoiling Manchester City's incredible record at the Etihad Stadium. Fresh from the international break, the Reds battled it out with the league leaders in Manchester. Jurgen Klopp[1]'s side were tentative in the first half and found themselves 1-0 down to an Erling Haaland goal, following a wayward clearance from Alisson Becker and some sloppy Liverpool[2] defending. The Reds were much improved after the break, putting Man City under constant pressure.

Although they were somewhat fortunate to see Ruben Dias' goal disallowed for an earlier foul on Alisson, Liverpool eventually got the goal that their performance deserved through an inch-perfect finish from Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back made a late charge into the box from a midfield position, latching on to Mohamed Salah[3]'s pass and drilling the ball into the bottom corner to earn a hard-fought point for Liverpool. It was not only a goal that proved the Reds could be part of the title race but also stopped Man City from chasing an English top-flight record.

Heading into the match, Guardiola's team had won their last 23 games at home in all competitions, dating back to the club's FA Cup[6] victory over Chelsea in January. This put Man City one step away from equalling Sunderland's record of 24 consecutive home wins, which has stood for 131 years (December 1890 - April 1892). After the final whistle, both Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool's goal scorer Alexander-Arnold expressed that the team could have produced a better performance.

However, breaking Man City's win-streak and preventing the club from equalling an English record is evidence that Liverpool are capable of duelling the reigning champions for the Premier League[7] title.

The draw leaves Liverpool a point off Man City in top spot, though both sides could be leapfrogged by Arsenal, should the Gunners win against Brentford on Saturday evening.

References

1. ^ Jurgen Klopp (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
2. ^ Liverpool (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
3. ^ Mohamed Salah (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
4. ^ Liverpool player ratings as Trent Alexander-Arnold and two others good vs Man City (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
5. ^ Liverpool's next five Premier League fixtures compared to Man City, Arsenal and Man United (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
6. ^ FA Cup (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
7. ^ Premier League (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)