EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | Liverpool 2-0 Man City | Defeat at Anfield

Meetings against Liverpool are always titanic, guaranteed to be pulsating, but you can make an argument that perhaps this is the most significant of any of them. The Blues sit eight points off the league leaders, a victory here at the toughest away venue in the country would surely banish once and for all any negativity that that winless six-game run has created. Liverpool have it with Gomez, who hasn't had much game time this season, indeed this is his first Premier League start, and that is a big question for him to be posed against someone like Erling Haaland, but Liverpool are now on the attack and City have been broken down, and the ball is down the left-hand side, there's a shooting opportunity, and City are scrambling back to try and prevent it, and Ortega makes the first save and it gets tipped away. Well, the City players think there was an offside in the middle of all of that, but, yeah, there was an offside, the flag came up right at the end of the move, but Ortega made a save anyway, but I guess the worrying thing for City was just how quickly Liverpool swarmed upon them. City are trying to get through the Liverpool press, they haven't done it, Soberstein, a shooting position, hits it, Ortega saves it, it's cleared as far as Diaz, on it goes to Alexander-Arnold, City are stretched again, and Nunes piles in and forces it out for the corner, but Stefan Ortega already in the opening ten minutes has justified his selection with some really important saves, the latest of which to deny Soboslai. Short corner played to Soboslai on the edge of the area, back it goes to McAllister, back again to Soboslai, cross comes in to the far side, Van Dijk with the header, hits the outside of the post, and City dump it away. Van Dijk at the far post, won the aerial duel, headed it across Ortega and against the outside of the post. A lucky escape for the Blues there, Michael. Just keep coming, another attempted pass from Alexander-Arnold. Yep, and Salah is down the right wing position to the edge of the area, Liverpool really are hunting in packs, and they've scored! Turned in over the line by Gakpo, Salah with the assist, Gakpo with a tap-in over the line, Liverpool's start has been superb, City haven't been able to cope, and Cody Gakpo gives them what I have to say, unfortunately, is a very deserved lead. Liverpool 1-0 City. Arnold's long ball looking for Mo Salah, and Salah's got there, and Ake made a last-ditch tackle, and I think he thinks it came off Salah last. Salah was just in round the back, but Ake actually turned with him and made a very, very good tackle. Oh, well, it surely would have been 2-0. Swinging ball by McAllister, van Dijk heads it wide, and it's just as well that he did, because no-one got anywhere near him. Into the box, van Dijk clear of his marker, plants the header wide of the post, City just glad that it missed. Bernardo Silva comes forward, midway inside the Liverpool half, on it goes to Matheus Nunes, back to Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva inside to Kanji, on it goes to Matheus Nunes, Nunes back to Bernardo Silva again. City moving the ball around well. Gundogan in a pocket of space, helps it on to Haaland, back it goes to Lewis, Lewis hits the shot wide. First chance that City have had, it was kind of a toe-bong in the old-fashioned sense, and he nudged it wide of the post, but that was better from the Blues. And now Robertson charges forward, Robertson crosses the halfway line, it's a great ball, Gakpo's in here, Gakpo, great save Ortega, Nunes came across and made the block as well, and all of a sudden City looked very, very open, and Matheus Nunes made a good tracking run, Ortega came out as well. Bernardo Silva's darting forward, it's a lovely run, on it goes to Lewis, Walker is outside him, Walker hits it in low, Bernardo Silva into the penalty area, a clip over the top and it goes out for a goal kick, but again, Michael, good signs. Yeah, Bernardo Silva brilliant, that little jink as he drives through the middle of the pitch, I think he'd just been a little bit further for Kyle Walker, the fizz across got almost Issa Flickert into the centre, but just drifted over the bar, great approach from Diaz to Bernardo, getting in such good areas, but now stepping in, want to play, the tempo's quicker, and there's a short pass. Oh, and they've lost the ball, City, and this could be terrible, Salah's through on goal, Salah... misses! He misses. A collector's item. The Blues overplaying on the halfway line, lost the ball, Mo Salah through the middle, one-on-one with Ortega, and he puts it over the bar. The ball is now with Akanji, Akanji comes forward but still inside his own half, Haaland's made the run, the ball goes towards Haaland, it's away by Van Dijk on the stretch, good idea though, good run from Haaland, good spot by Akanji, but Van Dijk got it away. The ball is with Diaz, Diaz on to Savino, Savino up against Gakpo, comes inside Savino, keeps on going Savino, loses it on the edge of the area to McAllister, McAllister gives it straight to Akanji, Liverpool then win it back with Sobhoslai, Sobhoslai on towards Luis Diaz, Diaz followed by Diaz, good tackle by Ruben Diaz on Luis Diaz, the ball comes forward, in the right-wing position, Mo Salah in the penalty area, back to Alexander-Arnold, good block, Ortega and Diaz between the two of them. Luis Diaz picks it up, and then it's picked up by Luis, and the ball then has gone for a free-kick to City. Now, was that a save or a block to stop that shot? Either way, City got away with one. Ali, it's offside the first time. Is it the first one? 15 minutes and counting. Kelleher with the ball at his feet. Oh, Ruben Diaz, oh, he's lost it, and Luis Diaz is on to it, and out comes Ortega, and the referee says penalty. Luis Diaz around Ortega, Ortega went for the ball, caught the heel of Luis Diaz, and Chris Kavanagh points to the spot, and VAR will not intervene. Salah against Ortega, runs up, and scores. Sobhoslai on the halfway line, plays it back to Van Dijk, Van Dijk back to... Oh, he's lost it to De Bruyne, De Bruyne! Stopped by Kelleher. Van Dijk lost it to De Bruyne, De Bruyne threw on goal, but Kelleher was on top of him, and he blocked it before De Bruyne could put it in the net. The biggest chance of the match for the Blues, and Kelleher was equal to it. What a chance for City.