Trent Alexander-Arnold accomplished more than just contribute to the making of a minor historical moment and the denial of a major one for Manchester City. The Liverpool right-back showed that his team was prepared to fight for the Premier League title when he fired a beautiful long-range effort past Ederson and into the far corner.
In 2023, City had won a record 23 games in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium. It has now concluded. With one more win, they would have tied Sunderland’s 1890–1892 record for the most victories by an English premier league team. It was not meant to be.
Naturally, Erland Haaland scored their goal halfway through the first half. In just 48 Premier League games, he reached the 50-game mark, becoming the fastest player to do so ever (it had previously taken Andy Cole 65 games).
In the eighth and final minute of stoppage time, Haaland came dangerously close to winning when he rose to meet a corner but missed it by a whisker. All in all, it was a day when City let Liverpool off the hook. They left with a lot of regrets, but none greater than when referee Chris Kavanagh controversially decided that Manuel Akanji had fouled Alisson on a corner in the 68th minute, just before Rúben Dias scored. It was a difficult choice.
Prior to the match, Alexander-Arnold stated that Liverpool was certain they could upset City’s hegemony and win the league. The action to support it now arrived. The only league loss for Jürgen Klopp’s team this season came at the hands of Tottenham. The afternoon’s highlight was Alexander-Arnold shooing away the City supporters after receiving a pass from Mohamed Salah. Bernardo Silva and Julián Álvarez were slow to close him down, but Alexander-Arnold pulled the trigger in a magnificent fashion. This was a turning point for their redesigned team.
There were several subplots going on, not the least of which is the one that still haunts City and seems to be more dangerous now that Everton has been docked 10 points by the Premier League for financial irregularities. What about the 115 accusations made against the winners?
When will this almost five-year investigation into them come to an end? Regarding what he believes to be a desire for his team to be punished, Pep Guardiola stated on Friday, “I know the people want it, I feel it.”
The stadium was the center of attention, with blue skies replacing the ominous clouds just before the 12.30 p.m. kickoff—an odd time for a blockbuster—and spectators initially confused. Everton’s draw on December 31, 2022, was the last time a visiting team had not lost here.
After a Doku break, Álvarez overcooked a cross for Haaland, and Alisson used his hand to block a Foden shot, denying the hosts a second goal right before the half. Before the half, Liverpool had some good moments, best demonstrated by Darwin Núñez’s header in the 15th minute from a Salah cross, following an impressive run by Joël Matip. Ederson produced a cunning save. Núñez came close, but not quite, and Szoboszlai’s attempt was stopped by Dias.
Klopp thought his team still had a better chance than a puncher’s chance. At minute 54, he made like-for-like substitutions, substituting Ryan Gravenberch and Luis Díaz for Jones and the injured Diogo Jota.
City was hoping for a second, and they believed they had it when Alisson, under light pressure from the outstanding Akanji, flapped at a corner, allowing Dias to tap in. Alisson would go unpunished by Kavanagh, who decided that Akanji had breathed too deeply close to him.
In the seventieth minute, Guardiola was seen requesting more noise from the City supporters. With Doku’s energy, it was odd to say, but in the last moments, they started to sleepwalk a little. Arnold Alexander would startle them.