Trent Alexander-Arnold was the man for the moment as Liverpool pinched a point against league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester City went ahead through Erling Haaland in the first half but Jurgen Klopp’s side hung in there and snatched a point thanks to Alexander-Arnold’s rasping 80th-minute strike, seconds after Haaland’s point-blank effort was kept out by Allison.
After the Reds made it 1-1, Pep Guardiola’s side failed to capitalise on some encouraging openings on the break. As the game headed into stoppage time, Bernardo Silva saw an effort blocked, not long before Haaland’s header flicked just inches wide from a corner.
Despite a mixed performance, Liverpool saw out the game and picked up a valuable point in what has proven to be a defining fixture in past Premier League seasons for the club. On that note, let us take a look at how the Liverpool players fared against Man City.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs Manchester City
Alisson Becker—5/10
Made some sloppy mistakes on the ball early on, including a pass straight to Foden but went unpunished. However, his poor kicking led to City’s goal. A good save low to his left from Foden before the break and a big stop from close range off Haaland much later in the game helped Liverpool earn a point.
Trent Alexander-Arnold—7/10
Had his hands full with the tricky Doku and rarely won an individual battle. But going forward, he made the difference by scoring the equaliser with a rasping drive past Ederson.
Joel Matip—6/10
Drove forward with the ball at times and helped Liverpool play out from the back. Made a couple of important challenges on Doku in the first half but wasn’t at his best positionally for Haaland’s opener.
Virgil van Dijk—6/10
Strong in the air and clipped some good balls forward but between himself and Matip they needed to be better for Haaland’s goal. Won lots of headers and clearances while keeping Haaland mostly quiet after the break.
Kostas Tsimikas—6/10
The Greek left-back kept things simple in possession. No real errors and fared pretty well throughout the game.
Dominik Szoboszlai—5/10
Some nice touches on the ball and brought energy to the side. The Reds looked at the Hungarian for creativity and flair but sadly it didn’t really happen today. Not his best day in the office. Subbed off.
Alexis Mac Allister—5/10
Swamped by City players at times in central areas and never had the recovery pace to win back possession. Looked well below his best and playing in a deeper role just isn’t working for the Argentinean. Lucky not to be booked for a few nibbles.
Curtis Jones—4/10
Nearly put Alisson in big trouble when trying to pass out the back from his own six-yard box. Lost possession many times and barely made an impact in the second half. Subbed off.
Mohamed Salah—7/10
The Egyptian played some excellent through balls and crosses into the box. Always looking to stretch City’s defence by positioning himself out wide and then centrally. Teed up a couple of good chances for Nunez. Class to set up Alexander-Arnold’s equaliser.
Darwin Nunez—6/10
Worked his socks off as usual and had a header tipped away by Ederson early in the first half. Nunez again tested City’s No.1 with a near-post shot. Had a couple of chances but couldn’t convert.
Diogo Jota—4/10
Outmuscled and outworked by Walker in the first half and subbed off with an injury in the second.
Substitutes
Luis Diaz—6/10
Provided the cross that led to the Alexander-Arnold equaliser.
Ryan Gravenberch—6/10
Came on for Jones in the 54th minute. Sat in deep and helped Liverpool get some control in the game.
Cody Gakpo—5/10
Didn’t really make much of an impact.
Wataru Endo—N/A
Booked for a cynical foul on Doku, who was racing towards the Liverpool goal.
Harvey Elliot—N/A
Helped see out the result for the Reds.
