Erling Haaland’s historic 50th goal in the English top flight propelled Pep Guardiola’s men into the ascendancy early doors, but the Norwegian’s effort was cancelled out by a fine Trent Alexander-Arnold finish 10 minutes before the end, leaving City at risk of losing their grip on first place in the coming hours.
While the headline team news was Haaland’s inclusion in the hosts’ XI, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gave the nod to three members of his South American contingent, although he may have started to regret his decision to throw Alisson Becker into the starting side.
The Brazilian goalkeeper got away with a calamitous error in the 12th minute, gifting Phil Foden an opportunity on the edge of the box only to see the Englishman send a tame effort into his grateful grasp, before Haaland failed to make the most of a mix-up between Alisson and Curtis Jones.
In between Alisson’s two nervy moments, his compatriot Ederson was called into action to parry a 16th-minute Darwin Nunez header to safety, but chances were few and far between for Liverpool as City continued to turn the screw.
Alisson was not punished for his earlier two mishaps, but the Reds number one would not be so lucky a third time, as with 27 minutes on the clock, the Brazilian slipped and ballooned a goal kick into the air, which was taken down by Nathan Ake inside the Liverpool half.
The Dutchman skipped past Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai with ease before slipping through Haaland, who found the far corner – with the help of Alisson’s palms – to leave another record tumbling in his wake, netting 50 Premier League goals in a mere 48 matches.
Seeking a response before the break, a ruffled Liverpool side launched a few forays forward without success, one of which saw Nunez find the side netting from a tight angle in the 35th minute after being found by Szoboszlai.
Alisson partially made amends for his previous gaffes in the 44th minute, tipping Foden’s low drive round the post after the Englishman had cut inside from the right, and Liverpool began the second half the brighter until Diogo Jota left the field with an injury; Luis Diaz replaced him.
Jones’s number was also up as Klopp introduced Ryan Gravenberch into the fray, but Liverpool’s efforts to trouble Ederson continued to prove futile, thanks in no small part to a succession of wasted corners.
City’s desire for a second goal soon took over, as Rodri let fly from distance in the 64th minute but was thwarted by the backside of Joel Matip, whom Rodri believed for a split second had used his hand to divert the ball behind.
The hosts very nearly offered Liverpool a set-piece lesson in the 68th minute, as Ruben Dias tapped home at the back stick after Alisson let a corner slip through his grasp, but he was under pressure from Manuel Akanji and was saved by a debatable foul decision.
Liverpool ought to have thanked their lucky stars that the VAR room agreed with Chris Kavanagh’s original call, as replays showed that the contact was minimal, and the Reds made the most of their reprieve in the 80th minute.
Rather than go for goal himself, Mohamed Salah – one strike away from 150 in the Premier League – teed up Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box, and the right-back fizzed a wonderful low strike into the far corner before gesturing to the aghast City faithful to quieten down.
Eight minutes of added time was not enough for either side to nick a winner, although Liverpool had to survive one final City corner with an injured Alisson, who had gone down holding his thigh but had to soldier on due to Klopp having already used up his five substitutions.
Tempers flared between Nunez and Guardiola at the end as City retained their one-point advantage over Liverpool at the top of the table, but Arsenal will leapfrog both teams into first place with a win over Brentford this evening.
A Champions League home clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday is next on the menu for Man City, while Liverpool host LASK Linz in the Europa League two days later.
