It's the fixture that defines an era in Premier League history and in that era
you have the highest performing and the highest points totals ever seen. Today
for the final time Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola lock horns in the Premier League.
There's still a long way to go in this season,
but once again you feel as though it's a season-defining day at Anfield.
Let's take a check on the two teams, we'll start with Liverpool.
There's still no start for Mohamed Salah,
the game just coming a little too quickly after his return from injury.
But Dominic Soboslai makes his first Premier League start
since January after a successful return from injury for him.
Wataru Endo and Darwin Nunez both start having...
come on last week for heroic roles in the win at Nottingham Forest.
And the big story, Jarrell Kwanzaa at centre-half,
his sixth Premier League start and he has to tame the goal machine that is Erling Haaland.
Manchester City are sweeping all before them right now as they tend to at this stage of the season,
they won the Manchester derby comfortably last week, they qualified in Europe in the week,
today there are a couple of changes from the Manchester derby.
Manuel Akanji is preferred at centre-half to Ruben Dias,
Pep Guardiola says that's because of his pace to deal with Darwin Nunez.
The other change, Julian Alvarez coming in for Jeremy Doku.
No Jack Grealish still, so Manchester City do have a few issues wide left,
but that's probably the only issues they have.
That's Bernardo Silva, this is Julian Alvarez,
who goes for goal and Kelleher has to make a good save.
Manchester City pressing Liverpool inside two minutes.
It's Manchester City that have really started out the traps really quickly.
Shot on target from Alvarez and Kelleher has to be quite sharp down to his lower.
But there is a shot which is beaten away by Kelleher from De Bruyne.
Liverpool want a free kick that they're gonna get,
Conor Bradley was dumped to the ground,
that wasn't the easiest for the Liverpool goalkeeper to deal with.
Well, they get a little bit lucky, Manchester City,
but you can't capitalise on it.
It's always dangerous, Kevin de Bruyne,
when he gets to that sort of area of the pitch,
you can see the swerve on the boy,
he hits it really, really well, is the Belgian.
This is Bradley, that's wonderful, Bradley across goal!
And Darwin Nunez in sliding to try and turn it home has crashed into the post,
and they'll be hoping that's nothing serious.
Well, the first real danger, Liverpool have shown against Manchester City,
it's good, it's all down to this young man here on the right-hand side,
Conor Bradley, but the ball's not that far away from the far corner.
Lovely from Endo, McAllister, off goes Darwin Nunez,
little ball in for Luis Diaz, Manchester City want an offside,
and the flag was up very, very quickly.
It was beautiful from Liverpool,
but it looked as though Darwin Nunez had just gone too soon.
Well, really good play from Liverpool,
intricate build-up in the middle of the park
with the two central midfield players and McAllister.
I think it was offside in fairness.
Well, it's almost like Manchester City have just said,
right, you've just had a few minutes, now it's our turn.
Bernardo Silva running in behind,
and Van Dijk with the most important of headers away,
under pressure, knowing Haaland was behind him.
De Bruyne goes near post, and Manchester City have squeezed it in,
they've caught Liverpool on the hot-bat through John Stones,
who provides the sweetest of finishes, and Manchester City have the lead.
Well, that's a really well-worked corner, obviously from the training ground.
You can just see Liverpool vacate that area.
Nathan Akiya as it blocks out Alexi McAllister, just there.
Well, they've seen something, haven't they?
De Bruyne perhaps the best exponent of opening up a chink in someone's armour.
Gomez goes from one side to the other, Bradley's chest control,
and pass for Elliott, and a little ball, Samoslai!
Well, you feel on a day like this, it's the sort of chance you have to take.
Brilliant from Liverpool in the build-up.
A really patient build-up from Liverpool,
and then it's a lovely little flighting ball in by Harvey Elliott,
who picks out the diagonal run for Dominic Sauve's leg.
And then Nfene, he just tries to do maybe a little bit too much with it.
You can see the contortion of his neck muscles and his head
to try and get some power behind it.
Here come Liverpool, counter-attacking again,
lucky to make something happen to get back into the game.
Luis Diaz unlocking the goal!
but he can't quite squeeze it in the post.
It looked for all the money in the world
as though he'd done everything right there.
Well, they win it really well, again, it's Watora Endo that wins the ball
and sets Liverpool up on the attack.
And Luis Diaz, ricochet there, and then he gets that little bit of pocket of space,
that's when you've just got to calm down ever so slightly.
You can see there the manager's more than happy with the way
Liverpool have gone about their business in this first 45 minutes.
Kwanzaa
Thread it through, and that might come for Darwin Nunez!
Penalty, Liverpool.
The pass was short for Edison.
who was totally committed and Darwin Nunez
was so quick on to the ball!
The pass from Aki is not a good one, in all fairness.
You can see there he has a look, but it's way under hit.
And Nunez is on to it like a flash, and he's committed to Ederson,
he's got to go for it, but as I say, he's that quick,
he just gets a little toe to it.
It's McAllister from the spot for Liverpool to give them the perfect start
to the second half and to put them back on terms.
Ederson almost on one leg, and McAllister scores wonderfully well!
The goalkeeper guessed right, but he couldn't get that, it was just too good,
and Alexi McAllister has brought Liverpool back into it.
I thought the performance in the first 45 minutes was good,
we created a lot of problems for Manchester City,
but Manchester City dealt with it pretty well, but not on this occasion.
The pass from Aki was way, way short and that really caused the problem,
but the penalty from Alexi McAllister is absolutely spot on.
they are the ones
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all
Oh, that's given away, and it's a real dangerous moment,
but it's away by Van Dijk, Kwanzaa took one chance, too many.
McAllister, here's De Bruyne, the threat is for Foden,
saved by Kelleher, needed to be as well, Foden couldn't quite sort his feet out.
He was out really quick, we've seen that in recent games,
he's really played his part in this Liverpool start.
Van Dijk sees over his left shoulder,
Phil Foden coming through very quickly,
Ogome's in trouble.
Holland, Alvarez.
Nicely done by Elliott, and here's Salah.
Where's his out ball? There it is, it's Luis Diaz!
Is this his moment for Liverpool?
Oh, what a chance, what a chance.
What a ball by Salah.
Well, as chances go, they don't come much better than this one.
Again, it's really good build-up play from Liverpool,
the vision that Salah has there splits the lines,
and then it's all about can you keep your cool, can you keep your composure?
But that really is a big effort, it's a big chance,
should score really, Luis Diaz.
Here they come again, Nunez, Diaz!
It's another let-off for Manchester City,
it is a good challenge by Kyle Walker.
But again, Luis Diaz in front of goal.
Well, the combination of De Gea and Darwin Nunez in this one,
the ball is ever so slightly behind him,
but all credit to Kyle Walker, he gets back in there and makes a goal-saving challenge.
Andrew Robertson's first involvement as an attacking player is to deliver a corner,
which will go out of play at the other side via the head of Manuel Akanji.
Virgil van Dijk has been so big for Liverpool of late, a true leader,
what will he give for one here? Salah!
Might go again!
We just wonder how close it was, we'll find out now.
Doesn't strike either of the two that well,
the second one probably better, but it's with his weaker of his two feet.
That's end up, a touch-on for Elliott.
Help from Alexa McAllister, Luis Diaz.
McAllister, and it's saved by Ortega.
It was coming round, maybe not quite enough,
but Ortega didn't take any chances.
Robertson, that should be harmlessly away,
although in the end Ortega was just hoping it was gonna drop the other side of the post.
I'm not 100% sure the goalkeeper really knows where he is here,
it's not a million miles away.
That's a ball for Robertson, Nunez waits in the middle, here he is now!
And it's Ortega with a fine stop, and Kovacic will bring it away.
Fantastic ball by Andrew Robertson, first-time striker's absolute delight,
isn't it, into that area, just go and attack it,
and he gets a foot to it, gets a toe to it, this Darwin Nunez.
Kelleher for Salah.
Lackey with a good challenge, and Doku.
Oh, that's beautifully done, Ake, Foden makes a run now,
and Kelleher, oh, my Lord, on earth has that not gone in.
It's come off Foden via the goalkeeper,
it's hit the crossbar and ended up in the cup, but how's that all happened?
Well, he knows absolutely nothing about it, this Phil Foden,
and Kelleher does exceptionally well,
he makes a really good contact with his fist.
He wouldn't have counted.
Handball? It was handball.
Beautiful from Kwanzaa, and lost by the goalkeeper,
but he manages to get enough on it to palm it away from goal.
It could easily have fallen to any of the red shirts in there.
Liverpool's turn to ask questions, Liverpool's turn to turn the screw,
Robertson across goal, arriving is McAllister!
And Rodri did enough.
The ball headed back by Andrew Robertson, just into an area,
and he just can't quite control it.
Here's Folden.
And now Haaland, and now Doku.
Is this Manchester City's chance to win it?
It's Doku!
And it's a massive moment as the ball springs back into the arms of Quivine Keleher.
That was the chance to win it for Manchester City.
Well, he's got that ability, Docu, to go both ways,
cutting in his right foot or go outside on his left,
he's got that ability to go both ways, which is an absolute nightmare for a defender.
Endo, beautifully done,
Elliott, Gomez is gonna join in, he's got Salah there as well.
Salah's offside.
Post-finish, it's scored by Elliott, but the flag's long since up.
It went up very quickly this time, Gary.
Yeah, well...
I think he is offside Mohamed Salah, it was a good opportunity, it was a slick move by Liverpool in all fairness.
Luis Diaz fighting for the ball, fighting to provide that moment for Liverpool, and they've got a corner.
Robertson looking to provide the delivery of a lifetime,
which could be the moment for Liverpool.
Luis Diaz jumps and Manchester City deal with it.
Doku try to clear Salah.
Luis Diaz, Liverpool aren't done yet here.
Gakpo, Luis Diaz under pressure again,
oh, how's he kept that?
That's astonishing footwork.
His pass is for Salah.
Now, Alexi McAllister is still down here, Liverpool want a penalty,
and the referee is talking to Stuart Atwell, who is on VAR.
Well, this looks a penalty for Liverpool.
Doku's foot is incredibly high,
Stuart Atwell has looked at it and deemed it not sufficient.
Was that a let-off for Manchester City, not conceding a penalty?
And it's the final act of the game, Liverpool perhaps left a little frustrated at the end,
but the final Premier League meeting between these two true generals of men
ends, perhaps as it should do, with honours even.
Could have won, would have won on another day,
Manchester City will be saying the same, what a great battle it's been.
It finishes at Anfield, Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City.