Man City vs Liverpool: How Etihad Decided to Showdown and 11mm 2018-19 Premier

On Sunday Etihad will face Liverpool Man City in a table-topping clash, their thrilling title-determining scene from three years ago – will it face this time?

In January 2019, however, Pep Guardiola was sidelined for a role-playing game this season, when City led Liverpool to 14 points in mid-January despite playing two games more than their rivals.

After that, the Reds reached Eastland with a healthy seven-point lead after starting unbeaten in their Premier League campaign.

In contrast, the champions, as they were then, suffered a recent slip-up in defending their title, losing to Chelsea and Leicester City and surprisingly losing 3-2 to Crystal Palace in December, which apparently took the lead. Liverpool.

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Which, of course, made the video an overnight sensation. Sky Sports – What bell? – And the boy match matched all the pre-match promotions.

Incredibly, 18 of the 28 players are still at the club’s payroll on Thursday night – and as a sign of how long a unit Liverpool has endured under Jurgen Klopp since then, the Germans could potentially pick nine of his XI that evening. On sunday. Joel Matip and Fabinho, who could play this weekend, could all be 11 if they started.

The game itself was full of drama, events and intrigue, with spectators failing after a beautiful move in the 18th minute involving Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who exchanged passes in a tight spot in the city half. Sadio Mane scored.

The Senegal forward pushed his effort to the toe, crossing the unrashing Ederson, just to hit his shot post, before John Stones’ panicked clearance from the rebound looped into the goal like his own ‘keeper’ and slow motion.

Somehow, Salah could tap into an empty net before City Center-half came back in time to make a desperate clearance, with technology revealing that the ball was only 11.7mm away from crossing the entire goal line.

Gary Neville commented on the match Sky SportsSimply put: “Wow!”

The clash was not the only topic of discussion, as the club’s furious City captain and central defender Vincent Kompany was not shown a direct red card after Salah’s lungs at the half-hour mark.

“I really like Vincent’s company,” Klopp said Sky Sports After the game. “I really like him but how on earth is it not a red card?

“That last man, he goes in and if he hits Moke more he will be out for the season.

“A player goes on the field, and he takes risks. If Moe is at her feet, not jumping, then we all know what will happen.

“He’s still a really nice guy. He’s made a really bad decision.”

Of course, there was no video assistant referee that season – the following campaign was launched – where 18 minutes after Firmino’s close-range header, thanks to Leroy Sun’s victory, City claimed a crucial 2-1 victory (64) five minutes before half time Sergio Aguero The opener canceled.

It was the first time in Guardiola’s 97 Premier League appearances for City that his side enjoyed less possession than their opponents, not significant as champions – which their manager described as a “must-win game” – the win reduced Liverpool’s lead to just four points. .

According to Neville, the breathtaking match was played “in an atmosphere I’ve never heard of before in this stadium”, and has since been regarded as one of the best in the Premier League era, when City’s midfield trio of man-of-the-match Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva and David Silva. Called “unreal” Sky Sports Pundit

Although many forget that City actually lost 2-1 to Newcastle United in late January, it seems that the Reds failed to capitalize on the title after only the Reds themselves were held at 1 to hand the title directly to Liverpool. The next night at Leicester City home 1.

City right-back Kyle Walker even ridiculed his rivals, writing in a tweet that he later deleted: “So basically they thought they would go 7 points ahead …” . They have won 14 league games in a row since the defeat of St. James and at the same time their opponents seem uncomfortable.

And to show how important that meeting was in determining the outcome of the 2018-19 title race, Klopp was still referring to the Stones’ goal-line clearance three years later.

“You could say one point, but for me, it was 11mm,” the Liverpool boss was asked last December about what the Premier League decided that season.

After losing points to Leicester, Liverpool also held West Ham United in early February, before a goalless draw with arch-rivals Manchester United and Everton – whom they faced in a run-in this season – left the title to City. .

A seemingly insurmountable seven-point advantage at the start of the year, just two months later, turned into a one-point lead for City with nine games remaining as too many draws eventually damaged the Reds’ challenge.

Interestingly, Liverpool have drawn seven times more than City two this season, while the Reds have held almost six events this time around – two more than the champions.

However, the club’s side have not been drawn since Luis Diaz added their attacking options with a £ 37m acquisition at the end of January, since then they have won every league game, which could still prove to be a big difference for them across the line. May.

Three years ago, both teams were perfect in the final after winning their last nine league games.

In fact, the current league table is virtually a replica of what it looks like at the respective stages in 2018-19, as the two rivals are now preparing for their last eight matches – although Sunday’s showdown means both will not be able to run from now on. Until the end of the campaign.

And just like three years ago, you also feel that Sunday’s winner will again take all the spoils to the May 22 season finale.