Battle for the Title (Liverpool Vs Manchester City)


                           Champions Vs Challengers: Battle For The Title




    Image source: Liverpoolfc.com





What's at stake?
One of the biggest rivalries we've witnessed in the last couple of years kicked off tenaciously on Sunday. Oh wait, I'm not talking about Manchester United Vs Liverpool I'm talking about Manchester City Vs Liverpool. Liverpool has had a blistering start to their campaign while the defending champions (Manchester City) have had a decent start to their season. This was arguably the clash that was awaited since the campaign had begun. 



Liverpool looked to extend their lead at the top of the table while Manchester city attempted to close the gap so they could mount pressure on their title challengers. Liverpool's defense has had a major impact since the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk in January 2018. Likewise, Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne has been on a roll since the start of the campaign. With 9 assists to his name, Kevin De Bruyne looked to be the difference for Manchester City. 



As Anfield is set to host the clash, the four-time Premier League champions have had a dismal record at Anfield. Their only victory at Anfield was in May 2003. Since then, Liverpool have remained undefeated at Anfield against the Citizens. The return of Robertson, Mane, and Firmino boosted the Red's confidence while the citizens were missing their shot-stopper Ederson due to the injury he picked up in the champions league encounter against Atlanta F.C. 



How things unfolded
As soon Michael Oliver blew his whistle, City were off to a blistering start. Although we've seen City do that a number of times under Pep, it was surprising to see them start the same way at Anfield. The rivalry which has recently gained a lot of importance in modern football set the bar high as both teams were determined to show who was the worthy contender for the title. We now know that it was Klopp's army who claimed the Bragging Rights at Anfield with the final score (Liverpool 3 - 1 Manchester City). But was it really a comfortable win for Liverpool? We shall discuss that here!



Talking points from the encounter





    Image source: metro.co.uk



1. Trent Alexander Arnold's controversial handball

    
Okay now, let's talk about that one minute of the game that left us all confused. With 5 minutes into the game, it was clear that City were in the driving seat. Bernardo Silva flicked the ball towards Sterling when the ball touched Alexander Arnold's arm. City naturally appealed for the penalty as the ball touched Arnold's arm. But wait, was it a Penalty? Clearly, TAA's arm was way out of his body (we know that means). However, the match official Michael Oliver let the play continue (still unclear why he didn't stop the game). Eventually, the ball came to Mane who began Liverpool's counter-attack (with blistering pace). 



In a split of a second (figuratively), Mane was at the other side of the pitch and he managed to cross the ball into City's box. Although the ball was meant for Salah, it was intercepted by Angelino and İlkay Gündoğan. The standard protocol was followed by both as they looked to clear the ball. Little did the German midfielder know that his clearance was going to give way to a wonder goal from 25 yards out. The screamer was hit by none other than the in-form Fabinho. Deadlock broken, Liverpool 1 - 0 Man City. 



    Image source: dailymail.co.uk



2.  Has VAR proved to be a useful addition? 


The introduction of VAR in the world of football has proved to be a major discussion. Since the VAR made its debut in the FIFA World Cup 2018, it was considered a solution to all problems. Contrary to its expectation, fans and managers around the world have been vocal about their disapproval of VAR. To be honest, at this point, it looks more 50/50. 



Although, It has been a subject of criticisms and controversies. One of the major concerns with VAR has been with regards to the time it tends to waste during games. But the main controversy surrounding VAR aroused when Dele Ali's goal against Watford was given despite a clear handball. One of the other issues regarding VAR was the incident when Brighton were awarded a penalty against Everton. Along with the incidents mentioned above and a number of other decisions witnessed this season, it begs the important question,  "Is VAR a good addition in the world of football? 






    Image source: thetimes.co.uk


3.  Has the title been decided?


With this win, Liverpool have extended their lead to nine points in the table adding more pressure on Manchester City. The Reds maintain their undefeated record this season while the Citizens have suffered their 3rd defeat of the campaign. Liverpool is clearly in the driving seat before the international break. Is the wait over for Liverpool to win the premier league title or will Manchester City repeat their heroics from the previous season to inspire a comeback to defend their title?



In my opinion, it's still too early to say. Heck, for all you know Leicester and Chelsea could win it too!






    Image source: express.co.uk



4. Pep Guardiola's reaction after the final whistle


The final whistle blew to signal the end of the controversial yet exciting encounter or which has been dubbed as Battle for the Title. Of course, the cameramen wanted to shoot Pep's reaction after the game. Honestly, it's extremely rare to see the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager react like the way he did. Guardiola congratulated the match officials and was clearly sarcastic when he said "Thank you very much" while shaking their hands with Michael Oliver who was at the center of attention for not awarding the penalty to the visitors for the handball on Trent Alexander Arnold which happened in the early minutes of the game. With this incident, the question is "will Guardiola face FA punishment for his handshake"?



With this win, the Reds sit comfortably at the top of the table while the Citizens have dropped to 4th in the table, in spite of the visitors starting strong. The match lived to the hype and expectations with both sides determined to get 3 points. Liverpool remains undefeated while Manchester City has failed to win at Anfield with the only win coming in 2003. Is this the year for Liverpool to win their maiden Premier League title or will City complete a title hattrick for the 1st time since Man United were the only side to achieve this feat (1998-99,1999-00,2000-01 and 2006-07,2007-08,2008-09)?






Author.
Zaid

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Football post COVID-19

Image
How COVID-19 has affected the world of sports Image Source: google.com COVID-19 has taken the world into the storm. What started as an outbreak in China gradually began to spread to the rest of the world. Who would have thought that the outbreak would become a serious threat to the world? Within a span of a few months, Europe has become an epicenter of the virus. Countries like the USA, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, etc have been severely affected by this pandemic. The death rates have been increasing rapidly. Nations all around the world have been trying to take measures to avoid the spread of the virus.  The year 2020 has indeed proved to be very crucial for the sporting world. Honestly, I was very excited about the UEFA Euro 2020 which was supposed to be conducted in the summer. With the competition, last played in 2016, I couldn't wait for more. Particularly, I was looking forward to seeing the European nations competing for the coveted prize. Eu
Read more

The London Derby

Image
Arsenal Vs Chelsea Image Source: squawka.com Historic Rivalry: This encounter was not the best but one of the most anticipating fixtures on a Sunday. These 2 cross-town rivals locked horns at the Emirates. At present, even though these 2 teams are in the rebuilding process, there is no denial by the fact that the rivalry between these teams does have a history of players and controversies. Back then in the late '90s and early '20s, these two teams did begin to compete for the title. The Gunners boosted a variety of extremely talented players such a Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Viera, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole, Tony Adams, and the list goes. This army indeed was fearful and went on to achieve 3 premier league titles and their most memorable win was the 2003-04 undefeated season. Eventually, these men have known as 'The Invincibles. Since this famous victory, no other team has achieved this feat. This team then managed by the Professor (Arsene Wenger)
Read more

Man City Vs Arsenal

Image
 Gunners Vs The Citizens  City breaks the deadlock: The citizens began the game by dominating possession as Arsenal were looking to play on the counter. Man City have had a mixed start to the campaign as they won only one game against Wolves. Leicester City battered them as the score ended 5-2 with Vardy scoring a hattrick. Pep's men were held to a draw against Leeds as Bielsa's men gave the Citizens a tough time despite taking the lead.  The Manchester outfit was having more of the ball and almost were close to scoring when Mahrez was setup by Sterling and the Algerian winger's shot was just wide. The former Leicester winger was again causing problems for Arsenal as he set up Aguero only for the striker's header to end up wide. With their star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne out due to injury, City were still on the front foot. Eventually, City opened the scoring as Mahrez and Aguero combined well to set up Foden, who eased passed Bellerin. Foden's attempt was parried by
Read more