LIVERPOOL: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City survived Liverpool’s second-half ‘tsunami’ to draw 1-1 in Premier League action at Anfield.
The result leaves the top three teams just one point apart, with Arsenal ahead of Liverpool on points difference at the top of the league and City in third – one point behind.
Guardiola has been chasing victory in the fanfare at Anfield since 2003, with the last time winning in 2021 without spectators.
However, the visitors could breathe a sigh of relief to take home a point after Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty offset John Stones’ goal in the first half.
The last English Premier League clash between Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola did not disappoint when Liverpool recovered in the second half even though their squad was hit by injuries.
Klopp’s men missed several golden chances to seal the three points and return to the top of the league, including being denied a second penalty during injury time.
“I think it’s a match that defines these two clubs for a few years now. Gradually in this stadium it’s like a tsunami!” Guardiola said.
The draw at Anfield kept Arsenal top of the league after an eighth successive win, but they need to travel to the Etihad Stadium to meet City on March 31.
Klopp believes his team will be more eager to win the league title in his final season at Anfield based on their second-half performance against City.
“Today I saw the best 53 minutes against Manchester City. The way we played was extraordinary. There were some of the best moments in my coaching career if we could do that against them.
“The only thing I hope for now is that we are in contention. Based on today’s performance, I see the team is on the right footing – now we’ll see what we can do,” said Klopp.
Mohamed Salah started on the Liverpool bench alongside Andy Robertson, while Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Diogo Jota are still on the injury list.
The clash between the two best clubs in the world saw both goals scored due to defensive errors.
Liverpool looked unprepared for Kevin De Bruyne’s corner in the 23rd minute and Stones easily beat Caoimhin Kelleher for the opening goal.
Early in the second half, Darwin Nunez intercepted Nathan Ake’s back pass before being brought down by City goalkeeper Ederson.
Mac Allister calmly beat Ederson despite being forced to wait a long time for the goalkeeper to receive treatment, who was then replaced by Stefan Ortega.