Klopperpool 4 Manchester City 3
Several weeks ago Pep Guardiola dismissed the notion that his prodigiously gifted City team could go through the Premier League season unbeaten.
And I think Pep meant what he said.
He’s been around long enough to know how many things can go wrong during a football match, and even before it kicks off.
After nine minutes Firmino won an awkward ball for Arsenal reject Oxlade-Chamberlain ,who fired a daisycutter inside the far post from 19 yards. A mega-moment for the Ox.
It was a fiery game, as we expected, and after 20, De Bruyne’s cross just beat Aguero, who was offside anyway.
Left back Danilo replaced the injured Delph in 31.
Liverpool were 4-1 up on attempts and Oxlade seems crisper, less sloppy than he was at Arsenal.
Martin Tyler’s co-commentator Gary Neville was admiring how hard the Liverpool front three were working to regain possession. Then Leroy Sane, creating his own opening, rifled a shot between Karius and his near post, which GNev said the keeper should have saved. On the replay, it looks a shabby goal for Liverpool to concede. Stupid defending by Joe Gomez.
As usual, most of City’s creativity came from the very competitive Kevin De Bruyne
Half -time score: 1-1.
Being a big fan of the tenacious Firmino, I wasn’t entirely happy with the way the striker was playing.
But after 59 minutes, Oxlade found the Brazilian, who bulldozed past John Stones and clipped his shot past the advancing Ederson. The ball bounced and hit the post and went in for 2-1.
Two minutes later, as City seemed to be engulfed by a tidal wave of red shirts, a Sadio Mane shot hit the outside of the post.
Only two minutes after that, ferocious pressing by Mo Salah dispossessed Otamendi, and he squared for Mane to fire a left-foot bullet inside the post from 17 yards.
Liverpool 3 Man City 1 in 62 minutes. Magnificent! A world class strike.
Two Liverpool goals in 150 seconds by an energy team propelled by a very passionate crowd.
Then Otamendi was booked for a foul on Salah.
When Salah failed to find Mane with a killer through ball, Ederson, a left-footed goalkeeper, cleared with his right boot straight back to Salah and the Egyptian maestro drove the ball over the keeper and into the net from 35 yards.
Liverpool 4 Next Champions 1
Gegenpressing had produced three goals in eight minutes. I’d love to see Wijnaldum’s sprinting stats, and left back Robertson was excellent.
Overall, I loved it.
Salah’s 24th goal of the season had won my second bet. Before the game I’d also backed BTS, as millions of others would have done
After a swift City move, the ball broke to sub Bernardo Silva pulled a goal back in 84,.
Adam Lallana then replaced Salah in 87 and when an Aguero cross found Gundogan, he chested the ball neatly and poked it past Karius for 4-3 in 90+2 minutes
Defender Klavan came on in 93 for Mane. When KDB took a free-kick, Aguero headed wide.
A pulsating spectacle had lived up to its Super Sunday billing.
When Aguero clipped a cross to Gundogan, the German controlled the ball on his chest and poked it past Karius for 4-3.
With the components of the Liverpool machine reminding me of red pistons that just kept on pumping, this was the most exciting match I’ve seen for months.
Restored my faith in the sport.
Citeh are not Invincible. Pep was right about that.
Having not seen any of the pre-match, or half-time, I gave Sky’s post-match analysis a miss as well.
The truth is on the pitch, as PV4 observed, long ago.
Football, as you know, is a game of sequences.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in 18 games in all comps. And Jurgen Klopp has now beaten Guardiola six times, more than any other manager.
PS. I should perhaps point out that many of my blogs, like this one, are intended as a comment on what’s wrong with Arsenal.
Bournemouth 2 Arsenal 1? I didn’t see it.
Watched the first 15 minutes and then came upstairs to my office. I thought, “Arsenal will make me so angry that I’ll be in a bad mood for the biggest game of the week.”