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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Liverpool hand Man City title advantage but pressure cranked up on frazzled Pep Guardiola

They say all good things must come to an end. And while Liverpool's 12-game winning run at home certainly has, the biggest question now is whether or not their Premier League titles hopes have.

Only time will tell on that score, but it has handed back all the initiative and all the impetus to a Manchester City side who will likely believe their name is on the title if they emerge unscathed at home to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.

Rarely can going top of the Premier League in May have felt so deflating.

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But if some might have expected the mood to have been funeral after this absorbing but ultimately frustrating 1-1 draw then they were sorely mistaken.

The full-time whistle was greeted with a huge applause from supporters who are keenly aware of what this football team has done for them this season; one that still promises so much in its final days.

In a week when a third final was booked for Liverpool fans, there was to be absolutely no criticism of the team who have given them trips to Paris and London to look forward to this month, even if there might be some gentle lamenting when they wake up on Sunday.

How this result is viewed will only be truly known when the Premier League title is held aloft but a frazzled Pep Guardiola will be breathing a big sigh of relief when he aims to bounce back from a tough week at home to Eddie Howe's Magpies.

Klopp made two changes to his team from Tuesday's win at Villarreal as Jordan Henderson and Luis Diaz returned to the side for Naby Keita and Diogo Jota.

The first half saw the hosts monitor the counter-attacking threat of their visitors really well with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's speculative effort the only real opportunity for Antonio Conte's men.

Liverpool, though, were unable to create anything of note themselves. Hugo Lloris did well to claw one away from underneath his bar with Mohamed Salah lurking before Luis Diaz's long-range effort was saved by the France goalkeeper.

Virgil van Dijk's header came closest for the Reds when it struck the bar from a corner but Spurs defended in numbers and got plenty of blocks and interceptions in, with the aggressive Cristian Romero, in particular, proving to be a difficult object to get around.

Spurs had the lead in the manner in which many had warned, pre-match, as they broke on the counter and Harry Kane was given far too much room to bring the ball down and carry it. He then played in Ryan Sessegnon, who duly squared for Son Heung-min shortly before the hour mark.

Klopp sent on Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota for Henderson and Andy Robertson in response and adjusted the system to a 4-2-4 with 25 minutes to go. Ben Davies pulled off a superb block to deny Salah on a counter as Liverpool pressed and probed.

The breakthrough finally came moments later when Diaz cut inside off the left and fired a low strike past Lloris that took a huge deflection off Rodrigo Bentacur.

Acutely aware of the importance of the crowd for the final stages, Thiago Alcantara stood in the centre circle waving to each side of the stadium in an effort to whip up a frenzy as the chase for second began. Anfield erupted and they sensed a winner.

They would, however, be denied as Conte's well-drilled outfit flung body after body in the way of Liverpool’s crosses and shots.

In their four-pronged assault on immortality, it is only the fate of the Premier League that remains outside of Liverpool's grasp. Nothing has changed on the front here, but City will still need to ensure they don't allow complacency to creep in between now and May 22.

Liverpool must now simply hope and pray that there is a sting in the tail. How much of a hangover City will have from those baffling scenes in Madrid on Wednesday night is anyone's guess right now, but Guardiola attempted to strike a defiant tone himself on Friday as he assessed a landscape that now sees his one-time treble-chasers reduced to launching a desperate grab at salvation through the league.

With just the Premier League left to cling to, it will be interesting from Liverpool's perspective to see how much of a psychological effect that has on a side whose mental strength has, at times, been questioned. City are now left with only that to accomplish this term having harboured hopes of an FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League treble just three weeks ago.

But failing to really crank up the pressure here will be seen as a huge let-off for a team who need little advantage to prosper. It’s advantage Man City, undoubtedly.

The roar from the Kop at full time was different from what we have been accustomed to here during this incredible campaign, but it was a firm statement that they still believe at least.

Now it’s all eyes on the Etihad.

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