Two titans of Premier League football meet once again on Saturday, with Manchester City playing host to Liverpool.
It’s a match-up that has grown to be a thrilling modern-day rivalry, as both sides have constantly battled it out for titles, breaking copious records along the way. City have usually earned the glory at the end of these mammoth campaigns, although Liverpool sport a decent record against their upcoming opponents.
Jurgen Klopp has 12 wins to Pep Guardiola’s ten across their past tussles, with the weekend representing another opportunity for both managers to showcase the genius they possess. The fixture this time around may still have an impact on the destination of the title, even though Liverpool’s relatively poor season has seen them cut adrift from that particular fight.
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Instead, a win for City would put all the pressure on league-leaders Arsenal, who play later in the day against Leeds. The Reds of Merseyside will be looking for all three points to help them salvage a Champions League place, with them lagging behind Tottenham and Newcastle as it stands.
Over the years, both sides have earned memorable wins against the other. At the Etihad, in particular, City have flourished, and they’ll be hoping that they can replicate some of these past performances to add another joyous day to the history books.
Here, MEN Sport has taken a look at some of the best clashes between the two sides over the years.
Liverpool 1-3 Man City (1981, Division One)
Anfield hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for City over the years but, when they travelled to Merseyside just after Christmas, they were faced with a Liverpool side languishing in mid-table. New-boy Bruce Grobbelaar was shaky throughout, helping City gain a 2-0 lead through strikes from Asa Hartford and Kevin Bond.
A near-post effort from Kevin Reeves secured all three points, coming after a Ronnie Whelan consolation goal. It was a match that saw Phil Thompson lose the Liverpool captaincy for the part he played in the defeat and City’s triumph was ultimately made all the sweeter, since it came against the eventual champions, who won 63 of the next 75 points available.
Man City 2-1 Liverpool (2019, Premier League)
Before this highly anticipated match-up, Liverpool sat seven points clear of their opponents, dropping only six points across 20 games. But goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane, either side of a Roberto Firmino leveller, meant that City won the bragging rights.
And it would end up being even more significant, since City went on to win the title by just one point, pipping Liverpool to the post in one of the Premier League’s greatest showdowns. City won 18 of the last 19 games, but it could have been all so very different if John Stones hadn’t been able to clear Sadio Mane’s effort off the line by 12 millimetres, a highlight that has cemented the match in footballing folklore.
Man City 5-0 Liverpool (2017, Premier League)
This was a game made notable for Sadio Mane’s red card just before the stroke of halftime, with a high foot leading to Ederson being forced off the pitch. But City were already 1-0 up by this point, after a Sergio Aguero trademark finish. Gabriel Jesus added another almost immediately after the suspension, before claiming his second later on.
Two further strikes from Leroy Sane, including a sumptuous curling effort from outside the box, gave City their biggest margin of victory against the Reds since 1937 and set the tone for a campaign that saw the Sky Blues win their third Premier League title.
Liverpool 1-2 Man City (2003, Premier League)
It’s already been mentioned, but City’s record at Anfield is diabolically bad. But, in an era before the club became a superpower across the globe, they battled to a Nikolas Anelka-inspired victory. Milan Baros had put Liverpool ahead, but the French international, who’d played for the Reds just the season before, slotted home a penalty he’d won himself, before a last-minute winner sent the away fans back home feeling something unusual: happy after a trip to Merseyside.
It was the Citizens’ first win at Anfield in 22 years and it would be almost as long until the next one came along...
Liverpool 1-4 Man City (2021, Premier League)
It may have been a match played without any fans, but City finally broke their Anfield curse in fine fashion. Stalemate at halftime, Ilkay Gundogan broke the deadlock, but a Mohamed Salah penalty around the hour mark had the teams level once again.
However, two costly mistakes by goalkeeper Alisson in the space of three minutes gifted City goals by the German midfielder again and Raheem Sterling. Phil Foden added the cherry on top of the cake, making it one of the stand-out results of their league-winning campaign.
It was Pep Guardiola’s first victory away at Anfield, and it might have been even more comprehensive if Gundogan hadn’t skied his penalty in the first half.
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