Liverpool should have beaten Man City by a margin at Anfield today but have to settle for a 1-1 draw, with missed chances and questionable referee decisions the key reasons behind the Reds dropping two points.
Here is how we rated the players...
Van Dijk: 10/10. One mistake aside, an absolutely rock-solid display by the Dutchman. Made keeping Haaland out of play look easy. Added physicality in the middle of the pitch, pushing up to win aerial duels. Imperious in tackling right from the off when he prevented a scoring opportunity by stealing the ball from Foden in Liverpool's box.
Mac Allister: 10. Was one of the most creative players on the pitch and put in quite a shift defensively. Was pushed away by Ake leading to City breaking the deadlock — how that was not a foul is beyond my understanding. The revenge was beautiful as Macca dispatched the penalty given for Ederson's foul on Nunez after Ake's mistake.
Should have scored his chance late in the game though. Also should have been given a penalty for Doku hitting him with his studs showing — but PGMOL remains PGMOL. Still can't believe it wasn't given.
Endo: 9. Won countless balls in the midfield. It was impossible for City to get past him. Made a few mistakes in passes under pressure though.
Quansah: 9. Unfazed by the occasion despite being only 20 years old. Very reliable at the back. Made us forget about Konate's absence.
Elliott: 8. Played several excellent passes and through balls, creating chances for Szoboszlai and Nunez. However, lost the ball quite often as well. Tracked back well, helping Bradley deal with the City danger on the right-hand side. Scored late in the game only for the goal to get ruled out for a Salah offside.
Bradley: 7.5. Excellent going forward, produced some excellent crosses and added dynamism to the Reds' attack. Stayed a bit too high up the pitch sometimes, leaving space behind him open for City counter-attacks.
Darwin: 7.5. Gave everything today but his finishing was a problem again. Could have done so much better with his chances. Won a penalty after Ederson's foul on him when he pressed the goalkeeper following Ake's sloppy pass. Should have had an assist.
Kelleher: 7. Made a few decent saves, almost prevented City's opener. His claim that led to Foden hitting the crossbar was worrying though.
Salah: 6.5. Created a huge chance for Diaz two minutes after coming on. Threatened to score but couldn't find the net. Was far from his best to be frank, a bit anonymous at times.
Gakpo: 2. Didn't justify his substitution, didn't do anything of substance if we're being honest. For some reason decided against shooting when presented with a chance to win the game in seventh minute of added time.
Diaz: 2. Scored a goal which was correctly ruled out for Darwin's offside. Wasted an excellent chance to put the Reds in the lead shortly after the hour's mark — and messed up another one seconds after.
Others: Robertson 7.5; Gomez 7; Szoboszlai 6.5
