- Simon Stone
- BBCSport
The match at the Etihad Stadium was full of bickering, including this moment in the second half which saw Fabinho fall to the ground.
Four days after Argentina and France staged what some are calling the greatest match ever in football history, Manchester City and Liverpool played an incredibly entertaining match at the Etihad Stadium to remind everyone that English domestic football remains funniest club match ever.
The match between Manchester City and Liverpool in the fourth round of the League Cup saw five goals and 25 shots on goal, but it will certainly not remain in the memory of football fans like the fiery confrontation in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar and the fierce competition between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to win the world’s most expensive round witch title.
But for the more than 50,000 fans at the stadium and for those who watched the game on television from home after the six-week break from the World Cup, it came as a big surprise, especially as it was between the two strongest clubs in England during the last five seasons.
Even though Liverpool lost the game, the team manager, Jurgen Klopp said: “It was a fantastic game.”
“It’s always like that for us. When we’re at our best, we always push each other to get to the next level. It was a really good match.”
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola agrees the match was filled with fun and excitement, as Liverpool managed to give the score back and equalize twice, before Nathan Ake scored the winning goal in the 58th minute to bring the Manchester City to victory by three goals to two and reach the quarter-finals to face Southampton.
Guardiola said: “Liverpool and Manchester City respect what they have done in recent years.”
“It’s not easy to keep the ball against them, they’re the toughest team I’ve faced in my coaching career. They don’t need anything extra to score goals and create chances, and when they’re at their best they destroy you.”
Angry De Bruyne was great
Kevin De Bruyne didn’t display his usual strong showings in the World Cup in Qatar, and Belgium bowed out of the tournament in the group stage, which is an early and disappointing exit for the team that failed to reach its high points expectations before the start of the tournament.
And when De Bruyne returned to Manchester City, he didn’t cut a good figure in the friendly in which Manchester City beat Girona last week, despite his success in scoring.
But against Liverpool, the 31-year-old put in an impressive performance, passing the perfect cross from which Erling Haaland scored the opener, and also set up the winning goal scored by Nathan Ake.
image copyright Getty Images
De Bruyne sent countless dangerous balls into the penalty area, including the one that came from the first goal of the match
Guardiola said: “To ignite the enthusiasm within him, he needs to be angry or upset a little bit. That’s the energy in him.”
He added: “When that happens, he’s fantastic and he doesn’t stop running, creating and scoring goals. He’s more than just a player.”
He continued: “I know it’s not easy to deliver such high levels every three days, but today he had something inside him that said I wanted to fight. And when that happens, it controls everything in the match.”
Phillips “indecent”
All of Manchester City’s World Cup stars have played for Liverpool, with the exception of Argentine forward Julian Alvarez, Portuguese defender Robin Dias, Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson and England midfielder Calvin Phillips.
Phillips has played just one game for Manchester City since September but has since recovered from shoulder surgery and played two games for England at the World Cup.
However, Guardiola raised more questions about the former Leeds United star when he said: “Calvin Phillips is not a good fit, and has come to us not ready to attend training.”
Guardiola has confirmed Dias’ hamstring injury during Portugal’s quarter-final defeat to Morocco.
Meanwhile, Klopp said veteran England player, James Milner, was out of action with a hamstring injury, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was expected to participate in the game but did not play due to illness.
