The Premier League's two highest scorers face off on Merseyside in what has the potential to be a classic, having netted a combined 163 league goals so far this season.
Both teams have enjoyed impressive wins in the corresponding top-flight fixtures this term, but tonight they take their rivalry onto the European stage in their first ever meeting outside of domestic competition.
Follow all of the action as it unfolds on Merseyside with our extensive updates below.
OFFICIAL LINE-UPS
LIVERPOOL: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mane, Firmino, Salah
SUBS: Mignolet, Clyne, Wijnaldum, Moreno, Ings, Solanke, Masterson
MANCHESTER CITY: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Laporte; Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Sane; Jesus
SUBS: Bravo, Danilo, Stones, Sterling, Delph, Bernardo, Zinchenko
The full-time whistle sounds at Anfield. Liverpool will take a commanding three-goal lead with them to Manchester next week, courtesy of first-half goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane. If the first half was all about attacking, the second was a masterclass in defending from the Reds. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the match!
90+4 min FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 3-0 MANCHESTER CITY
90+2 min YELLOW CARD! Two of the three added-on minutes have been played at Anfield. Raheem Sterling has just been cautioned to compound his side's misery following a challenge on Georginio Wijnaldum - it really has not been their day.
90 min Just three added on minutes to come here so time fast running out for City. Just one goal now for the visitors would change the complexion of things quite substantially, meaning that 2-0 win on home soil next week will send them through.
86 min LIVERPOOL SUB! A final change for Liverpool, as Alberto Moreno comes on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Jordan Henderson is late with his challenge, picks up a yellow card and will now miss the return fixture next week.
84 min GOAL DISALLOWED! City's best attacking move all evening sees an offside Sane played in behind and his cross is helped over the line by Gabriel Jesus. Having seen a replay, though I am not quite sure if the German was in an offside position. Big call!
82 min Fernandinho with another crack from range, which once again is blocked. On the basis of the previous 82 minutes, it is difficult to see where a Man City goal is going to come from - that's not something I expected to say tonight!
80 min YELLOW CARD! A frustrated De Bruyne clatters into Mane and is rightly cautioned. Prior to that, Sterling had a penalty shout rejected - looked as though he was appealing for handball against Robertson, who slid in.
78 min It has been a pretty bland second half, truth be told, with neither side getting a serious shot on target. City have seen far more of the ball, but Fernandinho's blocked shot from distance pretty much sums things up for them.
76 min YELLOW CARD! Gabriel Jesus says a little too much to the referee and is the second City player to be cautioned, joining teammate Nicolas Otamendi in the referee's notebook. Liverpool 14 minutes from the absolute dream result.
74 min SAVE! Solanke makes an instant impact by getting forward down the flank and picking out Mane, whose shot had to be dealt with by Ederson. Up the other end, Jesus's acrobatic attempt is sent wide of the target.
72 min Despite being 3-0 down, you would not write off City heading into the second leg. Liverpool, though, will be heavy favourites to progress through to the semi-finals if they can see through these remaining 18 minutes on home soil.
70 min LIVERPOOL SUB! Dominic Solanke, yet to establish himself at Anfield since joining from Chelsea in the summer, is on in place of Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian appears to have a cut to his face, which may have had a say in that decision.
68 min Home fans urging their side on because they can sense a Man City goal coming - that would change the complexion of things. The Citizens may be dominating possession but Karius has still yet to have a single shot to save all evening.
66 min Both managers still have a couple of changes available to make should they wish. Still awaiting the first real chance since the second half resumed, with Klopp clearly the happier of the two managers as we enter the final 24 minutes of the game.
64 min A nice ball over the top is volleyed wide by Sterling, who was flagged for offside anyway. Sane once again is played in down the left; Sane once again fails to pick out one of his teammates, as the ball is cut out before reaching Silva.
62 min To be fair to Sane, he is the man getting involved in most of City's attacks. Unfortunately for him everything he is trying is not paying off at the moment, with his latest flick into the path of De Bruyne being gobbled up by Karius.
60 min Sane nearly wiggles his way through four Liverpool men but eventually loses the ball. The Citizens pushing their opponents back and they look far more likely to score in this second half compared to the first, even if chances remain hard to come by.
58 min MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Raheem Sterling will question why he was left out of the starting lineup tonight, and he now has a chance to make his mark on this tie after being brought on for Ilkay Gundogan. City desperately need an away goal.
56 min Plenty of urgency about the visitors now, as Gundogan drives a shot wide of target. It took a deflection on its way through, and from the corner Liverpool stand their ground pretty comfortably to keep their hefty lead intact.
54 min LIVERPOOL SUB! Salah will play no further part in this contest. Wijnaldum comes on in his place, so a slight reshuffle as far as the hosts are concerned. Klopp clearly not wanting to take any risks with his star player.
52 min A slight worry for Liverpool fans now, with Salah currently off the pitch receiving some treatment. Sane hammers the ball through the box - not sure if he was going for goal there or trying to pick out one of his teammates.
50 min Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph have been sent out to warm-up. The visitors have had the better of the second half so far, winning themselves a couple of corners which have come to little; Otamendi guiding this latest one over the bar.
48 min Man City with a bit more intensity about them, which in fairness was also present prior to Liverpool's opening goal of the evening. A long time ago now, but that Salah goal from close range did come a little against the run of play.
46 min RESTART! Manchester City get proceedings back under way at Anfield, where neither manager has made a change at the break. A tad surprising in Guardiola's case, because his side were outclassed in the opening 45 minutes.
Man City kept their best spell of possession of the half until the very end, culminating in Otamendi dragging his shot a fair way wide, though up the other end Van Dijk flicked a header narrowly wide. Midway through this first leg, Liverpool have a - some would say deserved - three-goal lead.
45+2 min HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 3-0 MANCHESTER CITY
45 min SHOT! Not a bad attempt at all from Firmino, who gets away from Kompany and Gundogan and takes the shot on. The ball flew marginally over the joint of post and crossbar, so it will likely be just the three Liverpool goals at half time!
43 min The Citizens enjoy a rare prolonged spell on the ball, without being able to create anything. They have failed to test Karius all half, with the Liverpool keeper enjoying one of his quieter halves of football since ousting Mignolet.
41 min Well it is fair to say that things can only get better for the visitors. They kept their worst performance of the season for their biggest game of the season, although a lot of credit has to go to Liverpool for making them look so poor.
39 min Liverpool had a three-goal advantage against City in that January fixture here, remember, only to concede twice to leave them holding on. The Reds' pressing has been outstanding; they are simply not letting Man City find their flow.
37 min Three goals conceded inside the space of 19 minutes here has left City on the brink of a Champions League exit. A great run from Robertson, who can sense a fourth goal, only for Kompany to produce a big block and cut out the shot.
35 min Guardiola's decision to select Gundogan over Sterling has clearly not paid off. The Catalan coach has decided against making a change just yet, but another goal for Liverpool and this tie can surely be considered all over.
33 min Liverpool are running riot at Anfield against the best team in the land. Salah's initial shot was blocked and, rather than try again, he changed ploy by lofting the ball towards the back post for Mane to attack with his head. Powerful header, 3-0 to the Reds.
32 min GOAL! LIVERPOOL 3-0 MANCHESTER CITY (SADIO MANE)
31 min Liverpool continuing to dictate the play here. The Reds have only created one real chance, which Salah buried - Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal was simply a well-taken shot from range. Guardiola may well be hoping for that half-time whistle.
29 min Since that second goal Liverpool have been the side on top. City just have not been given a chance to find their rhythm, and it has been a bombardment on their box over the past five minutes. Guardiola will be wondering what on earth is happening.
27 min City now facing their biggest test of the season. The good news for the Citizens is that they have 105 minutes to rescue themselves; even a 2-1 defeat here would not be disastrous thanks to the away goal. Still all to play for.
25 min City had six or seven players near Oxlade-Chamberlain but they did not show the desire to close him down in time. A few of them were perhaps expecting the referee to blow his whistle for an earlier infringement, but Ox remained alert.
23 min What an incredible goal from Oxlade-Chamberlain! The Englishman scored at the same end in the 4-3 win over City in January, but this latest goal was something special. Ederson barely had a chance to shift as Oxlade-Chamberlain flashed the ball past him from around 22 yards.
22 min GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-0 MANCHESTER CITY (ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN)
20 min Man City have seen more of the ball and have had a couple of half-chances, yet it is Liverpool who have the lead with nearly a quarter of the match played. This one is living up to expectations - it is end-to-end at the moment.
18 min On that Salah goal - his 38th of this incredible season - Ederson maybe could have done better with the initial shot and Walker also had a chance to clear the ball away. A sloppy one for the Citizens to concede, having been on top up until that point.
16 min SHOT! Almost a replica of Liverpool's goal as Sane charges at the opposition box on the counter. Unlike the hosts, though, City fail to take their chance as Sane drags his shot wide from the edge of the box, when De Bruyne was crying out for the pass.
14 min Goal number 38 of the season for Mohamed Salah, whose incredible 2017-18 goes on. This breakthrough goal came via a counter-attack after a sloppy pass in midfield from Leroy Sane. James Milner picked out Salah who finished off the attack after Ederson parried Roberto Firmino's shot into his path.
13 min GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY (MOHAMED SALAH)
11 min More than 10 minutes played and still no shots on target - incredible! Don't ask for your money back just yet, though, because the intensity remains incredibly high and this one does appear to have a goal or two in it.
9 min Have to say, it has been pretty much all Man City at the moment. Sane involved in most of the Citizens' attacks in the opening stages, but his ball around the back for David Silva is cut out before it reached its intended target.
7 min SHOT! Man City have won 19 of their 24 away matches this season. Sane drives into the opposition box and sees his shot deflect off Lovren - good block from the centre-back - and end in the side-netting. Kompany cannot trouble Karius from the resulting corner.
5 min The Citizens, 18 points better off than Liverpool in the league, looking the more composed in the early stages here. All a little too frenetic from the Reds' perspective, and they are now having to drop deep and allow their opponents onto them.
3 min Liverpool with a high intensity start to the game but the ball is turned over in midfield. David Silva runs with it and then Kevin De Bruyne got a lucky break, but the visitors were not quite able to get a shot away at goal.
1 min KICKOFF! We are up and running on Merseyside in this first ever meeting between the two clubs in European competition. Unbelievable atmosphere around Anfield, as expected, with the home side getting proceedings under way.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com