Poised for another shellacking, John Stones miraculously redeemed himself.
Clattering a clearance off his floored goalkeeper, Stones was suddenly racing toward his own goal. Locked in a chase with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, the English defender and his Manchester City side escaped, with 11 millimeters to spare, and the game remained goalless.
'On such fine margins...', began a series of expectant Tweets. True enough, with less than half an inch all that kept Liverpool from taking an invaluable lead, even the correct decision still seemed somewhat inscrutable.
When Vincent Kompany found himself fortunate not to be sent off, and City took the lead through Sergio Aguero shortly thereafter, Liverpool, hitherto unbeaten in the Premier League, stared into the second-half that appeared to have taken on a grim inevitability.
This was to be City's night, wasn't it? Is it to be their league and all?
Throughout a frenetic first-half, Manchester City appeared marginally the more lively. Looking set to finish goalless at the half-way mark, Sergio Aguero came alive as Dejan Lovren momentarily fell asleep.
"He always does it in this game," Nathan Murphy announced on commentary duty for Off the Ball. Scoring for the seventh time against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, he wasn't wrong.
👏It was some finish by @aguerosergiokun! #MCILIV@nathanmurf @JonWalters19 talk you through the decisive breakthrough!
🔵🔴Check out their half-time chat and second half commentary 👉 https://t.co/FaYSUHv383 pic.twitter.com/JwGbA4s3PP— Off The Ball (@offtheball) January 3, 2019
Into the second-half, and City's first-half effort conspired to bring the best out of Liverpool.
With Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold availing themselves of more liberated roles up and down the alternating wings, the gambit paid off handsomely; the Scottish full-back feeding a first-time pass back into the path of a waiting Roberto Firmino.
Here's the moment Bobby Firmino put Liverpool on level terms! #MCILIV
Check out our live commentary w/@JonWalters19 alongside @nathanmurf 👉https://t.co/FaYSUHv383 @BoyleSports pic.twitter.com/aRIISgt6hK— Off The Ball (@offtheball) January 3, 2019
Level with about 30-minutes remaining, memories of Crystal Palace and Leicester City must have materialised in Pep Guardiola's thoughts.
There too they had taken the lead; there too were they pegged back and beaten. Were Manchester City to surrender their Premier League title in early January? Could Liverpool push on for a winner, and would a 10-point lead all but shatter City's hopes of retaining a Premier League title?
Courtesy of that relentless out-ball on City's left-wing, Guardiola's fears were assuaged; Leroy Sane rifling home a second-half strike to end Liverpool's unbeaten run and open up a title race that may yet run and run.
And just like that Man City re-took the lead!
Leroy Sane with the goal and as @JonWalters19 explains, Sterling played a key role in setting it up #MCILIV
📻Live commentary 👉https://t.co/FaYSUHv383 @BoyleSports pic.twitter.com/M8xfhO5LTq— Off The Ball (@offtheball) January 3, 2019
A game that unquestionably brought together the Premier League's two best teams, it is difficult to imagine whether or not any one of the remaining eighteen sides could live with Manchester City or Liverpool when performing as they did tonight.
For Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, defeat will signal a set-back that should scarcely prove detrimental to their title hopes.
For Guardiola and City, a four-point gap has yet to be traversed. Yet, in a must-win match, the champions delivered.
Although it is unfortunate that the most hotly-anticipated game of the season is over three days into 2019, the long march to May will now determine who can best deal with the immense pressure that will soon descend upon both clubs as attentions are divided across a number of commitments.
