They needed penalties but in the end Manchester City got their hands on the Capital One Cup final as Jurgen Klopp missed out on a first trophy with Liverpool.
Fernandinho put Man City in front just after half-time when Sergio Aguero played him in. But Reds keeper Simon Mignolet should have saved, only to allow the ball past him at the near post (as you can see below).
Liverpool did equalise however, when Adam Lallana hit the post with seven minutes to go and Philippe Coutinho fired in the rebound to force extra-time.
With neither side able to score in the extra-time period, the game went to penalties.
Coutinho, Lucas and Adam Lallana all missed their penalties with City keeper Willy Caballero excelling, while Yaya Toure found the corner with the clincher as it finished 3-1 in the shootout.
Mignolet mediocrity
The Liverpool keeper's contribution with timely saves at the end of normal time and to stop Aguero at the end of the first part of extra-time should not be forgotten.
But the way he let Fernandinho's shot on goal beat him is more indicative of his performances since becoming Liverpool's No 1.
Fernandinho gives #MCFC the lead! #CapitalOneCupFinal live on SS1 NOW! Brought to you by @CapitalOneUK https://t.co/9P49Ld2odE
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 28, 2016
Assurance is not a word that Reds fans would use when describing the Belgian's attributes in goal in recent seasons and a top level goalkeeper should not have been beaten at his near post the way he was as Fernandinho unleashed the shot from the angle.
Of course, that should not fully overshadow the positives but at the highest level those sorts of errors and shortcomings do have an affect as for example Arsenal have found by bringing in a top level keeper like Petr Cech to bring the type of assurance that previous No 1s couldn't.
Manchester City's Fernandinho, center, competes for the ball with Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho during the English League Cup final soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
City learn from some errors
Last time Pellegrini sent out his team to play Liverpool, it did not go well to say the least as Jurgen Klopp's pressing caught out City and left them counting the cost of a 4-1 battering on the break.
City set up differently this time and allowed Liverpool more of the ball, while the Sky Blues had occasional moments on the break, including the Fernandinho goal which saw the Reds back four exposed as Aguero slipped in his midfield colleague around the corner.
As Liverpool would prefer to have less of the ball and more opportunities to win it higher up the field, City allowed Klopp's side to have over 60% of possession.
But they also put more of a shield in front of the defence. In the 4-1 loss, they did not play the double shield of Fernando and Fernandinho alongside Yaya Toure but did this time and were less susceptible defensively.
Also it helps to have captain and leader Vincent Kompany at the back, organising the back four.
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