Trent Alexander-Arnold strikes to earn Liverpool a big point at Man City

Erling Haaland became the fastest player in Premier League history to 50 goals.

Sat, 25 Nov, 2023 - 12:03

Neil Jones at the Etihad Stadium

MANCHESTER CITY 1-1 LIVERPOOL

Trent Alexander-Arnold was the hero, scoring a late equaliser as Liverpool secured a 1-1 draw away to Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday.

The England international struck 10 minutes from time at the Etihad Stadium, as Jürgen Klopp’s side became the first team to prevent the European champions from winning on home soil in 2023.

City had looked on course for a 24th straight Etihad win when Erling Haaland gave them a first-half lead, the Norwegian becoming the fastest player in Premier League history to 50 goals in the process, breaking a record that had been held by Andy Cole since 1995.

Liverpool, though, showed character to ride their luck and stay in the game, and they were rewarded in the closing stages as Alexander-Arnold fired home his first goal of the season from Mohamed Salah’s pass.

The result keeps Liverpool within a point of City at the top of the table, and represents significant progress for Klopp’s side, who were beaten 4-1 on their last visit here back in April.

After a tight opening period, Liverpool must have feared the worst when Alisson Becker’s poor clearance allowed Haaland to give City the lead on 27 minutes, the Premier League’s top scorer squeezing the ball home from Nathan Ake’s pass.

The goal took Haaland to his half-century in the Premier League, and in reaching the mark in only 48 matches, he has simply obliterated the previous record. Cole, a prolific scorer in his own right, took 65 games to reach his 50.

Haaland might have had 51 by the end of play here, too. He was inches away from winning the game in the sixth minute of injury-time, flicking his header wide from Julian Alvarez’s corner. Soon after, the final whistle sounded, with City goalkeeper Ederson hammering the ball into the crowd in frustration.

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City certainly felt they should have won, and they had their chances to kill the game off. Pep Guardiola will rue the disallowing of a Ruben Dias goal in the second half, when Manuel Akanji was harshly adjudged to have fouled Alisson.

It was Alisson who gifted the home side their first chance of the afternoon, passing the ball straight to Phil Foden, whose eventual shot was tame.

Liverpool came close to an opener when Ederson saved from Darwin Nunez’s header, and they were close to levelling after Haaland’s opener too, Nunez firing into the side-netting from Dominik Szoboszlai’s pass.

Alisson, at full stretch, denied Foden as City went in ahead at the break, and after the restart both Alvarez and Haaland might have done better with chances created by the dangerous Jeremy Doku.

Then came Dias disallowed strike, while at the other end Ederson was alert to deny Nunez at the near post as Liverpool continued to carry a threat on the break.

Their persistence paid off on 80 minutes, substitute Luis Diaz finding Salah, who teed up Alexander-Arnold for his magic moment. City left frustrated, Liverpool departed buoyant.

Manchester City: Ederson 7, Walker © 6, Dias 7, Akanji 6, Aké 7, Rodri 7, Silva 8, Foden 6, Alvarez 7, Doku 7, Haaland 7 Unused subs: Ortega, Carson, Stones, Gvardiol, Lewis, Gómez, Phillips, Bobb Booked: Silva Goals: Haaland (27)

Liverpool: Alisson 5, Alexander-Arnold 7, Matip 7, Van Dijk © 7, Tsimikas 7, Mac Allister 6 (Endo 85) , Szoboszlai 6 (Gakpo 73, 6), Jones 5 (Gravenbech 54, 6), Salah 6, Nunez 6 (Elliott 85), Jota 5 (Diaz 54, 7) Unused subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Konaté, Quansah Booked: Nunez, Matip, Endo Goals: Alexander-Arnold (80)

Referee: C Kavanagh 6