Premier League analysis: Five talking points from Liverpool 1-1 Man City

John Stones rewarded Man City’s early dominance in the game, tapping the ball home from a well-worked set-piece routine to give the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute.

But the Reds started the second half in perfect fashion. Ederson brought down Darwin Nunez for a Liverpool penalty two minutes after the restart after the Uruguayan had latched onto a poor Nathan Ake backpass - and Alexis Mac Allister converted the spot-kick to equalise.

Here, Planet Sport’s Connor Burgess looks at five main talking points from an entertaining match-up between two Premier League heavyweights who are battling with Arsenal to be crowned kings of England for the 2023/24 season.

More VAR controversy - Should Liverpool have been awarded a second penalty?

Jeremy Doku caught Mac Allister with a high foot attempting to clear a Liverpool corner late into stoppage time.

The Argentinian midfielder went down in the box and Anfield screamed for a potential match-winning penalty to be awarded.

Stuart Atwell on VAR decided against sending referee Michael Oliver to the screen and the final whistle was blown seconds later.

In a statement that sums up the split opinion around the decision, former referee Mike Dean said on Sky Sports commentary that he believed it was a penalty before agreeing with the officials after the appeals were denied. 

Dean added that Doku ‘played the ball first’ for the reason that the spot-kick wasn’t awarded. In comparison to the incident at Tottenham when Curtis Jones was sent-off for a challenge on Yves Bissouma, after winning the ball first, Liverpool will feel hard done-by.

Jurgen Klopp in his post-match interview echoed further frustrations on the inconsistency of VAR, saying: “He hit the ball yes, but he can only hit the ball because his foot is right there (high) and then you say yeah he hit the ball, but if the ball is not there, he kills him.”

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp fumes as Liverpool denied late penalty in draw with Man City

Luis Diaz left to rue missed chances

Luis Diaz had Liverpool’s best chance in the second half. The Columbian was put through on goal by Mohamed Salah but fired his effort wide of the post in the 63rd minute.

A minute later Diaz was through again but his poor touch allowed Kyle Walker to poke the ball out for a corner.

Diaz was at the centre of nearly all Liverpool’s attacks in the second half but the Reds’ number seven was unable to capitalise on his side’s momentum.

His performance replicated that of Luton’s visit to Anfield last month. Diaz missed a hatful of chances in the game before eventually finding the net and Liverpool’s third of the game.

However, it wasn’t to be for Diaz on the day but he continued to cause Man City’s defence problems throughout the match.

He got the better of Walker throughout and seemed to find a second wind in the 82nd minute when he raced past Walker and Rodri down the left side.

Overall, it was a fantastic performance from Diaz in one of the most important games of Liverpool’s season. But his inability to find the net could prove costly to Liverpool’s title chances.

Kevin De Bruyne fumes over substitution

Kevin De Bruyne looked furious when the fourth official held his number up with 20 minutes remaining in the match.

The Belgian assisted the Citizens’ only goal of the game and has been in stellar form of late, notching four assists in City’s FA Cup fifth-round win over Luton.

He made way for Mateo Kovacic as Pep Guardiola sought to regain control of the tie as Liverpool continued to dominate.

It was evident that De Bruyne didn’t agree with his manager’s decision to remove him and the pair could be seen discussing the decision in the dugout.

Guardiola wasn’t concerned with his reaction and praised the midfielder’s mentality in his post-match press conference.

He said: “I like it, if he’s upset, it’s good. I knew what we were missing and we missed keeping the ball and we could not miss it with him and Berny (Bernardo Silva) and John (Stones). We could not have it and after we did it better.”

Despite the criticism from De Bruyne, the substitution worked as Man City gained more control of the ball to suppress the Liverpool momentum and earn the visitors a draw.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Rodri confident Man City ready to chase fourth successive Premier League title

Virgil van Dijk vs Erling Haaland

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has been subject to intense scrutiny over the years. The Dutch defender has been dubbed ‘past his best’ since his return from the ACL injury suffered in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Everton.

Erling Haaland has also been scrutinised this season, despite boasting 18 Premier League goals in 23 appearances. The Norwegian broke the record for most goals in a single campaign last season, scoring 36 times in 35 appearances in his debut season for Manchester City.

Since the sides last met in November, Haaland has notched five goals in the league and having scored in the reverse fixture at the Etihad, the striker found himself with a golden opportunity.

De Bruyne broke the lines to find his team-mate in the 39th minute, and Liverpool’s high line left only Van Dijk standing between Haaland and the goal.

The chance was reminiscent of when Van Dijk found himself 2v1 against Moussa Sissoko and Heung-Min Son at Anfield in 2019. Haaland ran at the defender before being pushed out wide and his shot fired straight at Caiomhin Kelleher.

It was a heart-in-mouth moment for both sides as the world’s best striker squared up against the world’s best defender.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola: End of an era

Since Klopp’s appointment in 2016, his Liverpool side have faced Guardiola’s Man City on 22 occasions. Klopp has won eight games, Guardiola seven and seven have ended in a draw.

The pair have defined an era in the Premier League and pushed each other to new heights.

Only a point separated the sides in the 2018/19 and 2021/22 seasons, with both collecting over 90 points and Man City winning the title on both occasions.

In the 2018/19 season Liverpool only lost once, finishing the season on 97 points - only one point behind the only team to beat them that season, Man City.

Klopp’s Liverpool were set for an historic Quadruple on the final day of the 2021/22 season. But Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa were unable to hold onto a 2-0 lead against Man City in the final game of the season to hand Guardiola another Premier League title over Klopp. 

One point decided the league title once again after a 3-2 win for City on the last day.

Guardiola has managed to get the better of Klopp over the years, but the quality of the title races between the two may never be repeated again.

As the pair shared the points between their sides for the seventh time, they were hesitant to talk about the sentiment on their final Premier League match against each other.

However, they’ve not been shy in praising each other over the years and will surely do so when the curtains draw on the final title race between two of the greatest managers in the history of the Premier League.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola: Man City survived a Liverpool 'tsunami' at Anfield