Riyad Mahrez wastes chance of revenge as Manchester City nullify Liverpool

City worked tirelessly to slow the game with extra passes, exerting their energy to shut down Liverpool’s rapid transitions and opportunities to counter.

“We hope that they come back healthy and play these easy competitions – the Premier League, the Champions League and all this”. We will try to do better’. Why should the police need to be there? We should talk about the game, the football. Are you kidding me?

“I made the decision to shoot in the middle – the ball went up”. That is what they should do.

Who are the youngest and oldest players in the Manchester City squad?

“It shouldn’t have happened but obviously I’m happy that we didn’t concede”.

There is no place in the City squad, though, for Kevin De Bruyne despite his return to training this week.

Guardiola said: “If it is an open game at Anfield, you don’t even have one percent of a chance”.

The Brazilian had been keen but Guardiola sent a message on to the field via Benjamin Mendy telling him to defer to Mahrez.

Guardiola blocked Gabriel Jesus from taking the 85th-minute penalty against Liverpool, which would have secured City’s first league win at Anfield for 15 years.

Key Stat: Trent Alexander-Arnold has been carded three times in seven Premier League games this season.

“We played City now very often and they are just outstanding. They are a top side”.

Liverpool’s German boss Jurgen Klopp praised Achterberg before the 2018/19 season kicked off.

Liverpool, now without a win in four games, struggled to test the City goal, leaving goalkeeper Ederson largely untroubled. “It looks like they are in a good shape”, said Klopp. Yes they had more chances, we didn’t have a shot on target. The Senegalese striker has scored four league goals against them, and only has a better record against Crystal Palace. We defended really well. That’s how it is.

When is “parking the bus” actually a disciplined, well-executed plan to nullify an opposing team’s biggest strength in the pursuit of a positive result? We want a reaction. And in a game like this one at Anfield, when he doesn’t score, Aguero needs to do more to help his team, otherwise he might have to get accustomed to being taken off or starting on the bench. “We felt it now and we don’t want to have that feeling again”.

“It was so intense since the last worldwide break”, he said after the game.

Klopp has been described as Guardiola’s nemesis but the German insisted there is no magic formula to beating City. Unlike last season, Klopp could not call on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to penetrate City with runs from midfield due to the former Arsenal player’s long-term knee injury lay-off.

“We won in the past games against City but in no games were we as level as we were today”.