Manchester City and Liverpool renew their rivalry on Sunday when they meet in a highly charged Premier League clash at Anfield. Historically, Liverpool are often considered favourites in this fixture, but recent form strongly favours the Manchester club.
City have been dominating headlines in recent weeks over serious financial breach charges. On the league table, they lead with 15 points, six ahead of Liverpool, who sit sixth. Sunday’s game will be the 202nd meeting between the sides across all competitions. Liverpool lead the head-to-head record with 95 wins, while City have won 53 and 53 matches have ended in draws.
As Enzo Maresca faces Andoni Iraola this weekend, we look back at five of the most memorable meetings between the clubs.
Seven-goal Anfield thriller and City’s late fightback
The first game on the list was a seven-goal league thriller eight years ago. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool an early lead, before Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in a rousing spell of eight minutes in the second half. That run gave the hosts a commanding four-goal cushion.
Manchester City hit back, however, scoring twice in the final six minutes through Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan. Liverpool had to hold on for a nervous finish. The result strengthened Liverpool’s push for a top-four place, and it also ended City’s unbeaten run that season.
City went on to win the title that term with a record-breaking 100 points, while Liverpool finished fourth.
Coutinho’s winner on the Hillsborough anniversary
The next match goes further back and was similarly rich in goals. It was played on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, when 97 Liverpool supporters died. A Liverpool side reduced to ten men beat City 3-2 in a dramatic clash in the title race.
Early goals from Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control. City responded through David Silva and an own goal by Glen Johnson, but Philippe Coutinho struck the winner 12 minutes from time. He pounced on a loose clearance by City’s Vincent Kompany inside the box and drilled the ball into the bottom corner, sending Anfield wild for the ‘Little Magician’.
The win was a major step towards Liverpool’s title challenge. In the end, however, City lifted the league that season, finishing two points ahead of the Merseyside club.
Sane’s winner and the 2020 Fabinho goal
City were on the winning side in the next fixture. Sergio Aguero put them ahead with a first-half strike, before Firmino equalised four minutes from the hour mark. Leroy Sane then won the three points for the hosts, scoring the winner in the 72nd minute.
The goal followed a quick counterattack. Sterling picked out Sane on the left, just outside the box, and the German’s left-footed shot struck the inside of the post before rolling into the bottom corner. The defeat was Liverpool’s first loss of the season and ended a 20-game unbeaten run. City also cut Liverpool’s lead at the top to four points and went on to lift the trophy, beating the Reds by just one point.
The list then moves to the season that was the first affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Goals from Fabinho, Salah and Mane guided Liverpool to a highly impressive 3-1 home win over the title holders. Liverpool fans remember the match mainly for Fabinho’s stunning effort, when the Brazilian launched the ball into the net from about 25 yards (23 metres) out.
The win opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table. It was a defining moment in Liverpool’s campaign, which ended their 30-year wait to win the league. Liverpool finished with 99 points, 18 ahead of second-placed City.
Champions League quarterfinal and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s strike
The final entry is a Champions League meeting. Liverpool scored three goals in the opening half-hour of the first leg of this UCL quarterfinal, tearing through their opponents. Salah, Mane and Oxlade-Chamberlain were again among the scorers as Liverpool took firm control of the knockout tie.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fierce finish, a thundering strike from outside the box, was the highlight of the fixture. Liverpool went on to reach the final, where they lost to Real Madrid.
