With a headed goal from the Dutch center-back Nathan Aké, Manchester City endorsed the Etihad duel against Liverpool (3-2), an exhibition of good football, vertical, high-paced, goals and alternatives that ended up tying the whole of Spanish Pep Guardiola to gain access to the quarterfinals of the English League Cup.
The first great duel in Premier League football, the clash between the two most successful teams in the competition, after the break for the World Cup offered a stupendous spectacle between two unbridled teams, relentlessly and relentlessly determined to achieve their goal.
It did not give the feeling that the game had been stopped in England. There was no lack of rhythm or tension. Quite the opposite. Nobody gave away anything. And even in the final stretch, the tension was evident between the players. There was no truce in the duel between the two rulers of English football in recent times. Ten minutes it took Erling Haaland to open the scoring. The Norwegian, avid for football, brought a cross from the left of Belgian Kevin De Bruyne into the net.
It gave the feeling that the game was under City's control but Liverpool never wrinkled, having already threatened the local goal on several occasions. He equalized in the twenty, when a ball drive from Joel Matip found James Milner unmarked. He received, turned and saw Fabio Carvalho in a good position, inside the box. The Portuguese picked up the cross and fired a shot past German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
Ilkai Gundogan was able to score for Guardiola's box but Coimhin Kelleher saved with his foot. Also the Uruguayan Darwin Núñez and Harvey Elliot for the reds but there was no aim.
The goals came after the break. Two minutes after the restart, a long cross from Rodri led to perfect control by Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian cut his marker, stood in front of the goalkeeper and crossed the ball into the net. It took a minute for Liverpool to respond. He overcame the high pressure from the citizens and launched an attack on the run that ended in a goal. Harvey Elliott sent a long ball to Darwin Núñez who, running from the left, sent it into the area, with the goalkeeper out of position, Mohamed Salah pushed the ball into the empty goal.
Anything could happen at the Etihad. There were alternatives for both, unleashed, at full speed. It was in a set piece action that had the inspiration of De Bruyne that the exciting duel unbalanced. A short corner, a combination between Cole Palmer and De Bruyne that sent an accurate cross to the far post where Aké entered and, with a header, he beat Caomhin Kelleher again to make the third for City that ultimately led to classification.
Darwin Núñez had the equalizer in the last quarter of an hour when he headed into the local goal. The Uruguayan sinned as an individualist who decided not to cross Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, better placed, and opted to shoot, heeling. He went wide of the shot and his team's chances dwindled.
3 - Manchester City: Stefan Ortega; Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji (John Stones,m.61), Aymeric Report, Nathan Ake; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodriguez, Ilkay Gundogan (Bernardo Silva, m.88); Riyad Mahrez, Cole Palmer (Jack Grealish, m.72) and Erling Haaland (Phil Foden, m.72).
2 - Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher; James Milner, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson; Thiago (Naby Keita, m.70), Stefan Bajcetic (Fabinho, m.46), Harvey Elliott (Jordan Henderson, m.57); Mohamed Salah, Fabio Carvalho (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, m.46) y Darwin Núñez.
Goals: 1-0, m.10: Erling Haaland; 1-1, m.20: Fabio Carvalho; 2-1, m.47: Riyad Mahrez; 2-2, m.48: Mohamed Salah; 3-2, m.58: Nathan Aké.
Referee: David Coote. He showed a yellow card to Stefan Bajcetic, Fabinho and Naby Keita, from Liverpool and Rodri, from Manchester city.
Incidents: match of the round of 16 of the English League Cup played at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
