Liverpool 4, Manchester City 3: First Thoughts

Liverpool 4 Oxlade-Chamberlain 10’, Firmino 59’, Mané 61’, Salah 66’ Manchester City 3 Sane 40’, Bernardo 82’, Gundogan 90+1’

• Pre-match thought: Klopp decided Karius is the new number 1? What did Mignolet do? What has Karius done to make Klopp that much more confident in him? Have I slept for five years?
• HERE WE GO! Captain Dejan Lovren leading the team out and a minute’s applause for Liverpool’s former goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence, who passed away earlier this week.
• The Anfield faithful are thankfully loud today, as they’ll be a big part of anything good happening today. (Including the boos for Sterling, those give me life).
• GOAL!!! ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN BURSTS FORWARD AND MAGICALLY BEATS EDERSON TO SEND A GOAL HOME INTO THE LOWER CORNER!
• Liverpool have a chance to build on this now and they’ve been doing well to harry and keep the ball from City as often as possible.
• ALMOST! Mané wins the ball and moves forward and tries to get the ball to Oxlade-Chamberlain and Salah picks up a deflection but eventually sends it wide.
• Things have settled here after those frantic first fifteen minutes with City seeing slightly more of the ball. This is no team to be comfortable with a one-nil lead against, especially this early.
• Goal. Leroy Sane receives a throughball from Kyle Walker and beats Gomez and Matip to thread a goal past the near post. Not great from anyone in a Liverpool shirt.
• Halftime: It’s 1-all at halftime after a what should’ve been an easy save by Karius but this is Liverpool and nothing is easy. This is anyone’s game to take, but Liverpool have been on the front foot nearly the entire time.
• And we’re back! No changes at the half, unsurprisingly. It’s not like we can make a ‘keeper change at halftime. Right? Hahahahaha.
• Matip does well to shut down City after Kevin DeBruyne muscles past Lovren, ending in a corner for the visitors and their first of the match. Otamendi gets a head on the ball but thankfully clips it to the crossbar.
• Things have definitely mellowed in this game in the break but there’s the anxiety knowing a goal could come from either side. Here’s hoping it’s the Reds.
• Andy Robertson has been fantastic today in shutting down Sterling faster than the boos from the Anfield attendants. And thankfully Sergio Aguero has been silenced for most of the day too.
• NEARLY! Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nearly does the same thing Leroy Sané succeeded in earlier, only City have a halfway decent ‘keeper and he’s able to block the shot from the near post.
• GOAL!! BOBBY FIRMINO PICKS UP A PERFECT PASS FROM OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN AND CURLS IT IN JUST BEHIND THE KEEPER TO PUT THE REDS AHEAD.
• GOAL!!! MANE MAKES UP FOR IT WITH A SUBLIME FINISH NOT EVEN A MINUTE AFTER HITTING THE POST.
• The Reds are scintillating here and at their attacking best. Honestly if we can win this, we can win anything. (Famous last words?)
• GOAL!!!! SALAH WITH HIS 18TH OF THE SEASON AFTER PICKING UP A PASS FROM CITY ‘KEEPER EDERSON!
• “Remember being 5-0 at the Etihad back in September?” Arlo White asks and YES, WE DO. DO THEY REMEMBER BEING 4-1 DOWN AT ANFIELD? THEY WILL NOW.
• Sterling gets a yellow for a foul on Wijnaldum and honestly, GOOD.
• Things have settled once again, but Liverpool are still dominating here, as they should. If there’s any team that can come back from this it’s City, and there’s plenty of time.
• Liverpool makes their first change - Emre Can (who admittedly has been Not Bad) comes off for James Milner (against his former club).
• Goal. Bernardo Silva puts one back to make it two for the visitors. Unlucky for the Reds but the clock is almost out.
• If Liverpool can just see this one out... This’ll be a decent statement of intent going into the new post-Coutinho era.
• Liverpool make another change - Adam Lallana coming on for Mo Salah with five minutes to spare in the game.
• Goal. Gundogan makes it three just in the beginning of stoppage time after some trademark sloppy Liverpool defending.
• Liverpool desperately trying to run out the clock here with Ragnar Klavan coming on for Sadio Mane just before a free kick given away by James Milner.
• Final Whistle: The final minutes of the game were nothing but breathtaking (in a bad way) but Liverpool made their dominance known and take down the giants of the season in a 4-3 match at Anfield. Coutinwho?

We’ll be back shortly to take an in-depth look at everything that happened in today’s game with the full recap. Until then, let us know your take on the ups and downs of the match in the comments, and if you haven’t already, join the community on the Liverpool Offside, where we’ll have full coverage and lively in-game discussion for every match this season.