Thrilling Liverpool-Manchester City stalemate keeps Arsenal atop the Premier League

Arsenal’s players and fans sat down to watch Sunday’s marquee Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City knowing that their stay atop the Premier League might be brief.

But after the Reds and Sky Blues played to a pulsating 1-1 tie at Anfield, the Gunners are guaranteed to remain England’s pacesetter until at least the end of the month.

City’s John Stones opened the scoring in the first half. Early in the second, visiting goalkeeper Ederson took down Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez and Alexis Mac Allister converted the ensuing penalty from 12 yards. Both teams came close to finding the winner, ultimately to no avail. 

Here are a few quick takeaways from Sunday’s contest.

Play of the game

Stones’ goal — the towering center back’s first of the season — may have come from an unlikely source. The near-post effort that he turned past backup Liverpool backstop Caoimhin Kelleher (starter Alisson Becker is injured) may not have been the most eye-catching of strikes.

It still had an element of beauty, however, in that it was a clearly rehearsed and perfectly executed set play. Had it not been for Ederson’s clumsy challenge on Núñez —one that injured the Brazilian keeper, forcing him to be subbed out of the match — it might have stood up as the winner and leapfrogged City over both the Gunners and Reds and into pole position.

Turning point

Once they had the lead, Pep Guardiola’s side was content to sit back a little and let Liverpool have most of the ball as they probed for opportunities to counterattack. Mac Allister’s equalizer changed the momentum completely. 

While City had its chances to regain the lead, none better than a botched clearance by Kelleher that ricocheted off an unsuspecting Phil Foden and then the hosts’s crossbar, Liverpool had most of the momentum and looked the more likely side to score a second.  

Key stat

Liverpool out-shot the Cityzens 19-10, but the statistic that really stands out is possession. It’s not often that City is second best in this department, but Liverpool had more of the ball all game, finishing with 53-percent of the total.

Some of that definitely comes down to City scoring first. But the truth is that playing on Merseyside, with the Kop in full voice behind them, Liverpool was simply the better team for most of the night. In a funny way, that makes the result for the visitors even more impressive.

What’s next for Liverpool?

The draw leaves a significant dent in the Reds’ hopes of sending beloved manager Jurgen Klopp, who is leaving his post at season’s end, off with a second Prem title. Unless they can overcome Arsenal’s +7 goal differential, they no longer control their own density.

In a still razor-thin race, all Liverpool can do is concentrate on not slipping up again in league play, which for them resumes March 31 against Brighton. Klopp’s lot hosts Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday, then meet historic rivals Manchester United in next Sunday’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Old Trafford.

What’s next for Manchester City?

With the Sky Blues, Reds and Gunners all involved in FA Cup games next weekend, the last before the March international break, City can’t now climb out of third place until at least the end of the month.

Guardiola’s side next hosts Newcastle on Saturday in Cup play, then returns to Premier League action with another hugely consequential match at home on March 31 against — who else? — Arsenal. Lose that one, and any hope for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title evaporates, too. 

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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