There was almost an air of cynicism about Pep Guardiola’s pre-match claim that Manchester City and Liverpool’s Premier League epic would be decided by what took place in both penalty areas, and while he can point to Sergio Aguero’s electric sharpness for the first goal or Andrew Robertson’s deft pass to Roberto Firmino for the second, an encounter between two possession-retaining teams of near-identical calibre was always going to be decided by what took place in midfield.
Indeed, both defences were far more cautious and structured than usual and consequently gave little away, and both attacks were productive with the opportunities they were afforded – three goals from 16 total attempts is evidence of that, and it could have been four if Sadio Mane’s early effort hadn’t cannoned back off the post. The resulting differential then, was the gap between the two midfields in terms of ultimate quality.
James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson are all disciplined players of impeccable industry, but when they’re matched for energy levels by an engine room of greater technical talent, as epitomised by an incredibly selfless performance from Bernardo Silva, suddenly that work-rate and defensive-mindedness becomes a little obsolete. It never regressed into headless chickens chasing shadows, but Liverpool’s midfield just didn’t win the ball back with the same relentless verve as City’s, or deliver it to the front-line with the same consistency.
It was only when Jurgen Klopp decided to change up after 57 minutes that the balance of the midfield battle started to shift in Liverpool’s favour. Seven minutes after bringing on Fabinho, a surprise omission from the starting XI considering his recent performances, to support Henderson in deep midfield, Liverpool levelled through Firmino. That kind of immediate impact can fall into two categories; either a stroke of managerial genius or evidence of a mistake in the starting XI. This instance belongs to the latter.
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Surprisingly too, there appeared to be no plan to deal with Fernandinho, a player whose importance has been demonstrated by City’s sudden struggles in his absence, or at the very least no plan that worked effectively. Only City’s centre-backs made more passes than the Brazilian, who was afforded enough space to play as many accurate long balls as goalkeeper Ederson. We saw Tottenham nullify Chelsea’s deep-lying orchestrator Jorginho this season by placing Dele Alli on his toes and a similar approach could have worked wonders here, but neither Firmino when dropping deep nor Liverpool’s three central midfielders managed to put the same kind of pressure on the City lynchpin.
Statistics never give the full story, but they can often be indicative. Both included players that were subbed off midway through the second half – David Silva’s exit soon followed Milner’s – yet City’s starting engine room managed more tackles, interceptions and passes than Liverpool’s. To an extent, that’s to be expected with home advantage, but it’s also a consequence of how both midfields were constructed and the quality of player involved. Throughout the game, Liverpool’s was just a step or so behind and in the end, the superiority of City’s eventually told.
The lingering question is why Fabinho was left out of the starting XI, which resonates even louder after his introduction had such a positive effect, albeit influenced by Wijnaldum’s shift out wide too as Liverpool’s 4-3-3 became much more of a flat 4-4-2. It’s understandable that Klopp wanted two leaders of his squad on the pitch for such an important game in Milner and Henderson, but the consequence was a midfield that often became outfought and out-thought by its City counterpart. In a game that was always going to hinge on who could assert their authority between both boxes – despite Guardiola’s predictions otherwise – that counts as an error of judgement on the Liverpool gaffer’s part.
Liverpool may still be four points ahead of City, a lead after 21 games they would have done anything for at the start of the season, but the significance of this defeat should not be underplayed. Not only is it Liverpool’s first Premier League loss of the season, but it also came at the time of the campaign that has often seen them falter under Klopp’s guidance and represents a key psychological blow in the title race. City once feared Liverpool like no other side in world football; now they know they can better them over ninety minutes.
