The clash between Liverpool and their guest Manchester City ended in a 2-2 draw on Sunday in the seventh week of the English Premier League, which also saw Tottenham reclaim their winning form with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. At Anfield, Senegalese Sadio Mane (59) and Egyptian Mohamed Salah (76) scored for Liverpool, while Phil Foden (69) and Belgian Kevin De Bruyne (81) netted for City.
With this result, Liverpool's points tally rose to 15, placing them second, while Manchester City reached 14 points, settling in third. Under the management of Spanish coach Pep Guardiola and German coach Jürgen Klopp, Manchester City and Liverpool have become the dominant forces in English football, having controlled the last four league titles, including three for Manchester City.
City issued a strong warning to their title rivals with a narrow 1-0 victory over host Chelsea in the previous round, while Liverpool remains the only team in the league so far that has not suffered a loss. However, City was unable to replicate last season's scenario when they ended their long wait for an away victory against Liverpool with a 4-1 win last February, and they have not won at Anfield since 2003.
The match began cautiously despite City enjoying relative control in the first half, which saw few scoring opportunities, the most notable being in the 34th minute when Foden sent a cross from the left that De Bruyne, unmarked in the box, headed wide.
**Klopp Regrets and Guardiola Content**
Liverpool began to bounce back in the second half, starting with a powerful shot from Portuguese Diogo Jota from the edge of the box in the 50th minute, which was saved by Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson. Liverpool opened the scoring after a quick run from Salah down the right, who delivered a through ball to Mane, who broke free from Ederson and scored (59).
Guardiola made his first substitution for City in the 66th minute, bringing on Raheem Sterling for Jack Grealish, followed by Klopp introducing Brazilian Firmino for Jota. City managed to equalize with a powerful low shot from Foden (69). Liverpool regained the lead in the 76th minute when Salah skillfully navigated through the defense, entered the box, and fired a powerful shot into the net.
Just five minutes later, City equalized once more as De Bruyne shot from the edge of the box, deflecting off Cameroonian Joel Matip, tricking Brazilian Alisson and finding the net. Klopp stated after the match that "the level in the first half was very average from our side, perhaps below average, we were very passive with the ball and without it... the worst 45 minutes we played against them." Guardiola, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction, saying, "If I am asked about the point we gained, then clearly I am happy, and if I am asked about the performance, I am more than satisfied... we came back from 1-0 and 2-1, and the team showed great character."
**Own Goal Delights Tottenham**
Tottenham Hotspur eased the pressure on their manager Nuno Espírito Santo after three consecutive losses, recovering their winning rhythm with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. Spurs took the lead through Danish player Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (27), with Ollie Watkins equalizing for Villa (67), before Aston Villa's player Matt Targett gifted Tottenham three points with an own goal (71).
With this win, Tottenham's points tally rose to 12, temporarily placing them seventh, while Aston Villa's total froze at ten points in ninth place. Nuno's men had lost their last three matches in the Premier League, and any other result would have increased the pressure on the Portuguese coach, whose previous defeats against London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea raised questions about his future just months after taking over from fellow countryman José Mourinho.
Tottenham opened the scoring in the 27th minute following a midfield attack led by South Korean Son Heung-min, who exploited Villa's defenders’ tardiness to deliver a perfectly weighted pass to Højbjerg, who calmly finished into the lower right corner of Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez's goal.
In the second half, Watkins connected with a low cross from Targett from the left to equalize (67). However, the match did not bring much glory for Targett, who unluckily scored an own goal, deflecting a brilliant pass from Son that was heading towards Brazilian Lucas Moura, thus gifting Tottenham the valuable three points.
In another match, Leicester City squandered an important victory over hosts Crystal Palace after leading 2-0, settling for a 2-2 draw. Leicester started strongly, opening the scoring in the 31st minute with Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho, followed by Jamie Vardy doubling the lead (37). However, the hosts rallied in the second half, scoring a goal to reduce the deficit in the 61st minute through Michael Olise and equalizing with a goal from Ghanaian Jeffrey Schlupp (72). Consequently, Leicester remains with eight points in thirteenth place, while Crystal Palace holds fourteen place with seven points. Meanwhile, West Ham lost 2-1 to visiting Brentford, who snatched the victory in the dying moments of the match.
