As it happened: Manchester City beats Liverpool 4-0

Follow the highlights and updates from the 2019/20 Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

Updated : Jul 03, 2020 03:33 IST

Joe Gomez and Raheem Sterling clash during the last meeting between Manchester City and Liverpool.
Joe Gomez and Raheem Sterling clash during the last meeting between Manchester City and Liverpool.
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Joe Gomez and Raheem Sterling clash during the last meeting between Manchester City and Liverpool.

 

MATCH REPORT:

That will be the final action from the game and it ends a disappointing night for the Reds with a heavy 4-0 defeat. 

90'+5' 5-0!!!! A string of pas and move sees Foden release Mahrez, who slaloms his way past Liverpool's defence to fire the ball past Alisson. You just cannot! VAR disallows the goal because the ball bounced off Foden's hand onto the path of Mahrez.

Ole ball on show from City as they play out the added time... But they aren't done here!

Four minutes of added time.

90' Origi hold the ball up to tee off Salah, whose shot, once again, is blocked. A dominant showing from City today.

87' Robertson's cross from the left hits Bendy in the six yard area and runs away from the path of Salah.

86' Mane goes off for Minamino.

82' Ohhh.. Mahrez with a diagonal pickout to KDB, who fires his header wide from the edge of the box with Alisson having made his way out of his area.

81' De Bruyne finds Mahrez to run at the Liverpool defence and ends up firing the shot away from goal.

80' Mane dribbles down the left and hooks in a cross which is collected by Ederson without much trouble.

79' Double change for City: Sterling and Laporte go off for Bernardo Silva and Otamendi

76' Change for Liverpool: Neco Williams comes on for Alexander-Arnold

73' After the water break, City brings on Cancelo for Walker.

66' It's 4-0! It's Sterling again! Mahrez disposses TAA on the right and the ball finds De Bruyne in acres of space for a counter. KDB plays the through ball on the right side and he cuts in to apply the finish. Replay shows the ball was going wide but was deflected into the goal by Chamberlain's tackle. So it's an own goal.

65' Henderson fizzes the ball into the box for Salah, who sidefoots into the path of Origi. Origi's shot is blocked by Laporte.

Double change for Liverpool: Origi and Keita come on for Firmino and Wijnaldum

62' City plays itself into trouble and gets out of it. Laporte plays a sloppy pass from the back into the feet of Mane, who finds Salah. The Egyptian's shot is, however, blocked.

City's first change: Riyad Mahrez comes on for Jesus.

57' Alexander-Arnold goes low to the far corner and its wide of the post.

56' Penalty for Liverpool. Mane goes down after a nudge on the back from Walker. VAR check and it's overturned for a free-kick outside the box just on the edge.

55' Foden dribbles his way into the middle again and unleashes a rasping low drive but its saved by Alisson.

54' Uncharacteristic from Mane and Liverpool. Henderson with a steal in midfield and plays it into the box for Mane to have a shot on goal but he fails to control the ball and Ederson collects it.

51' Wow City is queuing up to fire shots on Liverpool's goal. De Bruyne, free on the right, cuts it into the path of Foden, whose shot is cleared off the line by Van Dijk.

50' City on the break again and Sterling has a run at the Liverpool backline. His shot is deflected behind for a corner by Fabinho.

49' What a chance for Jesus to make it four! Alexander Arnold throws it into the path of Jesus and he comes inside and fires a weak effort into the gloves of Alisson.

48' De Bruyne's corner is gathered by Alisson. Salah is stopped at the other end by Walker.

46' Liverpool goes long straight away and that's the cue for Ederson to come flying outside to head the ball out.

Change for Liverpool: Oxlade Chamberlain comes on for centre-back Joe Gomez. Fabinho to slot in at the back?

SECOND HALF

Half-time and what a torrid day this is turning out to be for champion Liverpool. City is flying and will want to add further misery to its opponent.

45'+3' Salah is released down the right side but he fails to find Mane with his cross.

45' 3-0! A humbling from the outgoing champion for the new champion! Intricate play from Gundogan, De Bruyne and Foden has Liverpool in all sorts. KDB plays in Foden and he smashes the ball into th roof of the net. 

42' Mendy is booked for delaying his throw in.

Not the start Liverpool would have hoped as the new Premier League champion.

35' GOAL! City hits on the counter and the former Liverpool player Sterling finishes it off in style for a 2-0 lead! Jesus holds the ball up and plays in Foden, who comes inside to find Sterling on the left. The winger cuts inside and fires it between the feet of, you guessed it, Gomez and into the net.

32' Liverpool wins the ball in midfield, Firmino plays in Mane on the left, who clips the ball on the right for Fabinho. The Brazilian tries to sidefoot it on the path of Salah but Rodri gets in the way.

30' Another long ball to Mane and does well to get away from the challenge of Garcia and tries to find Henderson on the edge of the box but the ball is cleared away from danger.

In case you were wondering what the history behind Gomez and Sterling was, here it is.

25' GOAL! De Bruyne fires it into the bottom left corner. His fourth goal in his last four starts. The goal will be a segue for the first drinks break of the match.

24' Penalty to City! Gomez, who has a history with Sterling, brings the Cuty forward down inside the box. Yellow card for his foul

20' Against the post! Firmino feeds Salah, who cuts in from the right and strikes it low against the post with Ederson well beaten!

19' TAA finds Salah with a clipped ball over the left side of City's defence and the Egyptian's cross is cut out.

18' City dominating possession and De Bruyne finds Jesus' run behind but he is flagged offside again.

 

14' Mendy with a superb cross from the left but there are no City players to meet it.

10' Chance at either end. De Bruyne's shot is blocked after a darting run to the edge of Liverpool's box. Liverpool has a cross into the box with two bodies inside but the header is wide.

You can here the fireworks going outside the Etihad Stadium. If there was any doubt who the champion is, it seems like few fans are keen to let the blue half, and possibly Red, of Manchester know.

6' Alexander-Arnold's cross field pass over City's defence was a touch long for Mane to chase down.

Liverpool will look to pierce upon City's backline with balls over the top to find the speedy Salah and Mane more often today.

4' Van Dijk plays a long ball over the top to find Salah's run and he brings it down and brings out a save from Ederson, who was way off his line there. Firimino's tame effort from the rebound is stopped comfortably by Ederson.

3' Jesus is played through on goal behind Liverpool's defence but he is flagged offside.

1' It's kick off. City plays from left to right.

Both sets of players take a knee before kick off.

FIRST HALF

The Reds make their way out to a round of applause from their City counterparts. A well deserved praise for the runaway champions.

Here are the Manchester City players and staff lining up for the guard of honour for the new champion Liverpool.

PRE-SHOW

 

The team line-ups are out!

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane

COACH: Jurgen Klopp

MANCHESTER CITY XI: Ederson, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Mendy, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Jesus, Sterling.

COACH: Pep Guardiola.

PREVIEW

A proposed guard of honour for the newly crowned Premier League champion will be the focus of what was supposed to be the standout fixture as we approach the end of the season.

Liverpool, which won its first league title in 30 years last week, will visit the home of the previous champion and its adversary Manchester City. City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed that his men will give the Reds, who holds a 23-point lead at the top, a guard of honour.

“We are going to do the guard of honor, of course,” Guardiola said.

“Always we receive Liverpool when they come to our house in an incredible way. They cannot complain and of course we are going to do it because they deserve it.”

While the Liverpool fans will be eager to see the opposition line up to applaud their team on, manager Jurgen Klopp feels there is no need for the gesture. "It's an English and Premier League tradition, so we will take it. It's a nice gesture. I wouldn't need it to be honest because we go there and we want to play a football game and either way we want to win the game."

Klopp insisted that his men are now looking forward to finishing the rest of the season by not taking the foot off the pedal. He said, "Our challenge is now being a champion and playing game against seven teams who are fighting for everything. We can show that we don't want to run because we don't have to, we can show we can run because we want to. Since that [title win] we've been preparing for Manchester City and with full focus. That's how it works. I don't know another way."

The game could offer City a chance to show its critics it will be back to challenge for the title next season. Guardiola said his team was faced with a rebuilding task with several key players approaching their end of their careers.

“We have to rebuild. It happens at clubs around the world,” he said. “We have to accept it and take the right decisions to try to maintain the level that we have.

“We have exceptional players but after the season finishes we will reflect.”

City has already conceded 10 more goals in the league than it did in the whole of last season's title-winning campaign, and still has seven games left.

Midfielder Fernandinho, 35, and striker Sergio Aguero, 32, are out of contract at the end of next season while David Silva, City's 34-year-old captain, will leave at the end of the current campaign.

“Fernandinho and Sergio have one year left,” Guardiola said. “I don't know if they will extend or not. Some players have to be replaced, but it's not a disaster or a bad thing, it's part of football.”

 

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