A stalemate between Liverpool and Manchester City

John Stones opened the scoring for Manchester City before Alexis Mac Allister converted a penalty to equalize for Liverpool.

Liverpool FC v Manchester City - Premier League
Liverpool FC v Manchester City - Premier League / Michael Regan/GettyImages
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In what could very well have been the last meeting between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool and Manchester City played to a thrilling 1-1 draw.

Manchester City drew first blood in the first-half when a well-executed corner routine saw Kevin De Bruyne deliver a low cross to John Stones who got ahead of his marker and tapped the delivery home. It was no less than City deserved as they had been the slightly better team in the opening 25 minutes.

Liverpool did not let the fact they were trailing derail their confidence. In fact, it did quite the opposite.

The goal served to only motivate Liverpool as they were able to disrupt the possession game City has become known for. Not only that, but they were creating clear goal scoring opportunities. Had it not been poor touches or control, Liverpool should have gone into the locker room, at the very least, tied.

But they wouldn't have to wait too long for that equalizer.

Only minutes into the restart, Nathan Ake tried a back pass to Ederson. Ake didn't put enough strength into the kick as Darwin Núñez made a break for it. Ederson tried to anticipate but only managed to collide with Núñez as Liverpool was awarded a penalty.

Alexis Mac Allister stepped up and drew Liverpool level.

After the penalty, it was all Liverpool. But much to the frustration of their supporters, Liverpool were unable to find the goal to give them the lead. Again, it was not for lack of effort as they had the better chances in the second half. The final pass, touch and shot let them down on too many occasions.

"After we gave away the penalty, we suffered," Guardiola said. "We had our moments, they had theirs. We take that point."

Foden did hit the woodwork in what would have been a very unlucky break for Liverpool as an attempt at a clearance by the keeper hit Foden in the face. The rebound ended up hitting the woodwork.

In another instance, Jérémy Doku cut inside to beat the defender only to see his shot hit the inside of the post and bounce back to the keeper.

The controversial moment of the game came late in stoppage time. Off a corner, Doku tried to clear the ball but he also made contact with Mac Allister. It looked like a penalty but it wasn't given even after a VAR review.

"It was 100 percent a penalty," Klopp said. "They [officials] will find an explanation. It was 100 percent foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card. All the people with iPads around me were, 'Wow, clear.' Maybe they can hide behind the phrase it is not clear and obvious."

The draw between Manchester City and Liverpool saw them both fall a place in the standings as Arsenal came out the winners, taking a one point lead in the Premier League table.

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Both sides get a break from the Premier League as they now focus their attention on the FA Cup. Manchester City host Newcastle while Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester's other team, Manchester United.