Our 3️⃣ points as Liverpool and Man City can't be separated at Anfield | OneFootball

Liverpool and Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Anfield leaves the Premier League title race as hard to call as ever.

Here is what we made of it.

Anfield aura affects both teams in different ways

You just knew from the epic “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the kickoff, that today was set to be a special atmosphere at Anfield.

Manchester City seemed to have weathered the storm and quietened the crowd with John Stones’ 23rd minute opener but all of their old failings at the ground came out at the end.

City lacked their usual composure for most of the game, particularly at the back. Both Nathan Ake and Ederson’s errors in the awarding of Liverpool’s second-half penalty are things that just don’t happen for them on other grounds.

Their captain Kyle Walker has never won on the red side of Merseyside, being injured for their 4-1 success in 2021. That win came while no fans were in attendance, which obviously was a big factor, and remains City’s only victory at Anfield since 2003.

On the flip side, Liverpool’s cobbled together side were massively aided by the roar of their home fans, especially when they were trailing and the game was in danger of falling away from them.

The likes of Conor Bradley and Jarrell Quansah must feel 10 feet tall when they have that backing, and Liverpool have now not lost a home league game since October 2022.

After the game, Micah Richards said there has to be some sort of force field around the stadium. He could be onto something.

Title race set to go to the wire again

Just like 2018/19 and 2021/22, this season looks set to go to the final day between Liverpool and City, as well as current league leaders, Arsenal.

There is now just one point between the three sides – the smallest ever margin at this point in the post-1992 era – and Arsenal are only top on goal difference after their stunning recent form.

City’s previous successes, overall squad and lack of injuries ensure they remain favourites but they don’t appear to be as infallible as recent years.

Liverpool have the Jürgen Klopp factor in what is arguably the best pound for pound season of his Anfield career, and there is a feeling that he will sign off in style with something truly special.

Arsenal are the wild card, having little to no title-winning experience and the memories of last season’s collapse are sure to still be lurking somewhere.

Mikel Arteta’s men will sit top for the next three weeks prior to the next full round of league clashes – there are FA Cup quarter-finals and an international break to come first.

Their opponents on March 31st? City at the Etihad Stadium, in another game that will help dictate the destination of the title.

Right now it feels as if the VAR call on Jérémy Doku’s late challenge could be as decisive as John Stones’ goal-line clearance in 2019.

A fitting finale for Klopp vs Guardiola?

Is this the end?

Unless Liverpool and City face off in either the FA Cup semi-finals or final itself (which could easily happen), this might have been the last time we saw Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola on the touchline together.

It is almost certainly the last league clash between the pair, outside of an unlikely Saudi Pro League match up in years to come, and it delivered like so many of their battles before.

While both sides probably were happy to settle for a point towards the end, neither manager has ever sent his team out with that intention, particularly when going up against one another.

This was the 30th meeting between the German and the Catalonian, with Klopp being one of only two men (Antonio Conte is the other) to have a better head to head record against the most successful manager of this generation.

Klopp has 12 wins to Guardiola’s 11, with today being the seventh draw in that time.

They’ve shaped this era of the Premier League and things will never be the same again when the two clubs meet, which is a testament to their rivalry.