Manchester City and Liverpool meet at Anfield for their 202nd fixture across all competitions. City lead the Premier League table with 15 points, holding a six-point advantage over sixth-placed Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s match.
Liverpool Hands City First Defeat at Anfield
Meetings between the two clubs have frequently delivered decisive moments in Premier League title races. In January 2018, Liverpool handed City their first league defeat of the season in a seven-goal encounter at Anfield. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring with a pinpoint low strike before Leroy Sane leveled. An exhilarating nine-minute spell then saw the Reds pull ahead 4-1 through Firmino, Mane, and Salah.
A 10-man Liverpool side beat City 3-2 in a dramatic title-race clash. Early goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control, but City fought back through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal before Philippe Coutinho struck the winner.
Liverpool Defeats City in Champions League Quarter-Finals
That result handed Liverpool their first defeat of the season and halted a 20-match unbeaten run, but City still went on to win the title with 100 points that season.
The rivalry also extended to the Champions League, where Liverpool and City met in the 2018 quarter-finals. Liverpool scored three goals inside the first 30 minutes to seize control of the tie. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s powerful strike from outside the box was the highlight of the night. Liverpool went on to reach the final, where they fell to Real Madrid.
Alan Ball, then Manchester City manager, acknowledged after the 6-0 loss in October 1995, As daft as it may seem, I enjoyed the game. I enjoyed Liverpool. They’re everything I believe in about how the game should be played.
Historical records show other notable Anfield encounters, including a September 2000 fixture where Michael Owen scored 11 minutes in. In a 2008 clash, Liverpool secured a 3-2 win after a comeback sparked by Fernando Torres, with Dirk Kuyt burying a rebound two minutes into stoppage time.
