5 Things We Learnt From Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City

 1) Joel Matip was excellent

Matip was Liverpool's best performer in the 1st half. In the first ten fifteen minutes, he continually broke through the City press and penetrated the lines. He also made some crucial interceptions and covered the right hand side well whenever Milner was caught higher up the pitch. In the beginning of the 2nd half, he played a super pass to Jota who turned from Dias and shot on goal but it was saved by Ederson. He was, however,  extremely unlucky to deflect De Bruyne's shot into his own net which lead to City's second.

2) Henderson not helping out defensively

I think it's  common trend by now that the opposition try to exploit Liverpool's right hand side. So it becomes imperative for the right sided midfielder to provide cover and help out his fellow full-back. Jordan Henderson, though, has not been doing enough lately. Trent was badly exposed at Brentford last week whereas Foden found himself 1v1 with Milner most of the time. In possession as well, he made some loose passes and the City players were able to bypass him very easily. This has been the case for a long time now and let's hope that he can turn this around. 

3) Just give Mo what he wants !

Mo Salah is probably the best football player in the world right now. Tonight, he was at his devastating best, assisting Liverpool's first and scoring Liverpool's second. For the opener, he started the move by running at the City defense as Mane made an inward run on the right hand channel. He then offloaded the ball to Sadio who finished it past Ederson into the bottom-right corner. The second goal was just pure magic. He took three City players, Silva, Cancelo and Laporte, out of the game before finishing the move off with his weak foot. The second goal reminded me of the goal he had scored against Tottenham at home in the 17/18 season. With performances like this, the onus is now on the Liverpool board to sort out his new contract as soon as possible.

4) Both teams would consider themselves lucky not to lose the game

That Liverpool were on the backfoot in the 1st half, would be an understatement. City completely dominated and created some great chances which fortunately for Liverpool, they weren't able to finish. Liverpool were lucky to go in at half-time without conceding even one. The second half was a much equal contest. Liverpool didn't create a whole lot but scored two absolutely world class goals and were lucky again as Milner avoided a second yellow card after a rash tackle on Bernardo Silva. City, on the other hand, were lucky as well as De Bruyne's shot would have been saved by Alisson if not for Matip's deflection. Fabinho could have easily found the back of the net but it was Rodri's last ditch tackle that prevented Liverpool from winning the game. In the end, it was a game of fine margins and it could easily have gone either way. 

5) Liverpool fail to make the home advantage count

A draw against Manchester City at home is hardly a bad result, rather far from it but these are the games Liverpool should win. If the early weeks of the season have demonstrated anything, it's that that this year it's probably going to be a three-horse or even a four-horse race for the title. Winning against the top teams at home not only gives you the psychological advantage but also relieves the pressure when you face them again in their own backyard. However, it must be said that beating Manchester City isn't the easiest job in the world and considering the fact that Chelsea lost to them last week at Stamford Bridge, tonight was certainly a decent result. If you can't win a game at home then at least don't lose.