da jogodeouro： There was only one team in it in the second-half, but the Reds' woeful finishing let them down against the reigning champions

da fazobetai： Liverpool will be left wondering 'what if?' after missing a plethora of chances that forced them to settle for a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in a match that has huge implications for the Premier League title race. After falling behind in the first half, Alexis Mac Allister converted a penalty early in the second as the home team took control of matters against last season's treble winners, but woeful finishing from the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai proved their undoing.

It was a frenetic start to the game for Jurgen Klopp's side in the German coach's final Premier League game against Pep Guardiola. Liverpool found it tough to make combinations high up early on as the City defence doubled up on the forwards. The Reds grew into the game after the first quarter of an hour, though, utilising the movement of Nunez and Harvey Elliott, finding a way to bring Conor Bradley and Diaz into play from the wings and allowing Szoboszlai to drift forward through the centre.

Although the home team managed to work the ball into dangerous areas, they simply couldn't hit the target in the first 45 minutes, and fell behind when an intelligent Kevin De Bruyne corner found John Stones free at the front post to ensure City were ahead at half-time.

Klopp's team needed to come out fighting in the second half and were given a break two minutes in when Nunez pounced on a terrible pass back from Nathan Ake and was clattered into by Ederson, allowing Mac Allister to equalise from the resultant penalty. The injury Ederson suffered in the process prevented City from getting any momentum going and Liverpool stayed dominant throughout the half, but their atrocious finishing haunted them as Nunez and Diaz both scuppered great opportunities.

Despite having 19 shots – 12 in the second half – to City's 10, the hosts were forced to settle for a draw, leaving them level on points with Arsenal at the top and Guardiola's team just one behind them, setting all three up for an incredible run-in.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

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Caoimhin Kelleher (7/10):

Kept out City's long-range shots but was beaten from close-range for the opener.

Conor Bradley (7/10):

Showed glimpses of his youth in a frantic start with heavy touches and dodgy movement, but settled in and became an asset defensively and in the build-up.

Jarell Quansah (7/10):

Didn't give much away and read the game fairly well, but most passes went backwards.

Virgil van Dijk (8/10):

His leadership qualities were on show and he was a rock at the back with vital clearances and tackles.

Joe Gomez (6/10):

Had a difficult time on the left side as City always seemed to find a way past him.

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Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

A bit too casual defensively but made some invasive runs to find holes in the City defence before he went off at the hour mark.

Wataru Endo (7/10):

Fought hard to win the ball and his quick passes helped get things going from midfield.

Alexis Mac Allister (8/10):

Put in a great shift battling for the ball and pinging quick passes around to cut through City. Did a great job converting the penalty.

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Harvey Elliott (4/10):

Chased the ball up and down the field like a dog but it seemed to just slide past him most of the time.

Darwin Nunez (6/10):

Gave the ball away, was offside far too often and did nothing to track Stones for the first goal. Won the penalty and was better in the second half.

Luis Diaz (5/10):

Went on some great runs but wanted too much time on the ball against a City defence that swarmed him to nullify the threat. His finishing was terrible.

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Mohamed Salah (6/10):

Came on at the hour mark for Szoboszlai and quickly sent Diaz through with a great pass. Livened up the Reds' attack and had a few shots at goal.

Andy Robertson (6/10):

Sent some dangerous balls in from the left wing but Nunez failed to finish.

Cody Gakpo (5/10):

On for the last 15 minutes but could hardly get involved.

Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

His team recovered from a shaky start to take control of the game, but simply couldn't add the finishing touch to their many promising attacks throughout the final 45 minutes.