Nigerian striker, Kelechi Iheanacho, was an used substitute as Manchester City battled Liverpool to a one-all draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Sergio Aguero cancelled out James Milner’s penalty in a match containing plenty of talking points, including a number of first-half penalty shouts at both ends of the field.
In the end, the game finished all square in Manchester – a first point for the Citizens in this fixture in five attempts and enough to keep them in third, one point ahead of their opponents.
Liverpool fashioned a glorious opening of their own soon after, though, as Sadio Mane used his pace to get in behind but failed to beat Wilfredo Caballero under pressure from Nicolas Otamendi.
Man City really should have opened the scoring 37 minutes in following some nice interplay that saw Silva slipped through, with the Spaniard looking up and squaring it to Raheem Sterling in front of goal.
Fernandinho was unable to covert from the follow-up attempt, instead picking out the side-netting, and just a couple of minutes later it was Liverpool’s turn to turn up the pressure.
A pivotal moment in the contest arrived soon after the restart, as Gael Clichy bundled into Firmino to concede a contentious penalty – the experienced defender raising his boot and not getting enough of the ball.
Stand-in skipper Milner converted from the spot for the seventh time this season, sending Caballero the wrong way and picking out the bottom corner of the net.
It was Fernandinho’s sprayed pass to Kevin De Bruyne that led to City’s leveller, coming after Aguero swept the ball home from the Belgian’s inch-perfect delivery.
Aguero, who has now scored in all five of his home league appearances against the Reds, almost added a second only to lose his footing at the vital moment, while De Bruyne picked out the upright after latching on to the loose ball.
The chances kept on coming in the closing stages of the contest, the best of which saw Lallana somehow fail to connect with the ball when picked out by Firmino just five yards out.
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