Flashback: Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Manchester City in the 2017-18 Premier League season
The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City has defined much of the Premier League era over the last few years. While both teams have experienced ebbs and flows in form, their matchups have often been title-defining and unmissable spectacles.
As we look toward Liverpool’s upcoming clash with Manchester City at Anfield, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with one of the most iconic games of recent Premier League history: Liverpool’s 4-3 win over City in the 2017-18 season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have reigned supreme in the last four title races, but with Arne Slot making a bright start to life at Anfield, the Liverpool vs Man City odds predict an even affair – one that could be the catalyst for a new rivalry between the two managers.
Liverpool’s win over City in January 2018 shattered Guardiola’s unbeaten run and signalled the Reds’ emergence as genuine contenders capable of matching the might of a side that would go on to pick up 100 points that season.
A few months earlier in the campaign, City had thrashed Liverpool 5-0 at the Etihad, a game overshadowed by Sadio Mane’s red card for a high challenge on Ederson. That heavy defeat was a humbling moment for Liverpool, who had struggled to contain City’s attacking prowess.
By the time the two teams met again at Anfield, Klopp’s side were eager for redemption, knowing that a strong performance could send a powerful message as well as enhance their chances of finishing in the top four.
Guardiola’s men had gone unbeaten for 22 games, playing some of the most dominant and fluid football the league had ever seen. However, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp came prepared, even with new signing Virgil van Dijk ruled out with injury.
Liverpool took the lead early on through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a brilliant low drive from outside the box. City struggled to settle into their usual rhythm under Klopp’s high-pressing style, but they found an equaliser when Leroy Sane’s shot snuck in at the near post, sending the teams into halftime level at 1-1.
The second half, though, belonged to Liverpool. In a dazzling spell, the Reds scored three goals in nine minutes, with Roberto Firmino, Mane, and Mohamed Salah all finding the net. Firmino shrugged off a challenge to chip Ederson and restore Liverpool’s lead, while Mane’s thunderous left-footed strike into the top corner extended it further.
Salah then capitalised on a defensive error, lofting a long-range shot over the stranded Ederson, sending Anfield into euphoria and shocking the football odds.
City weren’t done yet, though, as they staged a dramatic late comeback attempt. Goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan made it 4-3, setting up a nail-biting finish. But Liverpool held firm, clinching a memorable victory that both ended City’s unbeaten run and sent a message to the league that Klopp’s side was ready to compete at the highest level.
Two months later, City would crumble under the weight of Anfield’s pressure once more, eventually being dumped out of the Champions League 5-1 on aggregate, but they continued to dominate domestically, picking up consecutive Premier League titles and 198 points in the process.
Just as the 4-3 thriller set the tone for years of fierce competition, this season’s Anfield clash could similarly shape the landscape of English football, with Slot looking to make many more memories against the Sky Blues throughout his tenure as Liverpool boss.
