MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - LIVERPOOL 1-1 MANCHESTER CITY

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Manchester City and Liverpool fought for a well deserved point for both sides, in a game that saw both the very best and the very worst of the treble winners.

City - who had the luxury of starting a more or less first choice starting XI compared to Liverpool, who were weakened by numerous injuries - were outplayed for large spells of the game, particularly in the second half.

But they also had periods of the game that they were able to control in the way they wanted to, which very few teams in world football are able to do at Anfield.

After a few early attacks in City's favour, the game settled down to be more even, with Liverpool and City taking it in turns to attack, with neither side really threatening the goal.

It was going to take a moment of quality for either side to score, and that came from City at the midway point of the second half, in the shape of John Stones, Kevin de Bruyne, (his best moment in an otherwise under par performance) Nathan Ake and... set piece coach Carlos Vicens.

By blocking off Alexis Mac Allister in a fair way, Ake was able to create space for Stones to attack the near post, where he was found by De Bruyne's low ball for him to tap past Caoimhin Kelleher and give City the lead.

This intelligent set piece routine was executed on the pitch, but was clearly orchestrated by Vicens, as shown by the way Guardiola turned to celebrate with his set piece coach as Stones led the celebrations in front of the City end.

The rest of the second half played out evenly. Luis Diaz - a thorn in City's side all afternoon - came close with a low drive past the right hand post, and at the other end, Erling Haaland was only able to blast the ball straight at Kelleher from a difficult position after beating Virgil van Dijk in a one vs one duel.

But, on balance, if any team deserved their lead, it'd be City, who were able to contain Jurgen Klopp's side whilst playing their own brand of football confidently.

The second half started in the worst possible way, however. A short back pass from the usually dependable Ake was seized upon by Darwin Nunez, who was clattered in the penalty area by Ederson for a Liverpool penalty.

The spot kick was tucked away by Mac Allister, and just a few minutes later, Ederson was substituted off, with reports of him sustaining a thigh injury from his challenge on Nunez, ruling him out for up to a month and for games against Arsenal and Aston Villa.

For the next 20 minutes, City were under siege, and it was somewhat a miracle they didn't concede.

Diaz, in particular, had a few clear cut chances that he was unable to tuck away, with a one vs one opportunity against Stefan Ortega-Moreno being the stand out, but the Columbian winger stuck the ball wide of the far post.

City weren't able to play their own game, and kept on giving the ball away, with De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez being two frequent offenders.

As such, in the 69th minute, the two players were subbed off to be replaced by Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku respectively, much to De Bruyne's initial annoyance.

This had a positive impact on the game, as both players performed well. Kovacic helped provide a lot of control in central areas, whilst Doku looked much more threatening out wide than he has done in recent weeks.

In fact, the Belgian winger could have won it for City late on, had his low driven left footed effort not clipped the inside of the far post and into Kelleher's hands forma tight angle.

Doku could also have lost the game for City late on, with a reckless high tackle on Mac Allister in the box in the very last minute of injury time not being awarded as a penalty kick, much to my surprise.

A point at Anfield was a good result for City. It leaves them just a point behind Liverpool and Arsenal in the title race, with a game against the Gunners up next for City in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium.

Whilst it is very true City conceded many chances, and could (and maybe should) have lost the game, it's worth remembering that City were technically one accurate Ake pass away from three points and a clean sheet.

With Grealish hopefully fit for Arsenal, City should go into that match as favourites to win and gain an advantage over Mikel Arteta's side.

They still need to rely on Liverpool dropping points, but with away games at Goodison Park, Old Trafford and Villa Park to come - as well as facing Tottenham Hotspur at home - it is by no means out of the question that the Reds will slip up.

Here are the player ratings for the crucial draw at Anfield:

Ederson - 6/10 - Made a few decent stops in the first half, but was partially at fault for the Liverpool goal, and it'd seem he's seriously injured himself in the process. He'll be a big miss, but I back Ortega to fill in for him perfectly well.

Walker - 7/10 - Other than a few shaky moments, Walker had a good game. Diaz beat him in one vs one duels a few times, but the 33 year old used his pace wisely on one occasion in particular to nullify a dangerous Liverpool attack.

Stones - 8/10 - City's best player in the first half, and City's best moments of the second half coincided with when he was more involved and on the ball. A big part of a well executed goal, and defended well against Nunez.

Akanji - 7.5/10 - It was a surprise to many that he started ahead of Ruben Dias, but Akanji put in a solid performance. He was superior in duels with Nunez, and was a big part in City playing out of Liverpool's press to a reasonable amount of success.

Ake - 6/10 - Had a generally solid game, and played a huge part in the goal with some intelligent blocking on Mac Allister. But it can't be overlooked that it was his pass that led not just to Liverpool's goal, but to Ederson's injury, which severely marks him down.

Rodri - 7.5/10 - In the pressure cooker that was Anfield, Rodri was fantastic. He was very composed with the ball in a frantic and high energy midfield, and made good decisions to put out the fires and win the ball back.

De Bruyne - 6/10 - Got into good positions and pressed very well, but was ineffective with his final ball and decision making. Wasn't happy to come off the pitch, but for me, there is no doubt that it was the correct decision.

Bernardo - 7/10 - Played with fire in his belly throughout, like he always does against Liverpool. Looked solid in possession and aggressive without the ball, and was one of City's better performances in the second half.

Foden - 6/10 - Very quiet throughout. Seemed to be stranded and isolated out on the wing, and was even neutralised playing in central attacking positions, with his biggest opportunity being an effort on his right foot that was saved well by Kelleher, but one you'd expect Foden to finish.

Haaland - 6.5/10 - Like Foden, Haaland was quiet. There wasn't much he could realistically do, as he did his job in occupying defenders, and could've gotten an assist had Doku finished off his chance at the end of the game.

Alvarez - 6/10 - The Argentinian has been absolutely slaughtered on social media by City fans, and whilst I felt he was poor, he wasn't much worse than anyone else on the pitch. He was sloppy with the ball, but as were many. It does need to be mentioned, however, that City improved after Alvarez was replaced.

Substitutes: Ortega-Moreno - 7.5/10 - Had a good game after coming on, saving well a few times from Nunez and Diaz. If Ederson is out for as long as a month, I won't feel much less secure with Ortega in goal, such is his quality as both a shot stopper and a ball player.

Kovacic - 7.5/10 - Made a positive impact on the game from the bench, adding control, and quality in central areas. The 28 year old has really played his way into contention for the Arsenal game, with Newcastle at the weekend hopefully acting as the perfect dress rehearsal for that fixture.

Doku - 7/10 - Looked sharp and incisive on the left wing. Very fortunate not to concede a penalty in daft circumstance., but other than that, the 21 year old looked back to more like his best after a frustrating few months.