Welcome to the 1st ever Big Match Live blog in which we will be covering all the action between table-topping Liverpool and Man City as and when it happens. For those of you who missed the introduction post on Friday, you can catch up with the concept and who is involved in creating the content here.
However, the ultimate success or failure of this idea rests with yourselves, the reader and we are very keen to get your comments below as we go along.
This afternoon it will be myself, jon.bonomo and Idunique making live contributions with Phil Newton actually at Anfield to see the action live! We are hoping that he will be able to get us some photos and videos of the action although the signal at the ground is not great so that media may well be added after the game has finished.
Pre-Match Predictions
The stats this season favor City who have scored 21 goals in just 7 games, while Liverpool have only 15. However, at the other end, Liverpool seems to have an edge over City in their last 5 encounters. The Reds have won 4 of their last 5 matches with the Citizens.
With the goal hungry dragons of Salah, Mane and Firmino breathing fire on the goal line, get ready for fun. I predict Liverpool to win 2-1.
Following an embarrassing performance against Napoli, Klopp will be expecting a reaction from Liverpool in this clash. Sitting on equal points at the top of the table, both teams will be looking to stake their claim as frontrunners for the title. I expect an attacking game from both sides and a home win, draw, or away win would all be unsurprising results here but I'm going to go with 3-1 to Liverpool.
Both managers have serious decisions to make ahead of this weekend’s clash. Klopp looks to right the ship after a mid-week loss with Salah in bad form and Naby Keita returning from injury. For City, De Bruyne has returned to training this week but it's unclear if he will play against LFC. For Pep, however, his big decision rests on what he will do with Benjamin Mendy who is also returning from injury. The teams are well balanced and I'm predicting a score draw 1-1 or 2-2
At this relatively early stage of the season this is a game that neither side will want to lose and perhaps in that sense there is less incentive for them to go out and play the kind of attacking football that we know they are both capable of. That being said it will be an electric atmosphere at Anfield and an early goal could yet open things up. However, I am going for City to break their poor run against Liverpool with a 0-1 victory today.
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Update 1 - Lineups & Phil's pictures of the warm-up
Mendy is passed fit to play (see Jon's comment above) and Salah does continue despite his poor run of recent form. It looks likely that both sides will play with a back 4, although Liverpool have chosen the slightly more defensive option of Joe Gomez at right-back and it's possible at times that he could drop back into a 3 man central defence alongside Lovren and van Dijk. Potential match winners abound for what should be an incredible game!
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You don't get much more live than this! Phil Newton is in position and literally within touching distance of the Liverpool players as they go through their warm-ups. It will be a full house and a noisy one at that. We just need to convince Phil to wear a Scorum shirt over his Liverpool one for all future games :-)
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Update - 2mins
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What a start to the match! Mahrez really should have held his run there. He had acres of space through the middle. However, straight up the other end and Liverpool are already hunting in packs in that midfield to pick off the City passes. City must adapt if they are to win here and be sure not to lose the ball in areas like that!
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Update - 25mins
1st quarter of the match could be summed up as the tale of two different defensive presses. LFC has put constant pressure on City’s defenders as they try to play out of the back, resulting in numerous sloppy City giveaways. On the other side of the pitch, City has only half-heartedly pressed LFC, giving them plenty of time to pass the ball around and play out of the back. LFC’s front 3 are enjoying themselves harassing City’s defenders and causing all kinds of problems for Pep’s side, making it difficult for City to even get out of their own half. So far it’s been all Liverpool, but City is slowly playing themselves back into the match.
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Update 30mins
The first 30 minutes has seen Liverpool exerting more pressure so far. I think Guardiola came with a different game plan. City is absorbing the pressure and waiting to hit the reds on a counter, but Raheem Stellin seems not to be linking well with Mendy from the left flank.
Liverpool needs to be a bit careful, Aguero is dangerous in the goal area, trying to get a foul inside the box, penalty is the last thing Liverpool wants to concede now.
Update 37mins
The tempo has definitely dropped off after a blood and thunder opening 20mins. City just starting to boss things with David Silva showing his class in midfield. Liverpool need someone to put their foot on the ball, calm things down and get them through to half-time. Liverpool have run around a lot but a slight lack of quality so far from the home team.
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Half-time updates
James Milner picked up an injury on 29’ forcing recently returned Naby Keita to replace him. The substitute shuffled the LFC midfield but nothing too dramatic. Neither side has played exceptionally well in the 1st half. Despite LFC’s energetic start, they haven’t been able to do anything with it, and as the 1st half went on, LFC began to adopt City’s sloppy turnovers, making both teams’ current play far from ideal.
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Liverpool on top in the grand scheme of things but need to stop messing around at the back. Wijnaldum the stand out player so far. Lovren not convincing at all.
Firmino not showing enough at the moment. I’d like to see Klopp give Shaqiri or Sturridge a go in the second half
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Got to agree with Phil on that one. Wijnaldum has been the best player in the 1st half so far. It pains me to say that when as a Spurs fan we decided to sign Sissoko instead of him.
Why, Why Why, Daniel Levy?
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Update - 70mins
LFC started the 2nd half similar to how they started the first, but once again, they struggled to do anything with the tempo while it tipped in their favor. A few nervey moments for City as LFC threatened their goal with balls into the box but nothing came to fruition. We had to wait over an hour before we saw the first shot on target, as neither side seems determined to score. As the minutes click on, both teams are becoming more frenetic, turning the match into somewhat of a slugfest.
Update 76mins
Lots of bodies being thrown forward in attack and chances are being created but neither side has managed to find that telling pass or composure in front of goal.
A draw wouldn't be a bad result for either team. Will we seem them sit back or can someone create that little bit of magic to win the game?
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Update 81 mins
The second half so far has seen a lot of attempts from both sides, but Mahrez has not been placing the shots at the right target. Salah looks lost as he keeps firing weak and off-target shots. Lovren is having a nice game so far, while Mendy is now playing with caution to avoid being booked the second time. The introduction of G.Jesus into the game has brought life in City's attack, he is really making Liverpool's defense work harder than they contemplated.
Update - 86mins
MISSED PENALTY MAHREZ
van Djik dives in on Sane as he drives for the byline. It's an unneccesary challenge as Sane was unlikely to do any damage from there.
There is a bit of a discussion as to who is going to take the penalty. Mahrez steps up and blzaes it over the bar. I think that ball might land back in Manchester!
Was Mahrez put off by Gabriel Jesus who seemed like he wanted to take the spot kick?
Contributors Corner
The following are links to articles written by those who have contributed to this blog both in the main body of the text as well as in the comments section and which are related to the above events.
Phil's regular 'Final Word' post on the game
A wonderfully crafted article from @eoghan.mcmonagle on Sunday's match
Comments