City v Liverpool
Rise of a rivalry
“What is sure is that Liverpool and City in the last years, we have raised the bar. We have raised the targets the Premier League had before.”
Manchester v Merseyside: Oasis v the Beatles, Coronation Street v Brookside, the Ship Canal v the River Mersey, Pep Guardiola v Jurgen Klopp... City v Liverpool.
What was once a regional rivalry is now regarded as one of if not the biggest matches of the Premier League era: two of the country's most entertaining, successful and star-studded sides with two of the most tactically astute managers locking horns for domestic and European glory.
Recent meetings between the two heavyweights have thrown up some of the most thrilling contests - seven-goal thrillers, thumping wins and even high-scoring draws. Hotly contested, feisty encounters, they have produced some unforgettable moments.
In the aftermath of Sunday's gripping 2-2 draw in the Premier League title race and ahead of this weekend's mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley, we take a look back at how this fascinating fixture became such an intriguing and iconic sporting rivalry over the course of the past decade...
“It’s mine! I’m claiming it. If he didn’t score the penalty, he could’ve had it but I’m claiming it, definitely!”
Micah Richards’ answer was emphatic. The defender was referring to the goal which doubled City’s advantage over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in August 2010, a match that Roberto Mancini’s men would go on to win 3-0.
Richards beat Daniel Agger to James Milner’s corner soon after the restart in our first home game of the 2010/11 campaign, powering a header towards goal which was ultimately poked home by Carlos Tevez, despite his post-match protestations.
Still only 22, the England international was already a mainstay in the City side having made his senior debut for the Club back in October 2005, just five months after Liverpool’s dramatic Champions League triumph over AC Milan and seven months prior to another penalty victory in the 2006 FA Cup final over West Ham.
But with Roy Hodgson’s side limping to seventh in the 2009/10 Premier League campaign and facing a first year without Champions League football since 2004, a shift in power between the two sides, and the breakup of the traditional big four’s hegemony was well and truly afoot.
Tevez would complete the scoring from the spot as City cruised to our first win over the Reds in five years. By the end of the campaign, qualification for Europe’s elite competition and a first major trophy in 35 years were secured.
Liverpool on the other hand would finish three places and thirteen points lower down the table, but a resounding defeat by the same scoreline at Anfield the following April would provide us with a stark reminder of their capabilities.
“That result hurt us, we really disappointed ourselves, but it’s good to come here and improve.”
Those were City stopper Joe Hart’s recollections of that setback after our next visit to Merseyside when Mancini’s men came away with a precious point in November 2011.
Vincent Kompany had glanced home David Silva’s corner after half an hour to send the City away following into raptures, but our celebrations were short-lived when Joleon Lescott was unfortunate to put into his own net just two minutes later.
City, who had won 11 of our opening 12 Premier League matches, would have to settle for a share of the spoils, but we would regain our foothold against Liverpool with yet another 3-0 triumph at the Etihad Stadium in January 2012.
The hosts were indebted to Hart for a fine early save to thwart Stewart Downing inside ten minutes, but soon began to assert our dominance when Sergio Aguero’s long-range effort squirmed under the body of Pepe Reina.
Yaya Toure doubled the lead with a powerful header from a corner as half-time approached, before Milner sent Reina the wrong way from the spot with 15 to play to round off another convincing victory.
Even a sending off for Gareth Barry couldn’t dampen spirits at the Etihad Stadium, as City cruised to three points despite enjoying just 36% possession.
The sides would meet again later that month with Liverpool coming out on top in a two-legged League Cup semi-final, but the year would ultimately belong to City once again as we ended a 44-year wait for a top flight title that May, finishing 37 points clear of Kenny Dalglish’s eighth-placed side in the process.
Fresh from that inaugural Premier League triumph, Mancini’s men were handed a trip to Anfield as our first away match of the 2012/13 campaign, defiantly holding firm to claim a point once again on Merseyside. Liverpool twice took the lead through Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez, but City would capitalise on two defensive errors to maintain our unbeaten start to the season.
First, Yaya Toure pounced when Brendan Rodgers’ side failed to clear a looping Tevez cross into the far post to bring the scores level at 1-1 after the hour. A Suarez free-kick would restore the hosts’ advantage, but Skrtel would turn from hero to villain when his back pass was intercepted by Tevez, who rounded Reina and tapped home into an empty net.
It was a thrilling share of the spoils and City once again had to dig deep when the two sides met later in the season. On this occasion though, rather than an opportunistic Tevez finish, a different Argentine would salvage a point for Mancini’s men with a moment of pure genius. Peter Drury’s commentary of Sergio Aguero’s late equaliser on 3 February 2013 was etched with a tone of utter bemusement:
“A near-impossible angle from Kun Aguero, it seems to defy the laws of physics, there was almost nothing to aim at.”
Searching for his first goal in four matches, City’s number ten had beaten the onrushing Reina to a ball over the Liverpool defence and, from the tightest of angles, tried his luck.
Liverpool’s Spanish stopper – the only man at the time to win three successive Premier League Golden Gloves – sat with hands on hips in exasperation of what he’d just witnessed.
“Even I can’t believe it when I see it myself. The only thing I remember was when I got to the ball, I should chip it over to see if someone like Edin Dzeko could get on the end of it. (But) as soon as I chipped it and saw where it was heading, I thought ‘goal!’ It was incredible that the ball just got in.”
Despite the Argentine’s spectacular intervention, City would once again have to settle for a share of the spoils against the Reds, with goals from Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard cancelling out Dzeko’s opener at the Etihad Stadium.
It was a performance which ultimately left Mancini wanting more from his players and it would be a season of near misses, with City finishing second in the Premier League as well as reaching that year’s FA Cup final, while Liverpool’s strong finish to the campaign came too late to trouble the top four.
But both sides entered the following campaign with a renewed belief that they could both challenge for the highest honours. They would not disappoint, and the stage was set for a thrilling encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day 2013...
Manuel Pellegrini’s City side, yet to taste defeat on home soil, were just one point behind the Premier League pace setters heading into their showdown and looking to build on the 6-3 thrashing of fellow title hopefuls Arsenal two weeks prior.
The Reds, inspired by Suarez’s astonishing 19 goals from just 13 matches leading into the game, offered one of English football’s most potent attacking threats and took the lead when Phillipe Coutinho slotted home on 24 minutes.
Undeterred, City pressed for a route back into the game and were rewarded soon after when Kompany headed home from Aleksandr Kolarov’s out-swinging corner.
The game seemed finely poised heading towards the break, but there was still enough time for an eye of the needle pass from Jesus Navas to release fellow Spaniard Alvaro Negredo in behind the rapidly retreating Liverpool defence.
The forward, enjoying a rich vein of form, opted for the dink and while Simon Mignolet got a strong hand to the effort, Negredo’s risk paid off as the ball trickled over the line to hand City all three points.
“We can show our strength in many different ways, and today was the perfect way to do it. Liverpool are definitely the best team we’ve seen so far at the Etihad Stadium (this season) but then again, both teams wanted to win and you could see it today.”
Just two points had separated the Premier League’s top five ahead of Pellegrini’s men’s victory but ahead of the reverse fixture in April 2014, the race had been cut to three.
City headed into the tie behind Liverpool and Chelsea but, having played two fewer games than our rivals, knew maximum points would propel us to the Premier League summit.
However, things did not go to plan at Anfield, with the hosts’ rapidly gathering momentum earning them a 3-2 win with just four matches of the season remaining.
Everything pointed towards the title returning to Merseyside for the first time since 1990, but a late collapse from Brendan Rodgers’ side saw City once again take charge in a captivating finale to the campaign.
Five wins from our final six matches following that Anfield defeat would see Pellegrini’s men come out on top in the late season tussle, claiming our second Premier League title in the process.
We wouldn’t have to wait long to meet each other once again the following season, with City welcoming the Reds to the Etihad for our first home match of the 2014/15 campaign.
The Premier League champions were in control throughout, Stevan Jovetic pouncing either side of half-time to put us in the driving seat, before Aguero added further gloss with 20 to play after sneaking an effort in at Mignolet’s near post.
A late Pablo Zabaleta own goal would offer scant consolation for Liverpool, who were sent back to Merseyside with their tails firmly between their legs.
They would gain revenge at Anfield in early March with a 2-1 win, but the season would ultimately represent one where both teams fell below their incredibly high standards.
A late season flourish would see City finish second behind runaway league winners Chelsea, while Liverpool were consigned to a sixth-place spot.
And with the Reds continuing to falter at the beginning of the following campaign, they decided it was time for a change.
The autumn of 2015 bore a new chapter in Liverpool’s history with the appointment of a charismatic German manager by the name of Jurgen Klopp – the man who had guided Borussia Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles (including a domestic double) and a Champions League Final.
And we had met before. Klopp had faced City in the 2012/13 season, as Dortmund earned four points from our two Group D meetings en route to the Final, and led his side to a 3-1 friendly win before the 2010/11 campaign, ensuring he headed into his first Premier League encounter unbeaten against the Blues.
Having taken over from Brendan Rogers, he made an immediate impact on Merseyside, inspiring a renewed hope and optimism and masterminding an exciting, fast-paced brand of football known as ‘Gegenpressing’ with attack-minded full-backs and the philosophy that the entire team works as a single unit, harassing the opposition into losing possession or moving backwards, affecting their positional sense and energy.
Installed at the helm in October, Klopp’s first meeting with City took place just a month later, as he locked horns with Manuel Pellegrini for just the second time after Dortmund had edged Malaga with two stoppage time goals in a controversial Champions League quarter-final second leg clash.
Their next meeting would not prove as closely-fought – Liverpool stormed into a 3-0 lead after just 32 minutes through an Eliaquim Mangala own-goal, plus Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino strikes and although Sergio Aguero pulled one back before half-time, there would be no dramatic fightback and Martin Skrtel smashed in a fourth late on to inflict City’s worst Etihad Stadium loss and heaviest home defeat since February 2003.
“City were nowhere near their best. Liverpool, you had the feeling Klopp had wound them all up in the dressing room and let them all go. They were flying into the press and they were in the right positions to start the press. From the first minutes, they were on it.”
The managers’ second match-up proved a very different contest, as City and Liverpool faced off just four months later in the 2016 Capital One Cup Final. Unlike the previous game, this was a much more even and cagey affair and only five players who started the 4-1 defeat at the Etihad lined up at Wembley.
After the two sides had played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in normal time (with Coutinho’s late effort cancelling out Fernandinho’s opener) and without a goal in extra-time, the tie would be decided with a penalty shoot-out.
When Ferna missed the first spot-kick, the odds looked in Liverpool’s favour but Willy Caballero (chosen over fan favourite Joe Hart) produced a heroic performance with a sensational hat-trick of saves to inspire City to a 3-1 shoot-out triumph – Yaya Toure stepping up to convert the winning effort with a typically cool finish.
Memories of that home mauling disappeared as Vincent Kompany hoisted the League Cup aloft for the Club’s fourth success in the competition.
“We played really well and had chances to score and win the game but football is football and it gave me the opportunity to work as a goalkeeper in a shoot-out. If you think: ‘This is my opportunity to be a hero’, you probably become the opposite. When this moment arrived, I just tried to enjoy it.”
The triumph proved to be Pellegrini's first and only victory over Klopp as City manager. The Chilean had already announced his departure before the Wembley showdown with legendary Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola confirmed to replace him in the summer, closing one chapter of the Club's history and opening another.
Just three days after our Capital One Cup clash, City and Liverpool met again in the Premier League - the Reds unleashing their frustrations to cruise to a 3-0 home win, courtesy of goals from Adam Lallana, former City star James Milner and Firmino, leaving Pellegrini's men with a mountain to climb in the title race and extending our torrid run at Anfield with just one victory in 35 years!
“With the added spice of Sunday’s defeat to spur the Merseysiders on, this was arguably one of the Blues’ toughest remaining fixtures. As expected, Jurgen Klopp’s men came out of the blocks with a high press that made it difficult for City to keep possession for any length of time.”
Enter: Pep Guardiola... In the same way Klopp's unveiling at Anfield had delighted the footballing world with fans, players and journalists rubbing their hands together, the Catalan's move to Manchester had the same effect. He arrived at the City Football Academy with an outstanding pedigree, having won 22 trophies in seven years as manager of Barcelona and Bayern Munich - and with a style and philosophy of playing beautiful football. What a decision it would turn out to be...
In terms of this fixture, the appointment of the Barcelona legend and serial winner would enhance an already-fierce rivalry, providing a new and intriguing subplot as two of the world’s greatest managers locked horns once again. They had been familiar foe in the Bungesliga for years and until September 2017, it was Klopp who would have the upper hand in the Premier League.
Our Anfield curse continued with a narrow 1-0 defeat on the final day of 2016, courtesy of an early Georginio Wijnaldum strike, ensuring Guardiola’s first trip to the Red half of Merseyside as City boss would prove fruitless. Once again, it was Liverpool who had looked the sharper in the first half and despite an improved display after the restart, the visitors, who were still coming to terms with a new approach, could not find a route back into the game.
“While the predicted goal-fest between the Premier League's leading two scorers did not materialise it was a fascinating encounter stage-managed by two of the world's top coaches.”
Our home league meeting saw City fare better, as Aguero cancelled out Milner's penalty opener, and again, it proved a thrilling contest - open and entertaining with plenty of drama.
As the Guardian's Daniel Taylor scribed: "By the end, it was difficult to recall the last time a 1-1 draw had provided so much incident and drama. Between them, Manchester City and Liverpool kept up a long narrative of breathless, energetic football.
"A two-goal thriller that had just about everything: controversy, penalties, non‑penalties, near-unremitting attacking and, from Adam Lallana, a miss that might wake him in a cold sweat. Everything, in fact, apart from a winner."
It would become a regular story over the years and few could have predicted how the next encounter would pan out...
A September showdown saw City storm to a 5-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, as the home side took full advantage of Sadio Mane's sending off to thrash the Reds and signal an early statement of our title credentials with a ruthless display of attacking quality.
Aguero had already opened the scoring before Mane was dismissed for a high challenge on Ederson, and Guardiola's men put the visitors to the sword, thanks to braces from Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane, clinching our biggest win over the Merseysiders for more than 80 years!
Naturally, the City boss was delighted. “It had been even at 11 v 11,” he reflected. “Sometimes it is not easy to play against ten men but we did it well. The second goal helped us a lot.
“It is important to touch the ball as much as possible. To control the counter-attacks, I thought we could defend better with three at the back than four. We changed at half-time – sometimes you can use both systems. We had patience and read the situation well.
“Sometimes it is not easy to play against ten men but we did it well. For a long time, City were unable to beat Liverpool but we did it today.”
Our bragging rights would be short-lived however with City winless in our next four meetings, falling to defeat in three. Our next assignment at Anfield saw Guardiola's men on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller. The hosts had gained a 4-1 lead before the 70-minute mark and despite a late fightback, a dramatic equaliser proved elusive to end our unbeaten league run with our first defeat of an exceptional campaign.
It proved a minor setback with City storming to the title with a remarkable, record-breaking 100 points but our next meetings with Liverpool would hold far more significance, as the two sides were pitted against each other in the quarter-finals of the Champions League...
European nights under the lights at Anfield have always inspired an electric atmosphere and with our dreadful record on the Reds' home ground, it was always going to be a tough ask. Even so, even the most pessimistic Blue may not have anticipated we would be three down without reply with barely half an hour gone, leaving Guardiola's men with a mountain to climb in the second leg.
Though Gabriel Jesus scored inside two minutes to give the home side hope, Sane saw a goal ruled out for offside before two away goals from Mohamed Salah and Firmino ensured progression for the Reds, who would go on to finish the tournament as runners-up.
“As magnificent as Liverpool had been in the first-half last week, so City were across the opening 45 minutes here. The difference being that, while Liverpool got the goals and the advantage across the tie, City went in frustrated.”
October 2018's 0-0 draw at Anfield - our first Premier League clean sheet and first shut-out at the ground since August 1986 - ended the rut, though City were left frustrated having missed a late penalty to snatch all three points. Yet, it was cause for optimism and kicked off a run of just one defeat against the Reds in our next nine games.
The reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium proved the most significant yet. Klopp's men made the trip down the M62 with a seven-point lead over Guardiola's side at the turn of 2019. Though January had barely begun, this one was a potential title decider and the stakes could not have been much higher. Quite simply, City had to win.
And win we did. A trademark, nearpost Aguero bullet opened the scoring and fortune seemed to favour the home side when Liverpool came millimetres away from a leveller - only for John Stones to hook the ball away before it crossed the goalline, after Mane had struck the post and Stones' initial attempted clearance ricocheted back off Ederson!
Firmino would level shortly after the hour but City hit back with Sane's angled drive in off the far post, which sparked scenes of delirium, to hand the hosts a vital win, ultimately turning the title race. Winning 16 of our remaining 17 league games, Guardiola's men pipped European Champions-to-be Liverpool to the crown on the final day to retain the style in typically dramatic fashion and complete the season with an unprecedented four domestic trophies.
“We beat an incredible team. We were outstanding from the first minute. Liverpool don't concede goals and we scored two. We are happy for this victory to reduce the gap. Everything is open. If we lose today, it is almost done. It would be so difficult. We have to fight a lot, but this gives us a lot of confidence.”
With the Premier League Champions locking horns with the FA Cup winners in the FA Community Shield, City and Liverpool's next encounter would see the sides face-off on the first day of the 2019/20 season.
Once again, the two sides could not be separated in 90 minutes - Joel Matip's goal cancelling out Raheem Sterling's effort against his former Club before Kyle Walker produced another sensational goalline clearance in the dying embers - and so, another penalty shoot-out would be required to determine the winner. This time, Claudio Bravo was the hero between the sticks, thwarting Wijnaldum, and Guardiola clinched the seventh trophy of his tenure to begin our 125th anniversary season with silverware.
“City and Liverpool were the runaway top two last season, playing some exceptional football in a ding-dong battle for the title that created a 25-point gap between third-placed Chelsea. It added an additional layer of intrigue to the latest instalment of English football’s annual curtain raiser, as a rivalry settled by the finest of margins resumed.”
However, the 2019/20 Premier League season would belong to Liverpool, as the Reds wrote their name onto the trophy for the first time - their 19th league success in total. Klopp's men won 26 of their opening 27 games to cruise to the title, finishing with 99 points - one shy of City's record.
A 3-1 win at Anfield in November with two goals inside the opening 15 minutes issued their statement, while City endured a stuttering season. Even the break in the campaign for the Coronavirus pandemic could not stop the Merseysiders in their tracks and by the time they arrived in Manchester for the reverse game behind-closed-doors in July, they were already Champions.
That was not to say City were not deserving of our victory. The home side sailed into a 3-0 half-time lead with a display of real hunger, clawing back some pride and optimism for the following campaign.
“City and Liverpool over the last seven or eight years have been far and away the best teams in English football and that’s where the rivalry has stemmed from: constantly trying to outdo each other. When City were dominant, Liverpool had to improve and then when Liverpool won the league, City had to come back stronger.”
And so, we did. After a mixed start, which included another action-packed 1-1 draw with Liverpool - City coming from behind and missing a penalty - Guardiola's men roared back to our best, embarking on a 19-game unbeaten and 15-game winning run to regain the Premier League title.
It was another history-making, record-breaking season for City, who also clinched the FA Cup and reached the Champions League Final for the first time, and notably, amongst those records lay one that had been long overdue: we finally won at Anfield...
Despite missing another penalty, the visitors finally ended our jinx, as a brace from Ilkay Gundogan, plus strikes from Sterling and Phil Foden, rendered Salah's equaliser a mere consolation. Joyfully overcoming our mental barrier, City ran riot to stamp our authority and secure just our second win at the stadium in 65 years - the only downside being that our long-suffering away fans were not there to see it!
“We haven't won here for a while. When I saw the penalty go over, I thought: ‘Oh no, please don't be the same story again!’ The way the lads pulled in their sleeves and socks and showed the courage to play, I'm really proud.”
So closely-fought and crucial have recent clashes been, the magnitude and appetite of the fascinating fixture continued to grow. Enhanced by the long-awaited and enjoyed return of fans to stadiums, anticipation for these mouth-watering meetings had never been higher than it has been in the 2021/22 campaign with a global audience eager to discover the outcome of what has become one of the most exciting, hotly-contested and meaningful rivalries in English football.
And both games this season have certainly lived up to the hype. Guardiola’s men headed to Anfield first – last season’s thumping triumph still fresh in our minds – and although we would not have a winner this time around, it was 90 minutes of breathless, enthralling action, dubbed one of the most entertaining games of Premier League history.
Once again demonstrating our character, City battled back from a goal down twice in a thrilling second half with Foden and De Bruyne pegging back Salah and Mane efforts, as the game sparked into life on the hour-mark – a real classic encounter – and a potentially pivotal point in the title race.
“I didn't play here last year when we won but I think the way we played here with all their supporters, in the six or seven years I've been here, this was by far the best one. That's a good sign for me.”
It was a game billed as one of the most eagerly-awaited and significant in Premier League history: the division's top two and all-time greatest teams, separated by a single point, battling it out in the title race.
“It is really big. I think the players will take it as a privilege to play these games. As a player, you want to win games and trophies and if you want to do that then you need to win these big games.”
All eyes were on the Etihad Stadium. The build-up was phenomenal; the world watching, and contested in front of an electric atmosphere, it certainly lived up to its billing. The footballing world were licking their lips at the prospect, admiring the two star-studded line-ups. Who would make the difference...?
Kevin De Bruyne would produce an exceptional performance, breaking the deadlock after just five minutes to hand City a precious lead. Six minutes later though, Liverpool levelled through Diogo Jota and fought back again a minute after the break, after Gabriel Jesus' had restored the hosts' lead.
It was a topsy-turvy game packed with end-to-end action - you could not take your eyes off it, right until the final seconds. When the final whistle blew on a pulsating encounter, the teams were locked at 2-2, meaning there is still all to play for in the Premier League with Champions City still a point ahead with seven games left...
“The football we saw at Etihad Stadium was ridiculously good and showed how far ahead of the rest of the Premier League these teams are.
I am talking about both teams and the relentless tempo they set: their energy, their intensity, their quality of play and the players' hunger for victory - and the two great managers in Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp who are behind all of that.”
And we'll be treated to it all over again on Saturday.
As for who will emerge victorious at Wembley, only time will tell... but if recent fixtures are anything to go by, it's going to be a cracker.
Come on, City!
By Caroline Oatway and George Kelsey
Built with Shorthand