Liverpool remain in the title race after a draw at Manchester City
In a rousing top game, Jürgen Klopp and FC Liverpool prevented a preliminary decision in the title race. After falling behind twice, the Reds fought a lucky draw in a duel with leaders Manchester City.
The top match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City is electrifying. Jurgen Klopp compares it to an epic heavyweight boxing match. Manchester coach Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, sees Klopp as the source of his inspiration.
EThere is no question whether Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola value each other. Klopp, for example, expressed his respect for the Spanish coach shortly before the top game against Manchester City. His team is “extraordinary” and Guardiola “the best coach in the world,” he said in an interview.
When the 90-minute commercial break for the Premier League had been whistled, fans and players were still enjoying the rousing 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Liverpool and the two coaches, inspired by the game, had embraced each other since So now Guardiola sat at Klopp’s side at the press conference and was obviously not quite sure what the German thought of him.
“I don’t know,” he began, “if Jürgen respects me, but Jürgen needs to know that I respect him a lot. He made me a better coach.” His idea of how he wants to celebrate football on the pitch inspired him, said Guardiola: “His team is always there, they’re always aggressive.” In this mixed situation, it came out straight ebbing emotion from the top game and the realization that we have just experienced something big. It was like a declaration of love.
Next meeting Saturday at Wembley
“It’s a pleasure to watch Liverpool. I admire them a lot,” said Guardiola, and he has “respect for Jurgen, but he knows I’ll try to beat him next Saturday.” Then the two most outstanding teams in England meet again in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on each other.
Liverpool twice equalized a deficit in this high-class league duel after goals from Kevin De Bruyne (5th) and Gabriel Jesus (36th). Diogo Jota (13′) and Sadio Mané (46′) scored for Klopp’s team. “It was like an epic heavyweight boxing match, you put your arms down for a second, take a hard punch and then you shake a little. What a game,” said Klopp.
The last opportunity was missed with taking the lead in the English Premier League on their own. City remain at the top by a point. On paper, Guardiola’s team has the slightly easier remaining program in the final spurt of the season, while Klopp with Liverpool has to compete against record champions Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who have regained their strength. But the aftermath of the game left the impression that all that didn’t count at first. Rather, as if that one game that had just ended was enough for the moment, because it was electric, so fast-paced, with both teams’ penalty areas as the stage for this great epic.
Despite a near-perfect first half, Manchester City failed to beat Liverpool. Tenor: It would have been nice, but it doesn’t matter after a game like that. Guardiola reported telling his players “there is no reason to be sad today. Everyone on the pitch played incredibly well. Our and Liverpool’s performance was promotion for the Premier League.”
Klopp, whose team was much more solid in the second half than in the first half, saw it similarly. “In the first half it was like this: In the moments when we wanted to catch our breath – bam. The start of the second half was much better. So far so good. Great game and we can and must live with the result,” he said.
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