The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool will be renewed when they meet in Sunday’s supercharged Premier League clash at Anfield. History suggests Liverpool are often favourites in this fixture, but recent form heavily favours the Manchester club. City, who have dominated headlines in recent weeks over serious financial breach charges, lead the league’s points table with 15 points – six ahead of Liverpool, who are sixth in the standings. Sunday’s match will be the 202nd fixture between the teams across all competitions, with Liverpool firmly leading the head-to-head with 95 victories, while City have won 53 matches with 53 drawn.
As Enzo Maresca faces off with Andoni Iraola this weekend, Al Jazeera looks back at the top five clashes over the years: Our list begins with this seven-goal league thriller from eight years ago. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool an early lead that night at Anfield before Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in a rousing eight-minute spell in the second half to build a staggering 4-1 lead. But Man City struck twice in the final six minutes through Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, forcing Liverpool to hold on for a nervous finish. That result not only strengthened Liverpool’s top-four bid but also ended City’s unbeaten run that season.
Nonetheless, City went on to lift the title that term with a record-breaking 100 points, while Liverpool came fourth. This game goes further back in history and it’s another laden with goals. On the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 97 Liverpool supporters died, a 10-man Liverpool side beat City 3-2 in a dramatic title-race clash. Early goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control, but City fought back through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal before Philippe Coutinho struck the winner for Liverpool 12 minutes from time.
Coutinho pounced on a loose clearance by City’s Vincent Kompany in the box, drilling the ball into the bottom corner as Anfield went wild for the ‘Little Magician’. The victory marked a huge step towards Liverpool’s title charge, but ultimately it was City who won the league that season, finishing two points ahead of the Merseyside club. The next game on our list sees City on the winning side. Sergio Aguero had given City the lead with his first-half strike before Firmino equalised four minutes from the hour -mark.
But Leroy Sane won the three vital points for the hosts, scoring the winner in the 72nd minute. After a quick counterattack, Sterling picked out the onrushing Sane on the left side, just outside the box, before the German’s left-footed shot hit the inside of the post and the ball rolled into the bottom corner. With that, Liverpool suffered their first loss of the season, ending a 20-game unbeaten streak. City also went on to reduce Liverpool’s lead at the top to four points and eventually lifted the trophy, beating the Reds by just one point.
This match goes back to the season that was the first to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Goals from Fabinho, Salah and Mane guided the Reds to a hugely impressive 3-1 home win over the title holders. The match is best remembered by Liverpool fans for Fabinho’s stunning goal, as the Brazilian launched the ball into the net from about 25 yards (23 metres) out. The result also opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table and went down as a defining moment in Liverpool’s campaign as they ended their 30-year quest to win the league.
That season, Liverpool finished with 99 points, a whopping 18 points ahead of second-placed City. Our top five list ends with a Champions League clash. Liverpool fired three goals in the opening half-hour, ripping through their opponents in the first leg of this UCL quarterfinal clash. Once again, Salah, Mane and Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the scorers as Liverpool took control of the knockout tie.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fierce finish – a thundering strike from outside the box – was the highlight of this fixture. Liverpool went on to reach the final, where they fell to Real Madrid.
