Liverpool – Manchester City: City Win Siege Of Anfield At The Death (1-2)

Manchester City defeated Liverpool at Anfield in a game that sprang into life in the second half. Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick seemed to tilt the game in favour of Liverpool. But goals from Bernardo Silva and a penalty from Erling Haaland late on saw City overturn the deficit to clinch a huge win at Anfield.

Tactical analysis and match report by Gaurav Krishnan.

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Some games simmer at boiling point until they spring to life. This was one of those games. What started off like a game that had 0-0 written all over sprang suddenly into life late on in the second half.

The Liverpool revolution hasn’t gone according to plan for Arne Slot’s rebuild. While the Reds stormed to the Premier League title last season, this season, despite breaking the bank to bolster their squad, Liverpool find themselves adrift of the summit of the Premier League and wallowing to finish inside the top four.

Liverpool had to win this game on home turf to keep within chasing distance of the top four places where Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea are keenly competing to finish in the Champions League spots, but it wasn’t to be in this game.


Meanwhile, Manchester City also saw them going into this game as a must-win, to keep within chasing distance of Arsenal who are at the top of the Premier League. A loss in this game meant that Arsenal would extend their lead to 9 points over City.

But a superb late free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai dipped and swerved to hit the post and go in from 30 yards leaving Donnarumma rooted, giving Liverpool a slender 1-0 lead with about 15 minutes of normal time to go & it seemed as though the Reds would finish the job against City.


However, a late surge from City saw Bernardo Silva equalise from a flicked header by Erling Haaland. And then late on, a needless tackle from an onrushing Alisson saw Liverpool concede an injury time penalty to City. Haaland stepped up and slotted into the back of the net to complete the comeback.

There was further late drama when a goal from Rayan Cherki deep into added time was stricken out for a red card to Szoboszlai and for the Hungarian Liverpool midfielder this game came full circle rather quickly.

The win for City meant that they remained 6 points behind league leaders Arsenal. While for Liverpool this home loss meant that they stayed in 6th place 4 points behind 5th placed Chelsea.

Liverpool lined up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Alisson started in goal with a back four of Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk at center-back and Milos Kerkez at left-back. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister made up the midfield double pivot with Mo Salah down the right, Cody Gakpo down the left and Florian Wirtz as the number 10 while Hugo Ekitike led the line up front.

Man City lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Gianluigi Donnarumma started in goal with a back four of Matheus Nunes at right-back, Abdukodir Khushanov and Marc Guehi at center-back and Rayan Ait-Nouri at left-back. The City midfield three comprised Rodri in the pivot with Bernardo Silva and Nico O’Reilly ahead of him. Meanwhile, Omar Marmoush started down the left flank, Antoine Semenyo down the right-flank with Erling Haaland starting as the central striker.

A Stalemate First Half

The first half was categorised with both sides pressing aggressively. However, City’s use of width from their full backs and the City front three dragging the Liverpool defense apart with their runs, meant that the away side got behind Liverpool’s back line on a handful of occasions, but City couldn’t find the back of the net.

In their OOP shape against Liverpool’s build-up City resorted to a 4-4-2 diamond shape wherein Rodri anchored the pivot while O’Reilly and Semenyo narrowed into midfield while Bernardo Silva occupied the front of the diamond. Meanwhile, Marmoush moved up alongside Erling Haaland as City’s front two led the press against Liverpool’s back line.

City press in their 4-diamond-2 OOP shape vs Liverpool’s 4-2-4 build up early on.

City’s press was categorised by Bernardo Silva’s aggressive pressing, as the Portuguese midfielder moved out of the diamond shape to pressure centrally at times, with Haaland and Marmoush on either side in a 4-3-3 OOP shape. This was particularly when Liverpool were in deep build-up as Bernardo Silva led the City press with aggression pressing from the front. 

City press Liverpool’s deep build-up in a 4-3-3 with Bernardo Silva leading the press centrally, moving out of the 4-4-2 diamond.

However, Liverpool countered City’s press shaped by targeting the City right flank where Semenyo had dropped into the wide position of the diamond. This meant Kerkez was often a free man on the Liverpool left while Florian Wirtz moved into the left midfield space drifting from the no. 10 slot, allowing switches of play into him to progress the ball for Liverpool.

City press Liverpool high in their 4-diamond-2 shape as Semenyo tucks into the narrow diamond. This leaves space for Kerkez as the free man on the Liverpool left as Wirtz is also instructed to drift from the no.10 slot into the vacant space on the left side of the pitch as Konate finds Wirtz as an out-ball.

Meanwhile, in their OOP shape Liverpool sat in a 4-4-2 mid-to-low block, trying to deny City space in between the lines. But in this set up, Semenyo’s movement created a conundrum for Liverpool to mark. Kerkez would often get dragged trying to mark Semenyo who was part of City’s 4-2-2-2. This, in turn, allowed Haaland & Marmoush to isolate the Liverpool CBs 1v1 & allowed City to advance centrally.

However, the first half ended 0-0 with both sides probing but unable to be decisive in the final third.

Slot’s Tweaks After Half-Time

In their build-up IP shape, City’s 4-3-3 transitioned to a 4-2-2-2. Bernardo Silva dropped alongside Rodri into the midfield pivot to progress the ball, while Semenyo and O’Reilly occupied the two slots slightly ahead of the City pivot in a midfield box four. Of course, City rotated with the members of the midfield box, but City largely built up, especially in higher phases in the 4-2-2-2.

City build up in a 4-2-2-2 shape with a box four midfield. Haaland & Marmoush are the front two as the 4-2-2-2 aims to overload Liverpool’s 4-4-2 block centrally while the City FBs hold the width.

This allowed City to ping the ball around quickly against the Liverpool man-to-man press as their central midfield overload in a box four of the 2-2 dragged Liverpool’s press in, for example with Semenyo dragging Kerkez and O’Reilly either dragging Szoboszlai or more commonly one of the Liverpool pivots. This also allowed direct balls into Marmoush and Haaland in behind the Liverpool back line with Liverpool’s defense stretched.

Liverpool meanwhile used a 4-2-4/2-4-4 to 3-2-5/3-16 shape at times, in their IP build up phase, which was largely dynamic. The Liverpool 4-2-4 involved Gravenberch & Mac Allister sitting in the pivot while the Liverpool front four pushed high as the Reds full backs supported them. This shifted to a 2-4-4 at times, with Van Dijk & Konate at CB and the Reds full backs Szoboszlai and Kerkez moving up alongside the midfield pivot or inverting, as the front four pushed high.

To counter City’s pressing and possession dominance (61% first half), Slot tweaked his side’s attack in the second half. This involved overloading the Liverpool right flank, as Slot instructed Wirtz to drift wider into the right (instead of the left in the first half) linking up play with Salah and Szoboszlai. This also meant that while Liverpool targeted play down their right, Kerkez and Gakpo were free on the far side for switches of play.

Gakpo and Kerkez created 2v1s against Matheus Nunes, the City right-back, as Liverpool grew into the game. Hugo Ekitike missed a glorious chance to give the Reds the lead in the 56th minute as his header from a Salah cross went narrowly wide.

Guardiola then turned to his bench bringing on Ruben Dias for Khusanov after the City defender faced a head injury, while Rayan Cherki was brought on for Marmoush both in the 61st minute.

Late Drama Unfolds


Liverpool’s press intensified as well, as they pressed City man-to-man. Salah and Ekitike lead the front line of Liverpool’s press as the Liverpool pivots of Gravenberch and Mac Allister pressed Rodri and Bernardo Silva, while Kerkez & Szoboszlai jumped on Cherki & Semenyo respectively. But City played through the Liverpool press largely overall.

But at times, when Liverpool got it right, it resulted in Donnarumma having to go long & direct into the City front line, where Haaland contested with Van Dijk aerially.

The game suddenly sprung into life in the 74th minute. Cherki’s foul on Gravenberch led to a free kick. And then came the decisive moment for Liverpool. Szoboszlai’s venomous free kick dipped & swerved to hit the post and go into the City net leaving Donnarumma rooted to his spot.

However, City weren’t going to die down easily. City pressed and probed and then 10 minutes later in the 84th minute Bernardo Silva got onto a headed flick by Haaland to divert the ball into the Liverpool net. That made it 1-1.

The game broke up and became transitional but then in a moment of a rush of blood, Alisson rushed out of his goal to foul Matheus Nunes in the Liverpool box in the 90+1’ minute. The referee awarded a penalty which Haaland duly converted to complete the City smash and grab.


There would be more late drama as well, as Cherki’s pass from the halfway line went into the Liverpool net as Haaland and Szoboszlai chased after it with Alisson in the City half, having pushed up for the end of the game.

However, the late goal was ruled out with Szoboszlai who was Liverpool’s hero in the 75th minute turning villain after being issued a red card for his foul on Haaland in the chase.

The game ended 2-1 with Guardiola’s City completing the comeback, quite literally, out of the blue.

Liverpool 1 : 2 Man City

▪ Penbox shots: 8 - 9
▪ Deep Entries: 15 - 15
▪ Buildup completion: 76.8% - 82.2%
▪ PPDA: 11.2 - 6.5
▪ High turnovers: 1 - 4#LIVMCI

(via @markstatsbot) pic.twitter.com/T4OHjSy8an

— Statocaster Gaurav (@statocastgaurav) February 10, 2026

Takeaways

This was a game that seemed like it was going to be 0-0 until the late drama unfolded & it was a rather unbelievable finish to the game. For City and Guardiola, this was an important win and comeback to ensure they kept the pressure on league leaders Arsenal with 13 games to play, as Guardiola led City to victory at Anfield after 5 years.

For Liverpool, this was yet another late collapse that has left their top four hopes slightly dented. Slot’s Liverpool side continue to self-destruct late on despite taking the lead via Szoboszlai’s inch-perfect freekick. This leaves Slot and Liverpool in 6th, now four points behind Chelsea who are 5th in the Premier League table, as the Reds will now aim to regroup with 13 games left in the season.

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