3 things we learned from Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Liverpool

The Premier League has no more unbeaten teams, and it now has a title race. Manchester City defeated Liverpool 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, pulling within four points of the Reds, who still sit on top of the table, and ending their undefeated run.

While it took a long time for either team to get a decent shot — and the game finished with a surprisingly low 14 in total — there was no lack of entertainment in this match, with the tempo very high from the start. Sadio Mane had the first big chance in the 18th minute, off a through ball from Mohamed Salah, and it resulted in a mad scramble. He hit the post on his first attempt, then had his second cleared off the line by John Stones.

Does that look to you like it crossed the line? This is how close it was.

Vincent Kompany was lucky not to be sent off in the 31st minute for a very hard tackle on Mohamed Salah, for which he only received a yellow card. Kompany also spit some profane insults Salah’s way for staying down and grabbing his leg in pain.

Liverpool might have had the better of the first half hour, but it was Manchester City who found the breakthrough in the 40th minute. Bernardo Silva set up the goal with a fantastic run and chip to the near post for Sergio Aguero, who got the better of Dejan Lovren and hit a scorching finish past Allison Becker at the near post.

Another piece of questionable officiating went the other way in the 52nd minute, when City were denied a penalty. Andy Robertson appeared to pull down Raheem Sterling in the box, but Anthony Taylor gave nothing.

In the 64th minute, Liverpool found a gorgeous equalizer through Roberto Firmino. Trent Alexander-Arnold won’t get credit for the setup on the box score, but he should. His sensational diagonal created the chance, and Robertson tapped the ball into the path of Firmino to grab the assist.

But Liverpool couldn’t get a hold of the game after the goal, and City stormed right back in front through Leroy Sane in the 72nd minute. Sterling played a precise pass into his path, and the German left winger placed a perfect shot past Allison at the far post.

The final 20 minutes of the match were wide open, with both teams breaking quickly into space in an attempt to find another goal. City were denied a third goal by Allison in the 82nd minute, who made an impressive diving stretch to stop Aguero from rounding him and tapping into an empty net. Liverpool pushed hard for an equalizer in the dying minutes, putting City under plenty of pressure, but couldn’t find a breakthrough.

It’s almost a shame that only one of City or Liverpool can win the Premier League title. They both play with amazing precision despite their ridiculously high tempos, both look capable of scoring 100 goals and racking up 100 points this season, and both have fantastic defenses despite their high-octane styles. They’d both be worthy title winners in any season. This could be an all-time great title race.

While this game reinvigorated the title race, the Reds are still in a good spot.

A four-point gap can be erased in just two weeks, but a four-point lead is still a lot for a team as good as Liverpool. They’re not going to drop many more points this season if they stay healthy. They just got their hardest match out of the way.

Every year, there are rumors that Aguero could be sold, mostly because of his recurring injuries. But when he’s fit, he’s the best striker in the Premier League. He has been for the entirety of his time at City. And he was up for the big match on Thursday — he scored the opening goal, and he put pressure on the Liverpool back line for the entire 90 minutes.