City-Liverpool, fireworks. Double question and answer, then Aké decides

From our correspondent Davide Chinellato

December 22nd
– Manchester

It will also be the Carabao Cup, the World Cup will also have just finished, but City-Liverpool is always a show. At the Etihad, in the round of 16 of the second England Cup, Guardiola’s team takes on the super challenge with a spectacular 3-2, illuminated by the brilliant assists of Kevin De Bruyne and decided by a header from Nathan Aké which closes 13 crazy minutes into the restart. Despite the absences, yet another chapter in the rivalry between City and the Reds was a splendid spot for the return of club football, with the Carabao Cup which served as an appetizer while waiting for the Premier League to restart on Boxing Day. The team that deserved the most won, but Liverpool were not dominated and can look forward with hope to the mission to straighten out the season they have set themselves for this second part of 2022-23.

protagonists

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De Bruyne was man of the match. He returned from the World Cup with the desire to rock the world, after the disappointment in Qatar with his Belgium: he showed how decisive his brilliant passes are, how capable he is of being dangerous every time he has the ball at his feet. Guardiola left him free to move, to range wherever he wanted, wherever he saw the margin to create his masterpieces. Caging him in a module, in a position, would be like trying to define Picasso, to explain the mysteries of the Mona Lisa: impossible. It took Haaland 10′ to find the goal again, but he didn’t clarify if Guardiola was right when he said that anyone who hasn’t played in the World Cup is at a disadvantage because he has lost his rhythm. The Norwegian bit with the usual ability to score those easy goals that the English champions lacked before his arrival. Well Riyad Mahrez, author of the momentary 2-1 that opened the madness at the beginning of the second half, also the young Rico Lewis did well, who Guardiola deployed right back asking him to concentrate to participate in the maneuver. Liverpool was betrayed by Nunez’s too many sill mistakes, who played 242 minutes against Uruguay at the World Cup, and by Salah’s rust, which was seen only on the occasion of the momentary 2-2 touch. Klopp is trying to rebuild the matrix that has allowed Liverpool to become one of the best teams in the world: the infirmary needs to be emptied to succeed, the coach needs to be able to count on all of his best players.

the match

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The first 70″ are used to reconcile with club football: first chance for Haaland, immediate response from Nunez. The match unlocked in the 10th minute: Haaland showed that goal was in his blood by picking up a splendid invention by the genius De Bruyne. Liverpool, who seemed to be in trouble, equalized 10′ later through Carvalho, good at picking up Milner’s cue in the middle of the area. Two untapped chances each send the teams into the locker room at 1-1. The start of the second half was insane: a magical 2-1 by Mahrez after 2′, an immediate equalizer by Salah inspired by a run down the left by Nunez, the best thing of the match. City put their nose forward again in the 13th minute, when yet another brushstroke from De Bruyne landed on Aké’s head. Liverpool tries to react but Nunez has a crooked aim, City can’t close it but can still celebrate the pass for the quarter-finals.