Erling Haaland walked up to the penalty spot having never scored at Anfield in a Manchester City shirt. That ended with 93 minutes on the clock and the title race on the line.

The Norwegian’s stoppage-time spot-kick finished off a chaotic 2-1 win on Sunday and gave Manchester City their first league victory with Liverpool fans in the stands since Nicolas Anelka’s injury-time volley in May 2003.

“I was really nervous right beforehand,” Haaland told reporters afterwards. “All my thoughts were getting in the back of the net.“

Guardiola’s one-in-10 Anfield record rewritten

Before Sunday, Pep Guardiola had won just once at Anfield in 10 visits since taking charge of Manchester City in 2016, and that solitary victory came in a stadium emptied by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The win also completed City’s first league double over Liverpool since the 1936-37 season, ending an 89-year wait.

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“It’s special. It’s an incredibly difficult place to come,” Guardiola said.

Szoboszlai stunner, then nine minutes that flipped the title race

Liverpool had been in front since the 74th minute, when Dominik Szoboszlai curled a free-kick from 25 yards past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The lead lasted ten. Bernardo Silva poked in from close range in the 84th minute after Haaland had headed down a Rayan Cherki cross.

Matheus Nunes chased a long ball into the Liverpool box three minutes into stoppage time, and goalkeeper Alisson Becker caught him on the trailing leg. VAR confirmed the spot-kick, and Haaland sent the Brazilian the wrong way for his first Anfield goal in City colours.

The farce was only starting. Substitute Rayan Cherki thought he had added a third moments later, rolling the ball into an empty net with Alisson stranded upfield. VAR ruled the goal out and Szoboszlai was shown a straight red card for a foul on Haaland in the buildup, a dual decision that infuriated the match-winner himself.

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“Just give the goal, don’t give a red card, simple as that,” Haaland said. Guardiola went further: “Come on referee, give [the] goal and go home. It’s common sense.”

Arne Slot picked over familiar failings in his Liverpool defence. “For us, it is disappointing to come away without a result,” the Dutchman said.

Six points, 13 games to decide the title

City are six points behind Arsenal with 13 Premier League games left and three clear of Aston Villa in third. Liverpool are five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United in a season that was meant to be about defending their title.

“All we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal, be there and try, if they sleep, use it,” Guardiola said.

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