Man City Player Ratings vs. Liverpool: Title Dream Alive After Thrilling Anfield Finale

Erling Haaland scored a dramatic late penalty as Manchester City came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield, keeping Pep Guardiola’s side firmly in the Premier League title race.

Liverpool had taken the lead in the 74th minute thanks to a stunning free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai, his ninth goal of the season.

But City responded quickly: Haaland set up Bernardo Silva for the equaliser 10 minutes later, before calmly slotting home an injury-time penalty, awarded after Alisson clumsily brought down Matheus Nunes in the box. Late drama included a disallowed goal for Rayan Cherki and a red card for Szoboszlai, adding a bittersweet note for both sides.

Haaland’s goal was only his second in his last eight Premier League games—both penalties—but it could hardly have been more important.

The victory keeps City six points behind league leaders Arsenal with 13 games remaining, keeping alive their hopes of denying the Gunners their first title since 2003–04.

Winners & Losers

Erling Haaland — Haaland came in clutch for City. | Getty/Paul Ellis

Winners

Just before Haaland set up Silva’s leveller, the Norwegian had endured a difficult afternoon—out-muscled and out-thought by Virgil van Dijk, squandering the few chances he did get. Yet, as all great strikers do, he came through when it mattered most. There are few men you’d want taking a last-minute penalty in such a crucial game and Haaland delivered once again, proving that even when quiet, he remains absolutely vital to City.

Gianluigi Donnarumma also deserves special mention for an extraordinary late save to deny Alexis Mac Allister a stunning equaliser—the rebuke all the more impressive after the strike took a wicked deflection to dip under the bar.

Loser

A tale of two strikers. Haaland may have been mostly quiet, but he still delivered the match-winning moment. Omar Marmoush, by contrast, struggled and had little impact.

It’s clear they simply don’t click, and Marmoush, who played on the left and drifted inside, lacks the clinical edge in front of goal that Haaland possesses.

Haaland remains undroppable, even at his worst, which makes it difficult to see where Marmoush fits into Guardiola’s plans moving forward—especially with Antoine Semenyo thriving since his move from Bournemouth.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (4-1-3-2)

Marc Guehi. — Marc Guehi was solid again. | Getty/Robbie Jay Barratt

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—6.5: Solid when called upon, particularly dealing with high balls, and produced an excellent late save to deny Mac Allister.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.9: Won the penalty that Haaland converted for the winner and looked lively down the right flank.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—6.7: Solid enough but looked like he was beginning to struggle just before being taken off for a potential concussion.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.5: Calm and assured throughout, Guéhi dominated his one-on-one battles and produced a couple of crucial blocks. Already proving to be an excellent signing for Pep Guardiola’s side.

LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—7.9: Outstanding at left back and a technical delight to watch. Kept Mohamed Salah largely under wraps.

CDM: Rodri—7.9: Still not back to his best since returning from injury, losing a few duels, but remained solid in possession.

RM: Antoine Semenyo—6.9: After a blistering start to his City career, Semenyo endured a difficult night against Liverpool. His end product was frustratingly disappointing.

CM: Bernardo Silva (c)—8.0: A supremely clever player. Even before his goal, he was City’s standout, with intelligent link-up play and movement at the heart of all their best moments.

LM: Nico O’Reilly—7.1: A quiet afternoon for the young Englishman, who, despite his versatility, looked out of sorts on the left side of midfield.

ST: Erling Haaland—8.5: Generally poor, but his ability to deliver when it matters most remains remarkable.

ST: Omar Marmoush—6.8: Lacked any real understanding with Haaland and spurned a few half-chances. Hooked early in the second half for Cherki.

SUB: Rúben Dias (61’ for Khusanov)—6.5: Won all three of his aerial duels after coming on, playing a crucial role in the dying moments as Liverpool searched for an equaliser.

SUB: Rayan Cherki (61’ for Marmoush)—6.2: Had a late goal disallowed which resulted in Szoboszlai’s red card, much to the frustration of everyone in the stadium.

SUB: Nathan Aké (90’ for Semenyo)—N/A

Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Max Alleyne, Rico Lewis, Nico González, Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Matheus Nunes, Cody Gakpo — Nunes is key for City. | Getty/Paul Ellis

Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush struggle to play together. Before Marmoush was withdrawn, the two forwards repeatedly found themselves occupying the same spaces—or, at other times, neither attacked the space at all, seemingly expecting the other to make the run. Their link-up play was non-existent.
Marc Guéhi’s January arrival is already proving to be an astute piece of business for City. The England international has been rock-solid since joining from Crystal Palace and was excellent again against the Reds.
Matheus Nunes is becoming an increasingly important player for City. Once a squad player, he’s now the club’s first-choice right back, with his forward energy proving vital.

The Numbers That Explain City’s Comeback

Man City players celebrate. — City were nowhere near their best. | Getty/Paul Ellis

Guardiola will be delighted with the result, but there’s no doubt he’ll have been frustrated with his side’s wastefulness in front of goal. With 17 shots—10 of them before half-time—City could and probably should have put the game to bed earlier.
Gone are the days when City would pass every team off the park. With 54% possession overall, dropping to just 46% in the second half, they showed they can be a “smash-and-grab” side when necessary. It’s not pretty, and those used to City’s dominance might not like it, but it adds a different dimension to their game.
To get Haaland scoring from open play, City need to deliver more accurate long balls. They managed just 38% throughout the match, which partly explains why he’s still struggling to find his best form—even if he’s still winning games for them.

Statistic	Liverpool	Man City
Possession	46%	54%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.21	2.91
Total Shots	15	17
Shots on Target	4	7
Big Chances	2	3
Passing Accuracy	78%	84%
Fouls Committed	13	16
Corners	5	4