The much-anticipated “game of the season” between Liverpool and Manchester City was an utter snoozefest with fans already checking out at halftime. The closest scoring opportunity either team had throughout the entire match came at 84 minutes when Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk committed an unwise tackle on Manchester City’s Leroy Sané, leading to a penalty for the league leaders.
The opportunity was given to former Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez. At the time of his £60 million transfer, it appeared as though Manchester City were making the roster move for vanity’s sake. The team was already overloaded with talent so there was no true need for his services. But injuries and dips in form plagued the squad, launching him into seeing regular action on the pitch. Now, he had the chance to further separate his new club from its only true rival in the chase for this season’s Premier League title, and prove to his doubters that he indeed was worth his price tag. Let’s see what happened:
The game would finish in a 0-0 draw.