LONDON – Mohamed Salah was too busy being asked about his wonder goal to get the chance to savor it again for himself so soon after full time at Anfield.
“I have to watch it to see,” the Liverpool striker said. “It’s a good goal. Nothing much to say.”
Others did the talking for him after watching Salah weave his way through the City defense, switch the ball between his feet and shake off the final attempted Manchester City resistance – a push by Phil Foden and an ineffective sliding tackle by Bernardo Silva – before befuddling Aymeric Laporte and striking off the far post into the net.
“Only the best players in the world score goals like this,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said according to AP. “It was the first touch, the first challenge he wins, then going there and putting it on his right foot and finishing the situation off like he did. Absolutely exceptional.
“Because this club never forgets anything, people will talk about this goal for a long, long time in 50, 60 years still when they remember this game.”
It was a game that ended 2-2 after Salah’s goal was canceled out by Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected strike as City came back for a second time to draw 2-2 at Liverpool in the Premier League.
Manchester City twice came from behind to prevent Liverpool moving back to the top of the Premier League in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Anfield.
Liverpool weathered a City storm in the first-half and hit the English champions with a sucker punch when Sadio Mane opened the scoring just before the hour mark.
Phil Foden levelled before Salah looked to have won the game with a moment of individual brilliance as he jinked around four defenders before firing past Ederson.
However, Kevin De Bruyne’s shot that deflected in off Joel Matip nine minutes from time salvaged the point Pep Guardiola’s men at least deserved.
A share of the spoils leaves the title race tantalisingly poised with Liverpool a point behind leaders Chelsea and City two points off the top in third.
It could have been much worse for City as a 0-0 draw at home to Southampton two weeks ago left them three points off the top of the table ahead of two of the most daunting away trips in the Premier League.
However, rather than being cut adrift from the contenders to take their title, they have laid down a marker in schooling Chelsea on their own patch and doing the same to Klopp’s men for the majority of a thrilling contest.
Guardiola’s side won 4-1 when the sides met behind closed door last season, but City has still not won in front of a crowd at Anfield since 2003, long before an Abu Dhabi takeover transformed the club’s fortunes.
They should have ended that run by putting the game beyond doubt in a dominant first-half when, not for the first time this season, they just lacked the finishing touch.
Foden had the majority of the chances before the break, but could not find a way past Alisson Becker, AFP reported.
Bernardo Silva’s mazy run beyond five players cut open the Liverpool defence, but Foden’s low shot was repelled by the Brazilian international.
The England international then had strong claims for a penalty or a red card against James Milner for a foul outside the box waived away by referee Paul Tierney.
De Bruyne headed over a glorious chance with Foden this time the creator before Alisson had to sprint off his line to block from Foden once more just before the break.
Liverpool was clinging on for the halftime whistle, but were able to reorganise themselves at the break to turn the game into a far more competitive contest in the second-half.
Mane hit City with the sucker punch as Salah skipped past Joao Cancelo and played in the Senegalese to slot calmly into the far corner.
Anfield was suddenly stirred and Liverpool’s players crashed into challenges in response as they didn’t allow City to get into the rhythm they enjoyed before the break.
However, one slick move from Guardiola’s men finally saw them find the net to level 21 minutes from time.
Gabriel Jesus skipped across the face of the Liverpool box before finding Foden, who this time drilled the ball low into Alisson’s far corner.
Guardiola was then infuriated as Milner avoided a second yellow card after chopping down Silva.
And moments his later his mood soured even more when Salah’s stunning solo goal swung the game in Liverpool’s favour.
The Egyptian danced around Cancelo, Silva and Aymeric Laporte before firing on his weaker right foot high past Ederson.
Guardiola was then booked for taking his protests too far, but five minutes later he was screaming in celebration as De Bruyne’s effort from the edge of the box deflected in off Joel Matip.
Liverpool had the best chance to win the game in a breathless finale, but Rodri blocked Fabinho’s goal-bound effort after Ederson flapped at a free-kick.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 home draw with Leicester City in the Premier League today, as substitutes Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp cancelled out first-half goals by Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy.
Leicester was in cruise control after two howlers by Palace centre back Joachim Andersen but the hosts looked the more likely winners after a superb second-half fightback.
The result left Leicester 13th in the table on eight points with Palace one point behind them in 14th.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers was furious after seeing his team throw away a two-goal advantage.
“It is a disappointing result,” he told Sky Sports according to Reuters. “I think we went in front against the run of play but I thought we always looked a threat.
“Throughout the game we didn’t look solid defensively in our final 25 yards of the pitch. So that is something that the international break gives us a chance to reflect on.”
Iheanacho, celebrating his 25th birthday, fired Leicester ahead in the 31st minute when he robbed Andersen of the ball and steered it past goalkeeper Vicente Guaita from the edge of the penalty area.
Another error by the Danish defender allowed Vardy to double the lead six minutes later as he slotted the ball inside the near post after Andersen failed to cut out a Harvey Barnes pass into the area.
The 34-year old Vardy became only the second player to score 90 Premier League goals after turning 30, three fewer than former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
Olise was instrumental in Palace’s comeback as he netted his first Premier League goal shortly after coming on for Jordan Ayew, and he also had a hand in the equaliser.
The 19-year old, who joined Palace from Championship side Reading during the close season, volleyed home his own rebound from 12 metres after a Palace defender had blocked his initial attempt in the 61st minute.
Incessant Palace pressure bore fruit again 11 minutes later as the visiting defence failed to clear Olise’s cross and the ball fell kindly to Schlupp, who powered a close-range header past Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Schlupp almost scored another against his former club when he headed wide and the visitors were hanging on in stoppage time.
“It is one of those things, I got my first goal against my old club which is what I wanted to do when I came on,” he said. “It is nice to get a goal and rescue a point.
