Pep Guardiola cherished a first victory at Liverpool since Covid, earned by defining contributions from players who know what it takes
Before joining his triumphant players to celebrate in front of Manchester Cityâs delirious away support, Pep Guardiola looked to the heavens above Anfield and blew a kiss. This stadium has tormented the City manager more often than most over the past decade but, should the title race twist as dramatically as this victory, his 11th and possibly final visit to Liverpool will be cherished as the turning point.
Was Guardiolaâs kiss one of thanks for Gianluigi Donnarumma, the goalkeeper who deflated Liverpool in the Champions League last season with Paris SaintâGermain and denied them a 99th-minute equaliser with a stunning save from Alexis Mac Allister? Or for the nerveless precision of Erling Haaland, who had completed the visitorsâ comeback from the penalty spot six minutes earlier? The resilience of Marc GuĂ©hi and co in the face of Liverpoolâs second-half recovery merited a smacker, too. The former Liverpool transfer target would eventually get a kiss from his manager, deservedly so.
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