By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
Call it atrophy war, if you like, but the Community Shield suggested Manchester City and Liverpool were set for another epic battle. One point separated them last season and there was nothing between them on Sunday until City prevailed in the penalty shootout. So Pep Guardiola’s side won by the narrowest margin. Again. But there was enough to indicate things could go the other way over the next nine months.
If the purpose of this curtain-raiser was to stoke anticipation for the main event that kicks off on Friday, mission accomplished. Gabriel Jesus converted the decisive spot-kick after Georginio Wijnaldum missed for Liverpool but there was enough before that to please – and worry – both managers.
At first City threatened to win at a canter; Raheem Sterling giving them an early lead that reflected their superiority and Liverpool’s sluggishness. But the European champions gradually found fluency and began to expose frailties in City. They struck the frame of the goal twice before Joël Matip nodded in an equalizer. Liverpool would have clinched victory if not for a spectacular clearance off the line by Kyle Walker. Factor in Guardiola being booked for a tantrum and it was clear City were spooked before emerging triumphant.
Both managers had said they would have welcomed a longer break before renewing hostilities but that did not mean either was about to make this chore any easier for his rival: 65 days after Jordan Henderson lifted their sixth European crown, Liverpool began with nine of the 11 players who started the Champions League final.
Guardiola, too, deployed nearly all of his artillery; the main acknowledgment of this match’s ceremonial status being the inclusion of Claudio Bravo in goal ahead of Ederson. “We have to prepare as if every match is a final,” said Guardiola and, given how little room either side leave the other for error, both will probably have to sustain that approach throughout the campaign ahead.
City started far sharper. They could have scored in the fourth minute after Sterling dispossessed Joe Gomez 30 yards from goal and slipped a pass through to Leroy Sané, who fired into the side netting.
Roberto Firmino was the only Liverpool player who shone from the start. Mohamed Salah, by contrast, was off‑colour: busy and dangerous but wasteful. He dragged a shot wide of the near post early on and did almost exactly the same thing several more times.
The fact City’s breakthrough came while they were at a numerical disadvantage – Sané having an injury assessed – spoke of how much better they started. The nature of the goal confirmed the point, as Liverpool’s defence was caught napping by a quick free-kick. Oleksandr Zinchenko headed a lofted pass from Walker back across the six-yard area, where Sterling beat Henderson to the ball and forced it past Alisson.
Salah botched another good opportunity before Sterling did likewise for City, shooting straight at Alisson from eight yards.
Rodri, City’s record signing at Rodri, City’s record signing at 62.8m euros, moved and passed with almost Fernandinho-esque intelligence on his debut but he was given a lesson in the competitiveness of the Premier League when he was muscled off the ball twice in the first half by Firmino.
City’s chief vulnerability was in defence. Zinchenko found the going tough at left-back and was not helped much by his central defenders. A weak header by John Stones in the 29th minute from a cross by Divock Origi demanded an intervention from Zinchenko that did not come; Salah should have punished him but poked high and wide.
City’s vibrancy had subsided. When Gomez escaped being penalised for raising a foot to prod a bouncing ball away from David Silva, Guardiola, highly strung at the best of times, bawled and gesticulated so much the referee booked him.
City’s grip on the game loosened as Liverpool’s menace grew. In the 57th minute Virgil van Dijk hooked a shot on to the underside of the crossbar after a corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold was allowed to bobble all the way to him at the edge of the six-yard area. Reminiscent of City’s decisive escape at the Etihad Stadium in January, the shot was millimeters from crossing the line. Then Salah cut into the right-hand side of the box and rattled the post.
Walker, resolving to get City back on to the front foot, launched into a storming run forward before feeding Sterling. Clean through on goal and with Walker offering support, Sterling appeared overwhelmed by the options and allowed Alisson to step out and relieve him of the ball. City’s sharpness had faded all right.
And their defensive frailties – relative to the strength of the rest of their team – were being increasingly exposed by Liverpool, who soon equalised with a goal similar to City’s. Van Dijk, pulling wide to retrieve a free-kick from the right by Henderson, dabbed a dainty cross back across goal and Matip climbed above Nicolás Otamendi to nod into the net.
City were not exactly unraveling but there was certainly some raggedness about them. Maybe that was inevitable given the lack of preparation; maybe, though, they will regret not replacing Vincent Kompany.
Liverpool, spruced up by five substitutions and running through City’s midfield with impressive regularity, came closest to winning in normal time. Bravo foiled Naby Keïta and Salah before he finally beat the goalkeeper – only for Walker to hook his header off the line spectacularly.
