Anfield has always been a place of fear for Manchester City. It is not just a football stadium, it is a memory, a warning, a reminder of pain. Many teams arrive there full of confidence and leave broken. Manchester City have known this feeling for many years. They have brought great players, great managers, and great teams to this ground, but again and again Anfield reminded them that history does not bow easily.
For Erling Haaland, Anfield was even worse. It was personal. Every striker has a stadium that refuses to love him, a ground where goals disappear and confidence drains away. For Haaland, Anfield was that place. Match after match, season after season, he tried and failed. Saves, blocks, narrow misses, frustration. He had scored everywhere else. Against everyone else. But not here.
So when Manchester City walked out under the Anfield lights on this cold February night, the pressure was heavy. The Premier League title race was burning hot. Arsenal were watching. Liverpool were confident. City were wounded but not dead. Pep Guardiola knew that anything other than a win would feel like a disaster.
From the opening minutes, the match did not explode like past classics. There was no wild pressing, no early goals, no madness. Instead, it was tight, careful, almost nervous. Both teams respected each other too much to lose control. Every pass felt important. Every touch carried weight.
Manchester City actually started strongly. They moved the ball calmly, patiently, with purpose. Rodri controlled the midfield. Bernardo Silva never stopped running. Nico O’Reilly added power and balance. City pushed Liverpool back and tested them again and again. Haaland found space twice, clear chances, the type he usually finishes without thinking. But Alisson was ready. Strong hands. Perfect positioning. Calm saves. Each stop sent a roar through the crowd.
The longer the first half went on without a City goal, the louder Anfield became. Liverpool slowly grew into the game. They pressed higher. They fought harder. Salah tested City’s defence. Ekitike caused problems. The energy changed.
Still, at halftime, it was goalless. City had taken ten shots, more than Liverpool had allowed in any first half all season, but it meant nothing. Goals are what matter at Anfield, not possession, not control, not good intentions.
The second half arrived like a different storm. The pace increased. The tackles became sharper. The crowd smelled blood. Liverpool attacked with more belief, and City began to feel the pressure.
Antoine Semenyo had a clear chance early in the half but could not beat Alisson. It felt like one of those moments City would regret. Liverpool answered back quickly. Hugo Ekitike rose for a header that drifted just wide. The stadium groaned, then roared again.
Then came the moment that felt like destiny.
Dominik Szoboszlai stood over a free kick. The wall was set. The angle was perfect. Everyone in the stadium sensed danger. He struck the ball with absolute power and precision. It flew over the wall and into the top corner. Donnarumma had no chance. None.
Anfield erupted.
Liverpool were ahead.
Red scarves waved. Fans screamed. The noise shook the ground. For Manchester City, it felt like the old story returning. Another visit. Another defeat. Another title dream slipping away.
With fifteen minutes left, City looked stunned. The clock moved too fast. Liverpool smelled victory. Pep Guardiola stood still on the touchline, arms folded, eyes fixed, mind racing.
But Manchester City refused to die.
They pushed forward with desperation and belief. They kept playing. They kept running. They kept fighting. And then, in one simple moment, everything changed.
Erling Haaland rose to meet a ball in the air. He did not shoot. He did not panic. He simply nodded the ball down into space. Bernardo Silva was there, sliding in with pure determination. He met the ball and sent it into the net.
Silence.
Shock.
Liverpool 1, Manchester City 1.
The away end exploded. The curse began to crack. The fear shifted. Now Liverpool were nervous. Now City believed.
The game turned wild. End-to-end attacks. Heavy tackles. Shouts. Mistakes. Emotion everywhere. Donnarumma produced a stunning save from Alexis Mac Allister, a shot that looked destined for the corner. It was a save that kept City alive.
