Man City keep lead after 2-2 draw with Liverpool
Such intensity, such fine margins but nothing decided. The destination of the Premier League title does, though, remain in Manchester City's hands.
Liverpool has to rely on the champions slipping up to regain the trophy.
A 2-2 draw between England's preeminent rivals for the second time this season left City still a point ahead at the top of the standings on Sunday.
But Liverpool twice coming from behind — Sadio Mané's equalizer 47 seconds into the second half sealed the point — does more than keep the title race very much alive. It reassured captain Jordan Henderson that Liverpool has the character and resilience to seize every moment in the remaining seven games.
"You've got to be prepared to suffer at times and stay on the front foot," Henderson said. "It worked at times and we got our goals from that, but at other times we could have defended better."
The ferocity of the first half showed why City was 14 points ahead in January but also why the 2020 title winners are still in contention.
For all the moments of high quality there were also slip-ups and unfortunate moments that could have been more consequential.
Liverpool conceded the opener in the fifth minute after being caught when a free kick was taken quickly and Bernardo Silva then set up Kevin De Bruyne, with the resulting shot shifting direction via a deflection off Liverpool defender Joel Matip.
"You can describe it a little bit like a boxing fight," Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said. "Both arms down for a second and you get a massive knock."
And then get up off the canvas. In a breathless opening, Trent Alexander-Arnold's cutback was turned in by Diogo Jota to draw Liverpool level. Another goal was nearly gifted. City goalkeeper Ederson slipped as he tried to clear Kyle Walker's back pass but he recovered just in time to prevent the ball rolling into the net.
"They defend really well but it's possible to give them some struggles," Klopp said. "Around our goals we did exactly that. I would have liked they did it more often but obviously the intensity was crazy."
The surprise sprung in the City lineup was Gabriel Jesus starting in the forward line. But a 15match league goal drought ended in the 36th minute when he beat the offside trap to get on the end of João Cancelo's cross and lift the
ball over goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Whatever Klopp told his Liverpool players at halftime worked. From the restart, AlexanderArnold played in Mohamed Salah and the pass was slipped in for Mané to lift a shot over onrushing City goalkeeper Ederson for a goal on his 30th birthday.
Pep Guardiola slumped into his padded seat. When the City manager leapt out of that seat 20 minutes later, the joy proved premature as a VAR offside call denied Raheem Sterling a winner. Riyad Mahrez was onside when he broke free in stoppage time but could not find the target when he scooped the ball over the Liverpool goal.
So no celebrations for Guardiola, just an embrace with Klopp after the final whistle. And mutual admiration.
"Jürgen is the best," Guardiola said. "We try to do this beautiful show."
There's not long to wait for the next instalment. An FA Cup final place will be on the line when they meet at Wembley on Saturday. The Premier League and Champions League remain the bigger targets.
"I had a feeling that we left them alive, but Liverpool is a joy to watch," Guardiola said.
Napoli loses to Fiorentina in blow to Serie A title bid
Napoli's title hopes took a blow on Sunday as it lost 3-2 at home to Fiorentina in Serie A.
Dries Mertens had canceled out
Nicolás González's opener shortly after coming off the bench. But fellow substitute Jonathan Ikoné also had an immediate impact as he restored Fiorentina's advantage and Arthur Cabral all but sealed the match.
Victor Osimhen gave Napoli hope but in the end it remained a point behind Serie A leader AC Milan.
Napoli was looking to move top of the league, temporarily at least, but it was Fiorentina that took a surprise lead in the 29th minute. A cross from Alfred Duncan was not cleared and González controlled the ball on his chest before firing into the top corner.
Mertens was brought on in the 56th and scored with practically his first touch two minutes later, sweeping the ball into the bottom left corner after Osimhen had raced down the left and pulled back from the byline.
Ikoné took even less time to have an impact, scoring his debut Serie A goal barely a minute after coming off the bench.
Napoli thought it had equalized again but Hirving Lozano was called offside and instead it was Fiorentina that extended its advantage in the 72nd as Cabral sprinted down the left and cut inside past Stanislav Lobotka before curling into the far corner.
Osimhen set up a frantic finale when he pulled one back six minutes from time, chesting the ball down between two defenders and then shooting powerfully into the top corner.
Leaders Milan figured in another scorless draw, this time away to Torino.
HAT TRICK HERO
Ciro Immobile netted a hat trick as Lazio won 4-1 at relegationthreatened Genoa to boost its chances of qualifying for Europe.
Adam Marušić scored Lazio's opener in the 31st and Immobile doubled the side's lead on the stroke of halftime before adding two more after the break.
Genoa briefly reduced the deficit with a stroke of luck as a pass ricocheted off Patric and the underside of the bar for an own goal from the Lazio defender.
Lazio was sixth, two points below its capital rival Roma which beat bottom club Salernitana 2-1. José Mourinho's team struggled more than expected and needed two late goals to snatch all three points.
Fiorentina is two points behind Lazio and two points above Atalanta, which lost 2-1 at Sassuolo following a double from Hamed Traorè.
Genoa remained three points from safety. It is level on points with Venezia, which lost 2-1 at home to Udinese.