Points dropped, Ederson crocked, Bravo sent-off.. not an ideal Anfield warm-up!
AS preparations for the biggest game of the season go, it could not have gone much worse for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola had hoped to seal progress to the last 16, with two games to spare, before Sunday’s trip to Premier League leaders and title rivals Liverpool.
Instead, City dropped their first points of this season’s Champions League campaign, may have lost goalkeeper Ederson for the Anfield trip and had his replacement, Claudio Bravo, sent off.
Ederson went off injured at halftime, replaced by Bravo, who lacks the same assurance between the posts and was picking the ball out of his net four minutes after coming on.
Worse was to come 10 minutes from time, when Bravo was shown a straight red for bringing down Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic after he slipped the ball past him in a one-onone situation. Kyle Walker came on as a sub and went in goal.
Bravo’s rush of blood to the head and red card may have left City down to 10 men, but of more concern to Guardiola will be the potential loss of Ederson for Sunday.
With City already missing a host of key players in David Silva, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane, the loss of his firstchoice keeper could deliver a fatal blow to their hopes of a third straight title.
Yet City took the lead after seven minutes with a goal of sublime beauty. Bernardo Silva slid the ball in to Gabriel Jesus, who executed a back-heel into the path of Sterling, who produced an assured finish for his 18th goal in 20 games for club and country this season.
City were in complete control,
Atalanta’s frustration manifesting itself in a booking for Berat Djimsiti for hauling back Riyad Mahrez.
Sterling was denied when Hans Hatebor intervened with a timely challenge, just as the City star was about to pull the trigger from a Kevin De Bruyne cut-back.
Then VAR entered the equation twice, just before the break. Sterling was pulled back by Rafael Toloi with referee Aleksei Kulbakov initially awarding a penalty.
VAR over-ruled his original decision, with the foul being committed just outside the box. But from the resulting free-kick, City were awarded a penalty, thanks to VAR.
Sterling’s free-kick hit the outstretched arm of Josip Ilicic, the 43rdminute spot-kick given after ref Kulbakov went to check the touchline monitor for himself. Jesus (below) stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but scuffed his right-footed effort wide.
Within four minutes of the restart, Atalanta were level. Alejandro Gomez’s fine cross was met by Mario Pasalic, who was able to plant a free header beyond Bravo.
The goal scrambled City’s collective brains and there were sighs of relief when a header from Ilicic, from a Gomez corner, flew just wide of Bravo’s far post.
Fernandinho put Sterling through with sight of the Atalanta goal in the 65th minute, but City’s goalscorer was unable to get any power behind his angled attempt.
Guardiola cut a frustrated figure on the touchline, throwing his arms up in dismay at his side’s shortcomings. Then came Bravo’s red card. There could be no arguing with the dismissal, with Walker coming on to replace him and saving the resulting free-kick.