THE NOTEBOOK: Erling Haaland’s record-breaking match, emotional fathers in the stands at The Etihad… and Everton fans protest by flying banner over Manchester after 10-point deduction
Manchester City’s winning streak at the Etihad came to an end against the visiting Liverpool team.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were determined to leave Manchester with at least a point, and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 80th-minute goal saw the Reds do just that.
With the title race on the line, the shared point leaves Arsenal in third place with a chance to go top of the league if they win at Brentford on Sunday.
Despite a strong display from Man City throughout the first half, the second half saw Liverpool fighting for a point – which was achieved with a late goal from Alexander-Arnold who curled in Mo Salah’s pass.
In a slightly different style to the usual clashes between Man City and Liverpool, the match was as fast paced as fans expected, although the game marked Erling Haaland’s milestone 50th Premier League goal as he fired the hosts ahead.
Alexander-Arnold earned his side a point after scoring the equalizer for the home side with ten minutes to go
Haaland celebrated reaching 50 Premier League goals in 48 games during the match
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Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan takes a closer look at some of the things you might have missed.
Everton supporters protest against deduction of ten points
Everton supporters made good on their promise to take a stand against the 10-point deduction imposed on them by the Premier League.
Their match against Manchester United at Goodison Park on Sunday starts too late for the mapping of a plane flying over with a message could have any impact. That’s why they chose the Etihad Stadium, with the message ‘Premier League = Corrupt’ hovering over this game in the second half.
Its emergence into the sky prompted Manchester City supporters to sing about Sheikh Mansour as they await the conclusion of their own case for alleged financial breaches.
Everton fans mapped a plane to fly over with the message ‘Premier League = Corrupt’ hovering over The Etihad during the second half in protest at their points deduction
Haaland’s record of 50 goals
Another record for Erling Haaland. That’s now fifty goals for him in the Premier League, in just 48 games. Incredibly, in 17 fewer games than the perennially underrated Andrew Cole.
Liverpool also became the 20th top team Haaland has found the net against since arriving here last year. Only Brentford have kept him out.
Emotional moments in support of fathers
Haaland’s father, Alfie, celebrated that goal in the fancy seats. Another dad was spotted on the away end, with Luis Manuel here to support Luis Diaz. He had watched Diaz score emotionally for Colombia last week after his release by the guerrilla group the National Liberation Army.
Haaland reached a 50-goal milestone during the match as he fired the hosts into the lead
Luis Manuel, Luis Diaz’s father, was seen in the stands after being emotional as Diaz scored on international duty after being released from kidnapping by the guerrilla group in Colombia
Improvements at Etihad Stadium
Those organizing the improvements around the Etihad Stadium saw the perfect opportunity during the international break, with 600 new track seats on the away side. The section was in the second half of the top layer. The city’s plan is for the entire South Stand to eventually house them.
Both clubs had written to their supporters to remind them of their responsibilities before the clash, following a number of inappropriate incidents in recent years. City supporters briefly sang the derogatory ‘feed the scousers’ song midway through the first half.
Fan behavior and controversies
Liverpool supporters were not happy with Chris Kavanagh, whose appointment came under scrutiny this week given the place of his birth, near Ashton-Under-Lyne. Kavanagh failed to book Julian Alvarez when he cynically stopped a counter-attack and then called him a ‘Manc b******’.
Later he would spare Allison’s blushes by giving a soft foul as Ruben Dias thought he had scored a second. The City fans eventually became more frustrated with him. Funny old game.
Jack Grealish was left out of City’s squad due to an illness, which Guardiola said had affected others in the build-up to the game, although it was only Grealish who missed the ball.
The disease of the city concerns
There was some suggestion that illness had gripped the City camp over the past two days, with Pep Guardiola reportedly saying some of his team had vomited during the build-up. But it was only Jack Grealish who missed the ball due to a bug, which at least eased the manager’s decision to start him or Jeremy Doku on the left wing.
Aguero’s City mash-up in Abu Dhabi
A bit of an urban mash-up in Abu Dhabi. Sergio Aguero attended the final day of Formula 1 training, wearing an American-style City shirt and baseball pants.