Published: 19:52, 8 February 2026 | Updated: 19:52, 8 February 2026

After the drama and the commotion and the arguing and the finger pointing, Manchester City left the field at Anfield with the adrenaline-fuelled assurance of a team that knows it is still in the Premier League title race.

Their manager Pep Guardiola may not be sure his young transitional team are ready to win a championship. He said as much last Friday. But by the looks of the final quarter of an hour of this fabulous game, his players fancy a shot at proving him wrong.

With six minutes of regular time remaining, it felt as though it was all over. The game and the title.

Gianluigi Donnarumma’s net was still rippling at the Kop End after Dominik Szobozslai’s fizzing free-kick had flown past the Italian and Liverpool’s scintillating second half performance seemed set to leave Arsenal’s lead over City at the top at nine points. City have not exactly been convincing in the latter parts of games of late.

But an equaliser on the stretch from the enduringly influential Bernardo Silva and...