Mark Donaldson and Steve Nicol debate if Manchester City will be happy after their 2-2 draw. (1:00) The game was so unpredictable that it was almost certain that Riyad Mahrez would win it. The 2-2 result means we are no closer to knowing which team will win the title. It was certain that this had been a game with everything, including the intervention of the VAR to correctly rule out the goal of Raheem Sterling. Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus scored for the hosts, but Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane got the away side back in the game. The upshot of 90 end-to-end minutes is that, with both having seven league games to play, there is also the not insignificant matter of next Saturday's FA Cup semifinal head-to-head at Wembley. The clubs that have dominated the league for the past five years are separated by one point. It was like a boxing match, according to the manager. It was a great game and a result which we have to live with. You can watch the FC daily on the US version of the network.
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City retain the advantage and their remaining games suggest that a surprise result will be needed by the Reds to claim top spot. Between now and the end of the season, there is nothing to worry about for the players, who are managed by Steven Gerrard.
The run-in for the Reds is tougher. The home game against Spurs on May 7 is potentially dangerous, while the away game against Villa is always emotional and unpredictable.
This could be the decisive day in the title race if City can keep hold of top spot and avoid defeat, as they showed in this game.
Although both teams displayed their incredible quality, there were also rare moments of nerves and mistakes from the likes of City keeper Ederson,Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, and City's Raheem Sterling. It was no surprise that top performers had to be at their absolute best.
Jota's persistence almost forced Ederson to concede an embarrassing own goal in the first half and Van Dijk uncharacteristically chopped down De Bruyne in the second period with a cynical foul, which was worth the booking that followed.
The best moment of the game came 40 seconds after the half-time break when he created the goal for Mane, but it was too little, too late.
There were many outstanding performances that made the occasion so absorbing. Joao Cancelo was unstoppable at left back for City as he owned his side of the pitch, while Aymeric Laporte produced a number of crucial blocks at the back.
Alisson Becker, the goalkeeper for the Reds, was flawless in the middle of the defence, as was his teammate, the central defender, who was flawless in the early stages.
On a day when the teams shared the points, the big winner was City, with the manager getting everything right, from his starting line-up, to energetic high-press tactics and substitution, and the decision to replace Sterling with Ryoko was a key decision that increase the threat in the
It has become a bone of contention that the manager over-thinks in the biggest games. He has allowed the opposition to get into his head in recent examples, such as when he started without a defensive midfield and a forward in the final of the European Championship.
Selecting Jesus from the start was a surprise, but he was rewarded with a rare goal and incredible work rate from the Brazil international, whose energy lifted the crowd and his teammates around him.
The pace in City's front line of Jesus, Sterling and Phil Foden gave the Reds many problems and it was not until the second half that they got their act together.
Even then, City looked the most likely winners and a draw was a good result for the Reds. Jordan Henderson admitted that it probably wasn't within the wider context.
The captain said they would have to wait and see. We have to win as many games as possible. We have to be behind them if they slip up. We will keep going until the end. It is not the end of the world, we are still in the race.
Henderson was a young player when a slip did tilt the balance of the title race, so perhaps a subconscious reference to the mistake made by Steven Gerrard in the title race in 2014 serves as a reminder that anything can happen in the season's closing stages.
De Bruyne said that they had the upper hand and that they had to maintain their form to win the trophy. The schedule is too tough for both teams to win every game, but we will try.
There are 21 points up for grabs. They will end up in second place if either side fails to claim them all.
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