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Re-live 5 unforgettable Liverpool vs Manchester City battles ahead of Anfield clash

We rank the top 5 most memorable Liverpool vs Manchester City clashes in Premier League history.
ByHugo Mirabel-Hardy
Liverpool FC v Manchester City - Premier League
Liverpool FC v Manchester City - Premier League | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/GettyImages

While this is normally a hotly contested fixture regardless of the context, there's no doubt that Sunday's meeting between Liverpool and Manchester City could be a classic.

Placed in the backdrop of massive controversy surrounding the Citizens, with their sham contracts and 114 guilty financial charges, the atmosphere at Anfield will be electric.

The Reds are one of the clubs who were most hard-done by City's cheating, having lost out on several trophies during the investigated period, and notably in more recent history too.

Regardless of the punishment that befalls Manchester City, Sunday's fixture will (hopefully) be one for the history books.

Speaking of history books, let's take a look back at our top five matches between England's most successful football club and the blue side of Manchester.

5 - Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City (2013/14)

Let's start right in the backdrop of the time-frame in which City have been charged for cheating shall we?

We'll set the scene - Luis Suarez is having one of the best individual seasons in Premier League history, Steven Gerrard is reaching the twilight of his career and Brendan Rodgers is somehow still challenging for the title.

Raheem Sterling opened the scoring early on against his future employers, with a lovely finish that sent Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart the wrong way, then Martin Skrtel doubled the Reds' lead with a header from a corner.

City drew level after a goal from David Silva and an own-goal from Glen Johnson, both in the second-half.

The game was now on a knife-edge, but after Kompany's poor clearance fell to Philippe Coutinho on the edge of the box, he curled it in first time into the bottom corner, sending Anfield into pandemonium.

This truly felt like Liverpool's moment, where over 20 years of waiting were coming to an end.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, but after everything that followed with Jurgen Klopp and co, would you have changed how the season ended?

4 - Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City (2017/18)

If you could pinpoint the match where Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool had arrived, this might be the one.

City's dominance on the league had just begun. They had won the title twice by this point, but Pep Guardiola had just arrived and was about to take the league by storm.

Nevertheless, the Reds were relentless. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring in the ninth minute but then Leroy Sane levelled proceedings just before half-time.

What followed was heavy metal football personified. The Reds scored three times in nine minutes, with the legendary trio of Bobby Firmino (59'), Sadio Mané (61') and Mohamed Salah (68') getting one each.

This was not the end of it though, as City threatened to spoil the fun with two late goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, but the Reds held on for an iconic victory.

3 - Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool (2024/25)

Another moment during a memorable season for the Reds where you really thought, "this is our year".

The Reds rocked up to the Etihad Stadium with no recognised striker, with Arne Slot instead opting for a 4-2-2-2 system with Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones up top.

Slot outsmarted Guardiola in this fixture, and it's not often that City look classed or out of ideas, but here they truly did.

Salah continued his outstanding season with a lucky-ish finish from a corner routine before Szoboszlai put the game out of City's reach in the second half.

The Reds would go on to win the title in what was a very special season.

2- Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool (2018/19)

This one may be a little controversial from a Liverpool perspective, but from a footballing one, this game was a masterpiece.

The Liverpool - City rivalry was starting to peak at this time in history, with Guardiola and Klopp starting to come up against each other more and more often.

The Reds and City were locked in a battle for the title that would eventually be decided by one single point. City were victorious on 98, and Liverpool finished on 97.

Many look back to this result as the decider, with just 11mm separating the Reds from a potential league and Champions League double.

The Reds almost took the lead in the 18th minute after Mané poked the ball past Ederson which hit the post, but John Stones' clearance bounced off Ederson and almost crept over the line before the English defender hooked it clear.

Sergio Aguero opened the scoring five minutes before half-time. In the second-half, following a wonderful team move, the Reds equalised through a Firmino header from close range.

Sane was a frequent thorn in Liverpool's side during his time in Manchester, and in the 72nd minute was able to beat Alisson with an expertly placed finish.

The disappointment of missing out on the league was overshadowed by the Champions League victory in Madrid, but a double would have been even sweeter.

1 - Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City (2019/20)

Like a few years later in the 2024/25 season, this victory felt special, and was the first time Kopites were whispering that this was the year.

30 years of waiting felt like it was coming to an end, and this result was the first step into achieving that dream.

This game had everything. Guardiola headloss, great goals, and a Liverpool win. What more could you ask for?

Fabhino's rocket from outside the box opened the scoring in the sixth minute, not long after City were convinced they should have had a penalty.

Andy Robertson's pinpoint cross to Salah seven minutes later doubled Liverpool's lead, after he met the cross with his head to put the Reds in the driving seat.

Jordan Henderson's deep cross in the 51st minute was met by Mané, whose header was too strong for Claudio Bravo and tripled Liverpool's lead.

City saved face with a late goal from Silva but what a statement of intent from the Reds, who would go on to win the title with seven games to go.

There have been many classic meetings between these two clubs, and Sunday's fixture will be fuelled by past grudges and the reality the Reds have been cheated out of trophies.

What a game we are in for.

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