Liverpool players are not discussing the possibility of an unprecedented quadruple because the Premier League title race is out of their hands, says Andy Robertson. 

Manchester City retained their one-point advantage over Liverpool at the summit after the teams drew 2-2 in an enthralling encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. 

The Reds will take on City again on Saturday with a place in the FA Cup final on the line at Wembley, where Jurgen Klopp's side lifted the EFL Cup earlier this season. 

Liverpool could also meet Pep Guardiola's side in the Champions League semi-finals if they overcome Benfica and Atletico Madrid in their respective quarter-finals, the second legs of which take place on Wednesday. 

Mohamed Salah said prior to the City game that Liverpool wanted to win all four trophies, but Robertson insists there is no such talk between the players. 

"We literally just talk about the next game. As it comes. You can't look too far ahead, you think of the next game and that's Benfica then we move on from there. Definitely no chat like that in our changing room," said Robertson. 

He added: "We just need to keep winning games. We had to do it that year [2019] and we have to do it this year. We need to keep winning games. It's out of our hands [the Premier League]. If they win all their games then it is their league but if they do drop points we need to be ready to pounce. 

"The only way of doing that is by winning games. If we do that then let's see where we end up in May. The points tallies we've racked up in the last couple of years has been incredible but there can only be one winner, so we need to keep fighting and see what happens. 

"We are still fighting on all fronts, we still have a lot of games to play and if we win hopefully it ends with silverware." 

None of City's remaining Premier League games are against teams in the top five, while Liverpool still have tricky fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester United to navigate. 

"I think we have got a really tough run-in, all games are tough in the Premier League especially when you get to the end bit," said Robertson. 

"But we have some really tough games and we need to try to win them, we need to be at our best, we need to be better than we were [against City] and if we do that then let's see where we end up and hopefully we can win something." 

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will go down as two of the very best managers, with their rivalry hailed as "incredible" by Albert Riera.

Guardiola's Manchester City lead the way by a point in the Premier League after their draw with Klopp's Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

It was a repeat of the scoreline from the reverse fixture earlier this season, and is the first time since 2012-13 that they have shared two draws in one league campaign.

A topsy turvy match saw Diogo Jota hit back for Liverpool after Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring, with Sadio Mane cancelling out Gabriel Jesus' strike.

The teams will meet again in the FA Cup semi-finals and Riera, who played for both clubs, is fascinated by the rivalry and the skills of both managers.

"If I ask you what you consider playing well, one coach will answer one way and another in another way," Riera told Stats Perform. 

"One may say that if he wins, he plays well. Another will tell you to start from behind and reach the striker without the opponent touching the ball, but if you lose, that is not valid either. 

"This is the beauty of football, if there was a system that guarantees us to win, we would all play the same. 

"They are obviously two of the best and [two of] those who motivate you. I like to see how they work."

He added: "For the spectators and those of us who watch it from the outside, it's incredible to be able to see a game like this.

"I think we all know the way City play, wanting to defend with possession of the ball and even against an aggressive team like Liverpool who want to get the ball back, but this time it cost them, because City want it at all costs. 

"On the other hand, Liverpool's transitions are spectacular. You can't see many teams where the two full-backs reach the attack, that's something very difficult to see."

Riera also believes that, with City and Liverpool acting as the driving forces in recent seasons, the Premier League is the most intense competition in world football.

"At the rhythm level, the Premier League is unmatched with other leagues," Riera continued. "In England, the 90 or 95 minutes that the game lasts is [played] at full speed.

"Obviously Liverpool and Manchester City are at an impressive level, and it is difficult to see that Brentford or Burnley can beat them. But I have the memory that anyone can beat anyone [in the Premier League] because they are not afraid, and they go out on the field to attack.

"This is the most beautiful [league]."

Liverpool are now winless in five league matches against City (three draws, two defeats), but are bidding to reach a first FA Cup final since 2012 when they go head-to-head again on Saturday.

Gary Neville says there are no guarantees Erik ten Hag will want to take over as Manchester United boss with the club having descended into a "farce".

Ajax head coach Ten Hag is reportedly the man United want to take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season.

The Red Devils look set to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League next season, as they are seventh in the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to struggling at Everton on Saturday.

United have not won a trophy since 2017 and are in need of a rebuilding job.

Neville took aim at the players after their latest insipid display and although the former United defender is hopeful they will get their man, he would not be surprised if Ten Hag decides the Old Trafford hotseat is not for him.

He said on the Gary Neville Podcast: "I've got very few words left for Manchester United. No anger, no comment anymore. They are a bit of a farce; you almost expect it from them. The players are taking Ralf Rangnick down with them. They are bad.

"They've got to get to the end of the season as quickly as possible. The reality is that any kind of performance in the last week against Leicester and Everton and they would have been in top four, but they haven't got the spirit or the fight.

"When I look at Manchester City and Liverpool, they have humble football players; no over-inflated egos, they understand their position, the team comes first. There isn't one Manchester United player that would get into any of those two teams, so why would you have an over-inflated ego, think you didn't have to work hard, or be spiritless? I don't see anything anymore."

He added: "I've read in the Sunday papers that Erik ten Hag wants all of his demands met or else he won't come to the club. Imagine if they can't get Ten Hag over the line because of what's happening at the moment, and how bad a state the club are in.

"If you look at what Manchester United are doing to players, there isn't one who has grown. Look at what they did to Donny van de Beek. If you're Ten Hag, I think you're on the phone to Van de Beek. What's it like there, Donny? He's not saying anything good, is he?

"I suspect Ten Hag's demands aren't financial, they will be about control, recruitment, structure, youth. I suspect he wants to come in and make sure he's not exposed to what other managers have been exposed to in these last 10 years.

"That might be too much for Manchester United, and I suspect it may be difficult week or two for the club. I still think they will get it over the line, but the reports this morning were that Ten Hag was placing demands on the club that maybe go above and beyond. We shouldn't believe everything but, ordinarily, when things come out from credible sources we normally know.

"Ralf Rangnick came with an incredible reputation, but he's now starting to be wounded by what's happening around him and he looks weaker and vulnerable on the touchline due to the performances of players on the pitch, who have nothing to do with him."

Not a window goes by where Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's name does not emerge in transfer speculation.

The 27-year-old's contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season, but Juventus are keen to move on the long sought-after Lazio midfielder.

The Serbia international has only progressed under Maurizio Sarri, attracting reported interest from the Turn giants.

TOP STORY – JUVE RAMP UP CHASE FOR MILINKOVIC-SAVIC

Milinkovic-Savic's agent Mateja Kezman has commenced talks with Juventus over a possible transfer from Lazio, according to Calciomercato.

The Serbian midfielder has long been a weak area since their appearance in the Champions League final in 2015, and multiple coaches in that period have not been conducive for personnel.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito famously placed an initial €100million value on Milinkovic-Savic, but it has reportedly dropped to €70m. It is perceived that price tag is still too steep a figure for Juventus, as a consequence of compatriot Dusan Vlahovic's signing in January.

It is believed that Lazio would be open to players in return as part of a packaged deal.

ROUND-UP

- Manchester United and Arsenal have joined the race to sign Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, the Mirror reports.

- Erling Haaland has dismissed interest from Manchester United, believing they do not meet the Norwegian striker's ambitions, according to ESPN.

- Paris Saint-Germain are in talks to sign Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku, only a year after he joined the London club from Inter, per the Sun.

- Roma are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, Calciomercato is reporting.

- Spanish international Marco Asensio is expected to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, per Mundo Deportivo, with Milan and Tottenham interested.

Manchester City and Liverpool produced a pulsating top-of-the-table clash on another enthralling day of Premier League action on Sunday.

The top two played out a hugely entertaining 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium to ensure the title race remains delicately poised with seven games remaining, City's one-point lead intact for now.

Elsewhere, Brentford beat London rivals West Ham, while there were wins for Leicester City and Norwich City over Crystal Palace and Burnley respectively.

Stats Perform takes a look at some key Opta facts from the day's games.
 

Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool: Guardiola's men miss chance to pull clear of rivals

The hosts started at a breathless pace and went ahead early on thanks to Kevin De Bruyne's 11th Premier League goal of the season. The Belgium international has only once scored more in a single top-flight campaign (13 in 2019-20).

Diogo Jota pulled Liverpool level before Gabriel Jesus restored City's advantage, and both players maintained their records of never losing in a Premier League game when they have scored. Jota is unbeaten in 33 matches (W27 D6) and Jesus in 45 (W42 D3), with only James Milner (54 games) and Darius Vassell (46) scoring in more without losing in Premier League history.

Sadio Mane scored just 46 seconds into the second half to secure a point for the Reds. It was the first time they had scored in the opening minute of the second half in a league game since January 2019 (Mohamed Salah vs Crystal Palace) and the first time City had conceded in the 46th minute in a Premier League game since November 2004 vs Norwich City.

The result means Liverpool are now winless in their last five Premier League matches against City (D3 L2), their joint-longest run without a victory against them along with a five-game run between November 2011 and December 2013.

Brentford 2-0 West Ham: Hammers stung by Bees

This win means Brentford have recorded a league double over West Ham for only the second time, last doing so in 1953-54 when both sides were in the second tier.

Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring and the forward has now found the net in both Premier League games against West Ham this season. He is only the second Brentford player ever to score both home and away against the Hammers in the same league campaign, after Jack Holliday in 1933-34.

Ivan Toney added a second to take his tally to eight goals from 32 shots in the Premier League in 2022, after netting just four times from 36 attempts prior to the new year. Indeed, only Son Heung-min (nine) has scored more top-flight goals since the turn of the new year than the Brentford striker.

West Ham, meanwhile, have lost seven of their last 11 away Premier League games (W2 D2), which is one more away defeat than they suffered last season.

The Hammers have suffered three consecutive away defeats for the first time since a seven-game run between December 2019 and June 2020.

Leicester City 2-1 Crystal Palace: Foxes too strong for Vieira's men

Leicester remain unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Palace (W4 D2), having lost four on the bounce against the Eagles in the top-flight before this run.

Ademola Lookman got them on their way with his fifth league goal of the season, equalling his best tally in a domestic campaign for a side in Europe's big five leagues (also five in 2017-18 with RB Leipzig).

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then doubled their advantage with a superb strike after being teed up by James Maddison.

England international Maddison, who has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Leicester player this season (eight goals, five assists), became just the fourth player to register 20-plus goals and 20-plus assists for the Foxes in the Premier League, after Muzzy Izzet, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.

Patrick Vieira's Palace got one back through Wilfried Zaha, who has scored more Premier League goals against Leicester than he has versus any other side in the competition (seven), yet they were unable to find an equaliser.

Norwich City 2-0 Burnley: Canaries boost survival hopes

Norwich injected life into their Premier League survival bid with a comfortable win over fellow strugglers Burnley.

Pierre Lees-Melou opened the scoring with his first Premier League goal for the Canaries in his 26th appearance in the competition, becoming the first French player to score for the club in the English top flight.

Teemu Pukki made sure of the three points with his 20th Premier League goal, moving him ahead of Mark Robins (19) as the club's third top scorer in the competition after Chris Sutton (33) and Grant Holt (23).

The result meant Dean Smith's side have gone unbeaten home and away against a Premier League opponent for just the second time this season (D1 W1).

Burnley, meanwhile, are winless in their last four Premier League games against teams starting the day bottom of the table (D1 L3).

Jurgen Klopp says he was not celebrating Liverpool's 1-1 draw against Manchester City at full-time but instead "looking for my missus" among the travelling supporters.

Liverpool twice hit back through goals from Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane in Sunday's contest at the Etihad Stadium after Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus had scored for City.

The draw keeps the Reds, who had won their previous 10 matches in the Premier League, one point behind leaders City with seven games to go.

While Liverpool produced a battling display to come away with a point, they were perhaps fortunate as City had a goal ruled out and Riyad Mahrez twice went close late on.

Klopp went over to the away fans, who were kept behind for a while after full-time, and gave a mini fist-pump celebration as his name was chanted.

However, the German coach later explained he was not cheering the result – which leaves City's title fate in their own hands – but instead thanking the travelling hoards.

"I was looking for my missus to be honest, she was in there somewhere," he said at his post-match news conference. 

"No, come on, it's not about celebrating something. It's just about showing appreciation for something, to say thank you and go there [to the fans]. The support was incredible.

"We could calm down the City ground slightly with the football we played in moments, but there were other moments when they were really on their toes, so I liked this game."

Asked if he found his wife among the fans, Klopp replied: "No, but she was there, so it is all fine."

Klopp and opposite number Pep Guardiola exchanged words on the touchline towards the end of the game before embracing at full-time after a classic encounter.

"I forgot what we were talking about. It was not a proper hug, it was more a slap on the back," he said when asked about the incident.

"There was no argument or anything; I just forgot what it was about."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne for adding goals to his playmaking ability after notching another strike against Liverpool on Sunday.

De Bruyne netted after just five minutes in the crunch Premier League title clash, his sixth goal in as many games, while he found the net in four straight matches in all competitions for the first time for City.

Diogo Jota soon cancelled out that opener, as did Sadio Mane early in the second half after Gabriel Jesus had restored City's lead, leaving Guardiola's side still a point clear of fellow title contenders Liverpool.

The Catalan coach acknowledged that City cannot afford to lose any of their remaining seven league games and heaped praise on De Bruyne, who has 11 goals and three assists in the league this term.

"He has been in this level for many years – when we won the Premier League with 100 points that Kevin was incredible," Guardiola told reporters at his post-match news conference.

"He struggled the first part of this season with injuries a lot, with the national team and he needed time. But now he is strong, he is back and he is creating chances.

"I like it a lot. He is not just a player to make assists – now he scores a lot of goals. I've said to him many times, 'I know you enjoy making a lot of assists, for you and your team-mates, but you have to score goals to reach another stage'.

"Now he is doing that, a lot of goals and chances. The position today he played was so difficult against Liverpool because they are so tight and so narrow; there are no gaps or space.

"But he can run, he finds space, and his vision in the final third is magical."

Guardiola will hope De Bruyne can keep delivering when City head to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday, which they lead 1-0, before an FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool three days later.

Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City missed the chance to claim victory when on top against Liverpool and insisted his side must win all their remaining Premier League games otherwise the title race will be over.

Liverpool were as far as 14 points behind in mid-January, but a 10-game winning run in the league slashed City's lead to just one point to set up what was billed as the title decider at the Etihad Stadium.

Kevin De Bruyne struck after just five minutes with his sixth goal in as many games on Sunday, before Diogo Jota soon restored parity in a thrilling end-to-end affair.

Gabriel Jesus then found the net against Liverpool for a fifth time in all competitions, only scoring more for City against Everton (eight), to send Jurgen Klopp's side in at half-time trailing in the league for the first time this season.

Sadio Mane immediately levelled after the interval to keep the title race alive and Guardiola called on City to win their remaining seven games to win the league.

"Both teams wanted to try to win, we did everything we could but unfortunately we could not win," he told Sky Sports.

"I had the feeling we handed them a life, but listen Liverpool is a joy to watch and the threats they have in attack, how good they are, so no doubts about how difficult they are.

"But I think we performed really, really well, I'm so incredibly proud of my team. Now, both teams know with seven games left we have to win all of them, otherwise it will be over.

"In Anfield, we played an incredible first half and it was the same result, I had the feeling we missed an opportunity to get three points but it doesn't matter what happened this game, this was never going to be over.

"I would say the same with defeat, or victory, this was massive game to take advantage of, but we know what we have to do.

"Go to [Atletico] Madrid [in the Champions League quarter-final return leg], then FA Cup [semi-final against Liverpool] then back to the Premier League and win as many as possible.

"Seven games in the Premier League is a lot to play, it will be tough, I don't know whether we are going to win the title at the end of the season but to be in the game, like we played today, it makes me admire a lot to perform that way."

Guardiola also hailed the work of Jesus, who has scored four times against Klopp's Liverpool in the Premier League, as he explained his match-by-match plan for each specific opponent.

"Gabriel Jesus deserves to play a lot, he is a fantastic person but all of them, [Ilkay] Gundogan, Ruben [Dias] they all have quality but we thought we could find spaces with the players we put out for the way they pressed today," he added.

"Maybe next Saturday [in the FA Cup semi-final] from what we saw, maybe we change something. I put out a specially specific line-up for the demands of the team we are going to play, not because of who I prefer."

Klopp and Guardiola are familiar foes, given their time spent managing Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Germany, and the Spaniard expressed his admiration for his opposite number.

"Listen, I don't know if Jurgen respects me but I respect him a lot, he has made me a better manager with his sides in Germany with Bayern and Dortmund, and then here," he added.

"His teams are always positive and want to attack, I try to imitate him in that sense. We are not friends, we don't have dinner together, I don't call him but I have a lot of respect for him, but he knows next Saturday I'm going to try and beat him."

Captain Jordan Henderson was delighted with Liverpool's character after they twice came from behind in an absorbing 2-2 draw with Premier League title rivals Manchester City.

The England midfielder was nevertheless disappointed with the Reds' defending as an absorbing draw kept Jurgen Klopp's team one point behind City at the summit, with seven rounds of games remaining.

Liverpool are now winless in their last five Premier League matches against City (three draws, two losses), their joint-longest run without a victory against them along with a five-game run between November 2011 and December 2013.

However, Henderson was keen to stress the importance of remaining in touch with Guardiola's men after Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane cancelled out goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus.

"It was an intense game, which we knew it would be," Henderson said. "We knew it would be tough coming here, they're a fantastic team, but we wanted to come here and give everything to try and get the win.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't do that, but at the same time, we didn't lose the game. Of course, we wanted to do better, but it's not the end of the world, we're still in the race. [There are] positives and negatives."

Liverpool were second-best for much of the first half at the Etihad Stadium, twice going behind and seeing the likes of Raheem Sterling and De Bruyne miss chances to extend City's lead.

However, the Reds skipper commended the response to going behind, with Mane's goal levelling the game at 2-2 just 46 seconds after the break.

"I think we started okay, but we were a bit hectic at times, trying to clear it rather than getting it down and trying to play, and we gave them one or two chances early on," Henderson told Sky Sports.

"We knew we were going to come under pressure early on. They're a fantastic team, and we knew they'd come out fast.

"After they scored we settled down, started playing more, and that caused them one or two problems, and we ended up getting the goal from that.

"That was pleasing, how we've come twice from behind. It takes a lot of character to do that here, but we wanted to do better with the [City] goals."

Mane's goal marked the first time Liverpool had scored in the opening minute of the second half in a Premier League game since January 2019 (Mohamed Salah against Crystal Palace), and the first time City have conceded a league goal in the 46th minute since doing so to Norwich City's Damien Francis in November 2004.

After the two teams drew by the same scoreline at Anfield earlier in the campaign, City and Liverpool have drawn both of their Premier League meetings for the first time since doing so in the 2012-13 season, but Henderson refused to be drawn on whether the result helped City more than the Reds.

"We'll have to wait and see [if the draw was better for City], I suppose," he added.

"They don't drop many points, we know that, but for us, we've got to concentrate on ourselves, win as many games as possible, and if they do slip up we've got to be there right behind them.

"It's not the end of the world, we'll stay positive and keep going until the end."

Jamie Carragher hailed Liverpool’s "mentality" after they twice fought back to seal a 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday.

The Reds remain just a point behind Pep Guardiola's side with seven games remaining after Sadio Mane's goal early in the second half.

Diogo Jota had earlier cancelled out Kevin de Bruyne's deflected opener, before Gabriel Jesus restored City's advantage.

Mane's fine strike meant City had scored the first goal and not gone on to win in the Premier League this season for the first time this season, the reigning champions having done so in all 22 games when scoring first prior to the visit of Jurgen Klopp's men.

Carragher, who made 737 appearances for Liverpool between 1996 and 2013, was impressed with his former's side ability to dig in for a draw after being blown away by City in the first half.

"From Liverpool's point of view, the mentality to come out in the second half and turn it around after that first-half display was impressive," he said on Sky Sports.

"It looked like they didn't have any energy in the first half, but their mindset changed. I don't think they did anything particularly different. They still played a high line.

"Considering how good City were in the first half, to then come out and give that performance and match them – maybe be even better than them for the first 30 minutes in the second half – was so impressive."

The result meant Liverpool are now winless in five Premier League matches against City (D3 L2), which is their joint-longest run without a victory against them along with a five-game run between November 2011 and December 2013.

Despite that, former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane said Klopp's men deserve plenty of credit for their performance. 

"We saw today the different qualities, City outstanding first half and Liverpool showed their quality second half," he said. "All the talk was it would not be decided today [the title] but they played like it was going to be. It was like a final. I think a draw was a fair result.

"What impressed me with all these top-quality players was their desire to keep going for their win at the end. No team was going to dominate for long spells as there is so much quality on both sides.

"Liverpool showed their character in the second half. But then City had great chances as well. A great reminder to us all of what this game is about."

It was billed as the title decider of all title deciders, a clash of titans to determine who would go on to win the Premier League, and yet at the end of 90 breathtaking minutes it remains as you were.

Manchester City, for all their attacking intent and brave play, could not find a killer knockout punch against Liverpool and so it will all come down to the final seven games and who can hold their nerve.

The Citizens have the advantage given they retain a one-point lead, but Pep Guardiola will feel his team deserved more, and Jurgen Klopp can still dream of a quadruple after what he described as a "wild" game.

As it turns out, fortune does not always necessarily favour the brave – though credit must also go to Liverpool for themselves contributing to another Premier League classic between these heavyweights.

It became clear an hour before kick-off that Guardiola would be true to his word: City had no intention of playing for a point in the biggest game of a thrilling campaign that had seen the chasers close the gap on the leaders from 14 points to just one heading into this showdown.

With Gabriel Jesus recalled for his first league start since New Year's Day in an attack that also included Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, City were out for blood against a Liverpool side on a 10-game winning run in the competition.

For a manager now famed for over-thinking his team selection, this was a masterstroke from Guardiola. De Bruyne and Jesus were on the scoresheet, the latter ending a run of 37 shots without scoring in the competition, while Sterling had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR.

But the reward at the end of it all was only a point as Liverpool, who went with the line-up many had been expecting, twice hit back to ensure this enthralling title race has another chapter of drama still to come.

Five minutes was all it took for City's attacking approach to pay off. Moments after Sterling was denied by Alisson from close range, De Bruyne's long-range strike – via a telling deflection off Joel Matip – went in off the post to give the reigning champions lift-off.

That was the 10th goal City have scored in the opening 10 minutes of Premier League games this season, each of the last four netted by De Bruyne in the fifth minute – a remarkable quirk. The outcome when City have taken the lead, regardless of the minute, had always been the same: won 22, drawn none, lost none.

The title race was over, on that basis. Except of course it wasn't.

Diogo Jota's leveller eight minutes later, following brilliant interplay between full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, had Liverpool back on level terms in a match that lived up to its pre-match billing. Did you really expect anything else?

If the previous omens had been stacked in City's favour, now Liverpool had something similar to cling to given Jota had not lost in any of the previous 32 Premier League games in which he had scored. Make that 33 on a day when Klopp's own selection calls were justified by the final result.

Jota's record was under threat when City continued to probe with more intent than their rivals and regained the lead through Jesus, who got on the end of Joao Cancelo's pass in behind Alexander-Arnold and finished past Alisson.

Trailing in a Premier League game at half-time for the first time in exactly a year, when coming back to beat Aston Villa, Liverpool needed just 46 seconds of the second half to level through a Sadio Mane goal assisted by Mohamed Salah – the Egypt international's 159th Premier League goal involvement for the Reds, a tally only Steven Gerrard (212) can better.

It was the first time City had conceded in the first minute of the second half in a league game since November 2004 against Norwich City, though once again their response did not take long to arrive, albeit with Sterling's finish against his former club rightly ruled out for offside.

That attacking intent remained clear to see when Riyad Mahrez replaced Sterling, rather than a more cautious option being introduced, and the Algeria international twice went close to winning the game when clipping the post from a free-kick and chipping over both Alisson and the crossbar when through on goal from the final act of the game.

And so for all the to-ing and fro-ing, 2-2, and one point the gap between the sides, is how it remained come a full-time whistle that no neutral was ready to hear. A second meeting between these sides this season, a second four-goal thriller, and still there is next to nothing to separate perhaps the two greatest sides in world football.

It sets up a tense and intriguing final six weeks of the season and, the best of all, we get to do it all over again when the sides face off in an FA Cup semi-final next Saturday.

Unlike on this blockbuster day of Premier League football, there has to be a winner at Wembley.

Kevin De Bruyne believes Manchester City had the upper hand in their 2-2 draw with Liverpool as he called on his side to produce similar performances with seven Premier League games left to play.

City needed just five minutes to edge ahead when De Bruyne, via a deflection from Joel Matip and the right post, cannoned in his sixth goal in as many games before Diogo Jota equalised.

Gabriel Jesus restored the lead in the first half for Pep Guardiola's side with his fifth goal in all competitions against Liverpool, only scoring more for City against Everton (eight).

That was the first time Liverpool had trailed at half-time in the league all season, but Sadio Mane levelled immediately after the break at the Etihad Stadium to keep the title race alive.

City remain a point clear of Jurgen Klopp's side and, with a return leg in their Champions League quarter-final with Atletico Madrid and an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, De Bruyne urged his team to play as well as they did on Sunday.

"It was hard. I think we played excellent. I know we conceded two goals but the way we played today was very good; we should have scored more but it is what it is and we keep going," the Belgium star told Sky Sports.

"I think we should [have won]. Obviously the way the second half started that is the disappointment but we know in a couple of chances that Liverpool can score.

"We created enough chances to win the game but it didn't happen.

"I think it demonstrated how close it is between the two teams, but we played really well and had the upper hand even if we didn't win – that can happen. This is the way we need to play and approach the other games."

As for whether the clash at the Etihad Stadium would decide the destination of the title, De Bruyne suggested City had not secured the advantage by earning the draw.

"No, I think it is similar. I know a lot of people spoke saying whoever wins the game wins the title, but I don't think either team would think that way – it's way too hard," he responded when asked if the result was decisive.

"The schedule is way too hard for both teams to win all the games, so we're going to try, but I think the way we showed today was the way we need to move forward."

Substitute Riyad Mahrez could have snatched victory in the closing stages but wastefully chipped over, though De Bruyne holds no grudges.

"It's a clear chance, obviously. Riyad chose to chip the goalkeeper and if it goes in it's a wonder goal, but it didn't go in today, so that's it," he said.

Sadio Mane kept Liverpool in the Premier League title hunt with a priceless second-half equaliser in a gripping 2-2 draw with leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp's side sat 14 points behind City in January, but a 10-game winning run cut the gap to just one point to set up what many billed as a title decider at the Etihad Stadium.

Diogo Jota cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener in an enthralling start, and Mane followed suit swiftly after the interval following Gabriel Jesus' 36th-minute strike.

Neither side could find a winner, with Raheem Sterling seeing a goal disallowed, as Pep Guardiola's side kept their slender lead intact with seven games left to play.

Sterling squandered a glorious chance after five minutes as he was denied by the onrushing Alisson following a square Jesus pass, but City were ahead just seconds later.

De Bruyne profited from a quick Bernardo Silva free-kick before arrowing a left-footed effort home, the ball going in off the right post following a fortuitous deflection off Joel Matip.

Liverpool responded within eight minutes, with Andy Robertson finding Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played the ball back from the far post for Jota to squeeze a low strike under Ederson.

De Bruyne whipped narrowly wide in search of his second before Jesus latched onto a Joao Cancelo cross and coolly finished via the underside of the crossbar.

Mane levelled up within a minute of the second half getting under way, racing onto Mohamed Salah's throughball to slot powerfully past Ederson, who thwarted Jota's prodded effort shortly after.

Sterling thought he had nudged the hosts ahead again, but a VAR check showed the forward was offside when De Bruyne passed the ball, while Salah curled just off target at the other end.

Substitute Riyad Mahrez provided a late scare for the visitors as he clipped the post with a free-kick, and then chipped over after a sublime De Bruyne pass, but there would be no decisive goal.

Mohamed Salah has moved above Robbie Fowler into second place for the most goal involvements by a Liverpool player in the Premier League.

The 29-year-old assisted Sadio Mane's goal early in the second half of Sunday's crunch meeting with Manchester City to make it 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

That was Salah's 159th goal contribution for the Reds in the competition, moving him in front of Fowler (158 goal involvements) and behind only Steven Gerrard (212) on the list of combined goals and assists among Liverpool players.

Michael Owen (148) and Roberto Firmino (116) make up the rest of the top five, with this the 30th season of the Premier League era.

Salah came into the game at City with 115 goals and the assist took him to 44 in 174 games, which compares to 128 goals and 30 assists for Fowler in 266 games.

With his contribution to the equaliser, Salah moved to 20 goals and 11 assists in this season's Premier League – eight more goal contributions than next-best Son Heung-min of Tottenham.

Salah's most prolific campaign to date came in 2017-18 when scoring 32 times and setting up 10 goals, with that tally of 42 goal involvements the fifth-most ever in a Premier League season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool's assists king – and he emphasised his creative threat when setting up Diogo Jota for an early equaliser at Manchester City on Sunday.

The attacking right-back played Andy Robertson's cross back to striker Jota, who beat Ederson to cancel out Kevin De Bruyne's deflected fifth-minute strike.

The 13th-minute leveller meant Alexander-Arnold has now had an assist for a Liverpool goal against all 19 of their current Premier League rivals.

He is the only player to have completed a full set of assists against the current group of teams in the English top flight, Opta said.

It was his 12th assist of the Premier League season, which is a league high, and meant he was one short of matching his best tally in the competition (13 in 2019-20).

City restored their lead by half-time, with Gabriel Jesus putting the home side 2-1 in front at the Etihad Stadium.