Anfield hasn’t been a particularly happy hunting ground for City in recent times, so this game was fraught with danger in a faltering title quest.
However, the visitors ought to have taken an early lead when Bernardo Silva threaded the usually reliable Erling Haaland through on goal, but Alisson was equal to his poked effort before Milos Kerkez managed to smuggle the loose ball to safety.
An even bigger chance presented itself to Omar Marmoush, who bore down on Alisson unopposed, only for the Egyptian to incredibly fire wide of goal, with the offside flag sparing his blushes.
Liverpool’s offerings were few and far between in the first half as City had them firmly penned in their own half. It was Mohamed Salah who manufactured the hosts’ first meaningful effort on goal when his strike deflected off Marc Guehi and dropped narrowly wide of the post.
The Reds went into HT feeling a little aggrieved, though, as Salah looked to have his shoulder tugged in the area by Silva, but neither referee Craig Pawson nor VAR saw anything doing, much to the dismay of the majority inside Anfield.
Heads were in hands once more after the break when the game’s first gilt-edged chance came and went as Salah clipped a delightful ball into the area for the unmarked Hugo Ekitike, who remarkably turned a header wide from six yards.
Chances continued to come and go for Arne Slot’s men, with Florian Wirtz the latest to squander a glorious opening, failing to finish off a sweeping move that saw his effort heroically blocked by Guéhi.
City’s new signing was always likely to be the centre of attention, given how close he came to signing for Liverpool in the summer, and he was at the heart of a contentious moment that saw him bring down Salah outside the area and narrowly avoid a red card VAR check.
This game was always likely to be settled by one huge moment, and Dominik Szoboszlai provided it when his 74th-minute free-kick from all of 35 yards crashed in off the post to lift the Anfield roof off.
Undeterred though, City hit back six minutes from time through Silva, who prodded home following Haaland’s knockdown to set up a grandstand finish.
And that served as a launchpad for a fairytale ending for City, as after Alisson felled Matheus Nunes in the area, Haaland stroked home the resulting penalty.
Donnarumma was alert to produce a pivotal late save before Rayan Cherki struck goalwards from the halfway line that trickled into the net. However, a VAR check found Haaland to have fouled Szoboszlai just as the ball went in, so the goal was ruled and the Hungarian was sent off for pulling the Norwegian back seconds earlier.
Ultimately, that comical incident was never going to prevent City from securing only their third win from their last 39 visits to Anfield, keeping the title race firmly alive.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marc Guehi (Manchester City)
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