Liverpool, Man City tie in cautious matchup

And City could have secured victory after being awarded an 86th minute penalty when substitute Leroy Sane was brought down in the box.

City, meanwhile, adjusted shape, the usual 4-3-3 becoming 4-4-2 with David Silva operating as a second striker behind Sergio Aguero.

The 27-year-old has admitted that City's clash with Liverpool on Sunday will be the Citizens most hard challenge on the road this season. All of Liverpool's starting front six had been involved in both the defeat away to Napoli on Wednesday and the draw at Chelsea last Saturday, and it may be they were suffering a touch of fatigue after three such tough games in a week.

"It is a very intense, unbelievable challenge to face Manchester City always - I've said that before - and as the last game of an hard period, it makes the challenge even bigger, so I am really happy with what the boys did", Klopp said. What few chances there were fell largely City's way. The Champions League exit to the Reds in April was one of the rare occasions when the City boss has chosen to try to tame the opposition, rather than steamroller them using his own attacking principles. "I am really happy with what the boys did". Don't lose the ball in the wrong moment, otherwise you have big problems. And while Guardiola, diplomatically, name checked the division's other leading sides, he did concede that he expected Jurgen Klopp's team to be prime contenders in this season.

The extent to which that was City's doing and to which it was down to Liverpool being a little off-colour is hard to say.

Atkinson gave himself thinking time and Aguero's reaction - getting up straight away - also indicated the fact it was not a foul. Against City, if you don't defend half spaces they are constantly between your midfield and your last line, you have to constantly jump from your last line, which you don't want to do that often.

Yet there was a sense of what could have been for Guardiola, as City had two clear penalty kick shouts in each half (other than the one Mahrez skied). Salah remains an excellent player and will score goals in the future. That is why I have so much credit for what we have done.

"I would not like to speak about the referees, about the decisions", Guardiola said when asked by Pro Soccer Talk.

'Last season we lost here, and this season we drew, maybe next season we will win'.