Call it the lull after the storms, perhaps. Liverpool and Manchester City shared 18 goals in four epic encounters last season. After the eventful came the empty as they shared the points in a stalemate that, apart from one minute, was largely devoid of incident.
That minute first offered and then cost City a first win at Anfield since 2003; it was a passage of play to forget for both clubs’ record signings. First, the previously imperious Virgil van Dijk made a rash challenge on Leroy Sane. “It was not smart to dive in there,” the Dutchman admitted.
Then Riyad Mahrez stepped up and skied a dreadful penalty. The substituted Sergio Aguero is the regular taker. Gabriel Jesus had wanted the responsibility. “I apologise,” said Pep Guardiola, who nominated the wrong man.
And so two unbeaten league starts remain intact, though it said something that the two most compelling attacking units in England failed to register a shot on target in the opening hour. Nor were goalkeepers Alisson and Ederson unduly troubled by the subsequent efforts, including Mahrez’s misdirected spot kick.
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“He is deflated and feels he has let us down,” said City defender John Stones. Yet amid a general lack of incision, the Algerian was the lone City player to threaten a goal. He angled an effort narrowly wide when found by David Silva and drew a near-post save following fine work by Bernardo Silva while City were frustrated with a couple of earlier appeals for spot kicks. “Maybe we need two penalties to score one goal,” added Guardiola.
Nevertheless, they made a lesser kind of history, with a first clean sheet at a bogey ground since 1986. “It is better than last season,” Guardiola said. If his side were scarred by Anfield eviscerations, they constructed a response. They slowed the game down and took the sting out of it.
“If you play so quick they are much better than us,” Guardiola said. “If it is an open game at Anfield, you don’t even have one per cent of a chance.”
City’s proficiency at passing meant possession served as a defensive tactic. They succeeded in quietening Anfield. The chant of “where’s your famous atmosphere?” can be increasingly tiresome. On this occasion, it was appropriate.
Guardiola was more cautious than usual. Kyle Walker barely crossed the half-way line. The excellent Bernardo Silva operated deeper than usual, displaying discipline and intelligence to ensure Fernandinho was not isolated when Liverpool broke.
Perhaps both sides were too worried about being counter-attacked. “We cancelled each other out,” Van Dijk said. Liverpool were comparatively conservative, shorn of dynamism and dynamite alike.
Jurgen Klopp’s decision to recall Dejan Lovren, which could have backfired when he seemed to foul Aguero in the penalty area, was justified when the Croatian made a potentially goal-saving tackle on Jesus.
The Croatian was not the only centre-back to excel. At the other end, Aymeric Laporte made a couple of fine challenges on Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian was the personification of Liverpool’s ability to terrorise City last season but, with his usual victim Nicolas Otamendi benched, Laporte proved a more formidable opponent. Liverpool’s feared front three were muted.
“A lot of credit for Kyle for containing [Sadio] Mane and [Benjamin] Mendy for controlling Salah,” Guardiola added. It is not the type of control his sides are most famed for exerting, but it was an antidote to last season’s anarchy.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.
6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.
6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Teaching in coronavirus times
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):
Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points