Full-time: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! It’s all over and Liverpool take the points after a much-hyped game that was a seriously damp squib on a night renowned for fireworks. That injury time smoke bomb aside, this was anything but incendiary, but Liverpool won’t mind - Geo Wijnaldum’s early goal has moved them back to within six points of Chelsea and further damaged City’s chances of winning the title. That’s all from me in 2016 - have a very happy new year ... or at the very least try to have a less miserable one than the horror-show that was 2016.
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90+5 min: Liverpool win a corner and try to keep the ball in the corner and eventually get a goal-kick. At the far end of the pitch, somebody from the City end throws a smoke cannister on the pitch and a steward waits for it to go out before removing it from the field.
90+4 min: Nicolas Otamendi gets booked for handball while tussling for the ball with Origi.
90+2 min: Good defending from Georginio Wijnaldum, who’s bullet header after eight minutes remains the only goal of the game. He denies Kevin De Bruyne as the City midfielder, who’s had a terrible game, tries to go a rampaging through the Liverpool penalty area.
90 min: Four minutes of added time is the shout from the fourth official, who hoists his board and prompts plenty of jeering around Anfield.
88 min: David Silva is barged on the edge of the Liverpool penbalty area, but no free-kick is forthcoming. Manchester City substitution: Kelechi Iheanacho on for Yaya Toure. Liverpool substitution: Lucas on for Sadio Mane. Rumours linking Lucas with a January move to Inter mean this could be the Brazilian’s final appearance for Liverpool.
87 min: Can loses the ball and Navas replaces Firmino, with his head almost certainly bursting with the many orders he was given before coming on. He and Sterling are playing as wing-backs in Zabaleta’s absence.
85 min: Liverpool try to Arsenal their way through the City defensive ranks with a series of tippy-tappy passes, before Emre Can decides instead to try and hold the ball up in the corner. He’ll do well to keep it there for five or six minutes.
84 min: Having received five or six minutes’ worth of instruction from Pep Guardiola on the touchline, Jesus Navas is finally ready to come on for Pablo Zabaleta. City are just waiting for a break in play.
83 min: Milner’s flat delivery is flicked on by Mane, towards Dejan Lovren. City clear before he can control the ball or bring it down.
82 min: Plenty of huff and puff from both teams in the middle third, but neither is able to find the killer pass that might help carve out an opening. Liverpool win a corner, which Milner is no rush to take.
79 min: Manchester City win another corner after good work around the edge of the area from Sterling, Silva and De Bruyne. The Belgian sends the ball high into the area, where Firmino heads the ball back towards his own goal before it’s whacked down the park.
78 min: Can mis-kicks a clearance, prompting Lallana to hoof the ball up the pitch.
77 min: Raheem Sterling sends a cross into the Liverpool penalty area from the left, but Ragnar Klavan hacks clear.
75 min: Craig Pawson books Emre Can for a foul on Raheem Sterling as both teams continue to give the ball away repeatedly. Divock Origi just blew a great chance to put Sadio Mane through on goal with a woeful “through”-ball that went straight to the feet of a defender. This may have been billed as a potential classic, but it certainly hasn’t been one.
73 min: Firmino tries to play James Milner in on the overlap, but Yaya Toure puts a stop to his gallop.
72 min: Claudio Bravo clears for City under pressure from Sadio Mane.
71 min: Manchester City win a corner and Milner hacks the inswinger clear at the second time of asking.
70 min: Origi wins a corner for Liverpool off John Stones. James Milner sends the ball into the penalty area, where Fernandinho - or was it John Stones? - clears. It’s difficult to tell as the pair look so alike.
67 min: Raheem Sterling cuts inside from the right flank, jinking past Lallana before failing to get past James Milner. Liverpool certainly seem to think Sterling failed to keep the ball in play and let it be known in the strongest possible terms that their side should have had a throw-in.
66 min: With Henderson gone, Adam Lallana has dropped back into Liverpool’s midfield three, with Origi having taken up position on the right side of the front three.
65 min: Manchester City win a free-kick outside the Liverpool penalty area, well right of centre. It’s played short, they lose the ball and Liverpool set off on the counter-attack that breaks down when Sadio Mane plays a poor pass to Firmino.
63 min: In his technical area, Pep Guardiola is giving a masterclass in largely incomprehensible gesticulation that suggests he might have a future on Strictly Come Dancing if the football doesn’t work out for him. In the other technical area, Jurgen Klopp attempts to whip up some enthusiasm from the home crowd. Liverpool substitution: Jordan Henderson off with some sort of knock, Divock Origi on.
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62 min: Poor play from both teams as they repeatedly give the ball away top opposition players as if it’s a live grenade.
59 min: Somebody seems to have flicked a switch for City, who have improved immeasurably in the past few minutes. They win a corner, which is sent towards Kolarov on the edge of the penalty area. He leathers it on the fly with his left foot, but his shot takes a deflection and Mignolet gathers comfortably.
57 min: Yaya Toure picks out Raheem Sterling with a wonderful pass from deep. Darting down the inside right channel, the winger stretches every sinew in a bid to hook the ball across the penalty area, but his diminutive stature means he finds the side-netting from a very tight angle.
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56 min: More signs of life from City, as David Silva picks up the ball, cuts in from the right and tries to curl a shot inside the far upright. It fizzes narrowly wide, but not by much. Good effort.
55 min: City get the ball forward again and the boos reveal Raheem Sterling to be in possession on the right flank. James Milner gets across to relieve him of possession.
54 min: Sergio Aguero finally gets a shot on goal, but his effort from distance doesn’t trouble Simon Mignolet. That’s City’s first shot on target.
52 min: City are struggling badly to get the ball out of their own half, while Kevin De Bruyne is loitering way behind the play waiting for Liverpool to lose possession so he can be in a decent position when City attack on the break. It ain’t happening for him at the moment, so he might be advised to get nearer the action and seek out the ball.
51 min: Liverpool continue to dominate possession, but aren’t doing a great deal with it. They win another throw-in deep in City territory, but nothing comes of it.
49 min: Liverpool win a throw-in deep in City territory after Toure puts the ball out while intercepting a Wijnaldum pass to Lallana. No sign of any improvement from City in these early stages of the second half.
48 min: There’s a little bit of handbags between Pablo Zabaleta and Adam Lallana, with the former appearing very agitated indeed over some perceived slight. The ref has a word with both and peace resumes.
47 min: Unmarked in the City penalty area, Nathaniel Clyne is unable to control a dropping ball properly and fails to get a shot off in a wonderful position. He was left completely unattended by Kevin De Bruyne.
46 min: No changes in personnel on either side, but Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva have swapped positions in the City ranks. Silva is in behind Aguero, with De Bruyne moving out to the left.
Second half: Liverpool 1-0 Man City
46 min: Liverpool get the ball rolling, playing into the Kop in the second half of their final game of 2016. It’s gone well for them so far against a strangely subdued Manchester City, who will need to up their game considerably if they’re to turn things around.
Half-time: Liverpool 1-0 Man City
45+1 min: Referee Craig Pawson signals for the break after one minute of added time and Liverpool go in a Georginio Wijnaldum goal to the good. It’s been anything but a classic, but Manchester City have themselves to blame for that. Since conceding an early goal, they’ve been contained easily by Liverpool and have failed to register a single shot on target. Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva and Aguero have all ben starved off possession in a first half dominated throughout by the hosts.
45 min: Kevin De Bruyne pounces on a sloppy pass and has a shot deflected wide for a corner. Nothing comes of it.
44 min: Yaya Toure loses possession in the centre-circle and Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana break towards the City goal. Firmino releases Lallana into space with only Bravo to beat, but the Liverpool man is flagged for offside. Firmino needed to be a little quicker there.
42 min: Kevin De Bruyne gets on the ball and charges forward making ground before unleashing a shot from the edge of the box. His effort is scuffed but takes a deflection and almost falls into the path of Sergio Aguero before rolling out for a corner.
40 min: Nicolas Otamendi plays the ball forward to Silva in a pocket of space in the Liverpool right-back area. He’s immediately harried by Nathaniel Clyne and passes the ball out of play.
39 min: Sterling and Silva finally exchange passes around the edge of the Liverpool penalty area and the Spaniard tees up Kolarov for a shot. He doesn’t make proper contact and sends his effort wide.
38 min: Sterling receives the ball on the edge of the final third but is immediately harried and prods the ball out of play for a Liverpool throw-in. I’m not sure what Pep Guardiola is going to do here, but he needs to start thinking about a spot of tinkering.
37 min: Sterling plays the ball into the Liverpool penalty area for Fernandinho to chase, but Ragnar Klavan is on hand to tussle for the ball.
35 min: Raheem Sterling gets on the ball near the halfway line, but is forced back and once again the ball finds its way back to Bravo. He plays it short to Otamendi, who is immediately put under pressure and wellies the ball long and out of play. City are really poor this evening, but only their hod-carriers and water-carriers are getting any time to settle on the ball and they keep giving it away.
33 min: Manchester City win a free-kick on the halfway line and three passes later, the ball finds its way back to Claudio Bravo. Impressive pressing by Liverpool, who are resolute in their efforts to ensure City’s better players don’t get a sniff of the ball. City, it should be noted, are doing themselves few favours as they continue to lose possession.
32 min: Kolarov is penalised for a foul on Sadio Mane not too long after Simon Mignolet had a bit of a wobble while trying to control a ball whose flight he’d misjudged.
31 min: Sergio Aguero veers offside for the third or fourth time as he chases another long ball over the top from Otamendi that took a deflection en route.
28 min: James Milner picks out Roberto Firmino with a wonderful arcing pass from deep, but the Brazilian’s first touch is dire and ruins an otherwise excellent scoring opportunity. If he’d brought that ball down properly, he’d have been alone in front of goal with only Bravo to beat.
27 min: Kolorov and Nicolas Otamendi are being given as much time as they like on the ball along with space to run into in their own half, and it’s not difficult to see why. Their attempts to pick out Manchester City’s more creative players with raking passes are being sprayed everywhere but in the direction of their intended targets.
26 min: Wijnaldum tries his luck with a long range effort after good build-up play from Roberto Firmino and Mane. His effort sails high over the crossbar.
23 min: With just over a quarter of the game, Liverpool lead 1-0 and are looking good for their lead. Fernandinho kicks Lallana in midfield and is given a talking-to by the referee. Milner sends the ball in towards Lovren in the penalty area, where Bravo chooses to punch the ball clear rather catch it. His punch is feeble, but he gets away with it.
21 min: Otamendi sends the ball long over the top of the Liverpool defence for Aguro to chase. The Argentinian nips behind Lovren and brings the ball down with a wonderful first touch, but is correctly adjudged to have been offside.
19 min: “Tactically at the moment, you’ve got to say Jurgen Klopp has got his tactics right,” says Glenn Hoddle on BT Sport. With their intense pressing, they certainly seem to have cut off any kind of decent supply to De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero and Silva, who have thus far struggled to make any sort of impression on the game.
18 min: Adam Lallana and Milner combine down the left flank, with the latter sending in a cross. Manchester City clear. Liverpool are definitely bossing this at the moment, but it’s early days.
16 min: Mane takes on Nicolas Otamendi, cutting inside from the right after latching on to a long diagonal ball from deep towards the corner. Kolarov ambles across to clear his lines by whacking the ball out for a corner. The ball’s sent sailing towards Dejan Lovren, but City clear.
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13 min: Emre Can hoofs the ball long for Sadio Mane to chase, but there’s too much welly on his “pass” and Manchester City tidy up at the back. There seems quite a subdued atmosphere at Anfield, although that might have something to do with the fact that the last game I watched was Rangers 1-2 Celtic from a comparatively rocking Ibrox earlier today.
12 min: Manchester City go forward, with Sergio Aguero on the ball by the left touchline. Klavan robs him of possession and the attack breaks down.
9 min: Liverpool score on their first sortie of any note into Manchester City territory. The goal actually stemmed from a Yaya Toure free-kick for City - Liverpool won the ball back and surged forward down the left. Lallana ran 35 yards without anyone laying a glove or boot on him, then whipped in a cross. Wijnaldum leapt highest to power a brilliant header past Claudio Bravo.
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GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Man City (Wijnaldum)
8 min: Geo Wijnaldum gives Liverpool the lead with a bullet-header from about 12 yards after getting on the end of an Adam Lallana cross from the left.
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8 min: Almnost immediately, Klavan is penalised again for a kick on Fernadinho that was more clumsy than malicious. He’ll need to watch himself.
7 min: Liverpool go forward down the left with James Milner on the ball. He loses it to Aguero with a poor pass and Ragnar Klaven is forced to foul the striker, earning himself a yellow card in the process. Thanks for that, Jimmy.
5 min: Kevin De Bruyne has taken up a position just behind Sergio Aguero for Manchester City, with David Silva operating further out to the left. No chances of note to report, yet.
4 min: “One greedy bastard! There’s only one greedy bastard!” rings around Anfield as the barracking of Raheem Sterling continues in earnest. He’s not been forgiven for moving to Manchester City at the end of his five year spell at Liverpool.
3 min: More boos for Raheem Sterling, as he gets on the ball once again - don’t expect a non-celebration celebration from him if he scores.
2 min: Aleksandar Kolarov takes responsibility of the dead ball, but doesn’t get enough lift on his effort, which thunders straight into the defensive wall.
Liverpool v Man City kicks off
1 min: Manchester City get the ball rolling and Raheem Sterling’s first two touches are booed loudly by the supporters of his former club. James Milner concedes a free-kick just outside his own penalty area, slightly to the right of the D - this is a big chance!
Liverpool line up with three in midfield. Georginio Wijnaldum, Henderson and Emre Can are the men tasked with keeping Manchester City’s midfield at bay, with Adam Lallana, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino ahead of them.
The teams are in the tunnel ...
Kick-off at Anfield is just minutes away and the teams are lining up in the cavernous tunnel under the new stand. Jordan Henderson and Pablo Zabaleta lead them out on to the pitch and the final pre-match formalities get underway. In the stands, City’s usual captain Vincent Kompany is sitting with his club’s travelling support. We’re just one rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone from the final Premier League match of 2016.
An email from Peter Oh: “To answer your question in the caption of the Ben Woodburn photo,” he begins. “The suit bag says ‘Boss’. Clearly the young whippersnapper was sent to the dry cleaners to pick up Jurgen Klopp’s New Year’s Eve party tuxedo!” Yep, that or he’s actually carrying Klopp in the bag.
Chelsea extend their lead ...
Chelsea may have conceded two goals this afternoon, but they still four past Stoke City to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to nine points on the back of 13 consecutive wins. They have 49 points, while Liverpool are in second place with 40 with Manchester City a further point back in third.
Team news ...
Jurgen Klopp makes just one change to the Liverpool team that beat Stoke City on Tuesday, with Emre Can coming in for Divock Origi. Pep Guardiola has made three changes to the City side that swatted Hull aside on Boxing Day: Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov come into his defence in place of Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna, while Nolito makes way for Sergio Aguero.
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Liverpool v Manchester City line-ups
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner, Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Lallana, Firmino.
Subs: Karius, Sturridge, Moreno, Lucas, Origi, Ejaria, Alexander-Arnold.
Man City: Bravo, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Stones, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Toure, Sterling, Silva, De Bruyne, Aguero.
Subs: Sagna, Fernando, Caballero, Jesus Navas, Clichy, Iheanacho, Garcia.
Referee: Craig Pawson
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Early team news
Philippe Coutinho and Joel Matip remain sidelined with injury for Liverpool and will not feature this evening. Matip is struggling with ongoing ankle issues and has missed four of Liverpool’s past five matches, which means that Dejan Louvren and Ragner Klavan are likely to start in the heart of Liverpool’s defence. Having just been voted the best Brazilian player in Europe for 2016, Coutinho has stepped up his efforts in training after recovering from an ankle injury of his own, but will not be fit enough to feature here.
Manchester City will welcome Sergio Aguero back from a four-game suspension, while John Stones is also available for selection after a bang on the knee ended his involvement in City’s Boxing Day win over Hull City. Pablo Zabaleta is also fit, but Leroy Sane will also miss out after suffering some manner of unspecified “knock”. The resolutely luckless Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan won’t be sorry to see the back of 2016 and also remain sidelined.
Season's greetings one and all ...
A happy new year to one and all as the clock ticks relentlessly towards midnight here in the United Kingdom. There’s some final football business to attend to in the Premier League before we get to put the car-crash that was 2016 behind us, with second-placed Liverpool entertaining third-placed Manchester City at Anfield in a match that could put a serious dent in either side’s title hopes in the event of defeat.
Goals and plenty of them have been widely forecast as these two attacking sides with rather porous defences go head to head on Merseyside. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have not occupied adjacent technical areas since April 2015, when Klopp’s Dortmund side beat Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the German Cup semi-final, which you can read more about below. Kick-off is at 5.30pm (GMT), but we’ll be here with team news and build-up long before that.
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