All posts by h716a5.icu

Rangers have been given a fresh update over Auston Trusty's future, with the youngster stating via the Daily Record that he is only focused on the present and his current pre-season tour with Arsenal.

Who is Auston Trusty?

The 24-year-old currently plays for Arsenal, having been poached by the Gunners only last year. Despite the Premier League side snapping him up, he has yet to make his top flight debut for the side and has instead been shipped out on loan in order to get minutes. That meant spending the 2022/23 season on loan with Birmingham in the Championship.

The youngster ended up being an integral part of the Blues' first-team squad and missed only two second tier outings all campaign. He featured on 44 occasions in total and fired in four goals with two assists along the way, despite his position on the field.

Prior to joining Birmingham though, Trusty had no experience of English or Scottish football. His entire playing time came in his native USA, having been given his league debut by Bethlehem in the USL at the age of 17. He then joined up with Philadelphia in the MLS, before switching to Colorado Rapids, which resulted in his most outstanding time as a player to date.

He managed 57 league appearances during his time there, with two goal contributions, and also helped drag them up to second in the standings in one campaign.

Are Rangers signing Auston Trusty?

It was these showings that led to Trusty heading to England for Arsenal. Now, it looks as though he could be cast aside by the club this summer, with talks of a permanent switch away on the cards. Rangers are one of the sides mentioned in terms of the interest in the American, with a price tag of £2m mentioned as potentially enough to seal a deal to send him to the Scottish Premiership outfit.

However, they do face competition from England, with Ipswich also linked with the player – his experience in the second tier could prove invaluable to the newly-promoted Tractor Boys.

Now, according to the 24-year-old himself via the Daily Record, he has spoken out about his current situation and future. He hasn't spoken of any interest in his signature and has instead insisted he is only thinking about things on a "day-to-day" basis. He has, of course, been taken on Arsenal's pre-season tour in his homeland. That means he is currently "focused" on that – so any potential deal for the ace may have to wait until he is home and able to think about a potential deal.

"My mindset has been here since the beginning. So I'm not focused on anything else. I'm focused on day by day. You can ask anybody how I approach things. my mindset has always been focused on day by day. You never can control the future but I'm focusing on myself."

Rangers then could have to play the waiting game over Trusty. The central defender will likely showcase his stuff for the Gunners over the summer, and then his future could be decided upon his return to England.

If the Gers did manage to sign the 24-year-old though, it could be a shrewd move. He's proven to be a reliable option at a decent level in the Championship and was a regular in the MLS to boot. His age and his current skillset means he has all the capabilities of being a very solid part of the Scottish side's backline if they sign him this transfer window.

Chelsea are planning to accept any bids for Raheem Sterling in the summer transfer window, according to a new update regarding the Englishman's future.

Has Raheem Sterling flopped at Chelsea?

The 28-year-old joined the Blues from Manchester City last summer, having no longer necessarily been seen as a key figure at the Etihad.

Sterling was seen as an exciting signing for Chelsea, given his pedigree as an 82-cap England international and four-time Premier League champion. He would seemingly add another attacking dimension to the team, as well as a wealth of experience and end product, but it's fair to say that his first season at Stamford Bridge was an underwhelming one.

In fairness to the winger, he was part of a Blues team that struggled hugely throughout the campaign, eventually finishing 12th in the league, but his performances were too often lacking in both quality and all-round influence.

Sterling only scored six goals in 28 league appearances – a disappointing return, considering his reputation as a relentless provider of end product – and he failed to stand up while others around him also flattered to deceive.

While the former City and Liverpool attacker is contracted with Chelsea until the summer of 2027, it looks as though a quickfire exit from West London is now seemingly likely.

Are Chelsea selling Raheem Sterling?

According to Football Insider, the Blues plan to accept an offer for Sterling this summer if a sizeable bid arrives, suggesting that Mauricio Pochettino sees him as an expendable figure:

"Chelsea are very open to selling Raheem Sterling this summer, sources have told Football Insider. Sterling is attracting interest from clubs in Europe, the UK and Saudi Arabia. Back in January, Football Insider revealed that the Blues were willing to listen to offers for the 28-year-old in the winter window after hijacking Arsenal’s move for Mykhaylo Mudryk.

"Sources have told Football Insider that his future is now even more up in the air and the club are in favour of recouping his wages for new talent."

This would be a surprise decision by Chelsea, considering Sterling only arrived at the club 12 months ago, not to mention the fact that he has been hailed as "world-class" by Frank Lampard in the past, despite his somewhat limited impact both under the Blues legend and his predecessors.

The £325,000-a-week attacker has proven himself over such an extended period, scoring 20 times for England, but ultimately, if Pochettino doesn't see him as a key man, the Blues should try and move him on.

It remains to be seen if that is definitely the case, but if he does end up staying put beyond the end of the window, he must go up a gear next season. Sterling turns 29 later this year, so the clock is ticking in terms of selling him at his highest possible value, which could be a reason for this latest update, with Todd Boehly and the club's hierarchy perhaps keen to create an almost entirely new squad for the new boss to work with.

Taylor Swift could cause Lyon a major headache at the end of the season if they cannot turn around their horrendous Ligue 1 campaign.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Lyon have just won once in 13 gamesRooted at the bottom of the Ligue 1 tableMay have to away from home due to SwiftWHAT HAPPENED?

Lyon are currently struggling at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table with only one win in their first 13 league matches this season. The seven-time champions have found no rhythm whatsoever and it is no surprise that they are in search of their third manager after firing Laurent Blanc in September and World Cup winner Fabio Grosso in late November. They face potential relegation this season but would get a chance to stay up if they climb at least to the 16th spot in the league table as it would take them through to the play-offs.

However, that should not be a Herculean task for the team having the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Dejan Lovren in their ranks as they find themselves just five points short of Lorient, who are 16th now. But pop sensation Swift could certainly make it difficult for them.

AdvertisementGetty Images THE BIGGER PICTURE

Swift is set to perform at two sold-out concerts scheduled at Groupama Stadium on June 2 and June 3. And the dates coincide with the second leg of the Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-off which sees the 16th-placed team lock horns with the winner of the Ligue 2 promotion play-offs. The return leg is always played at the home of the Ligue 1 side and hence Lyon find themselves in a spot of bother.

DID YOU KNOW?

The decision to host concerts was aimed at boosting the club's revenue, with the club management not anticipating being in a relegation battle. But the gamble could prove costly, as relegation would mark a significant downturn for a team that reached the Champions League semi-finals just three years ago beating Manchester City on the way.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LYON?

If Lyon indeed end up finishing 16th, the club may need to find an alternative venue for their home fixture in the relegation play-off as the dates for Swift's concerts are already locked. But should they move to a new stadium it would potentially cost them their home advantage at a crucial juncture in their fight to stay in Ligue 1. Nonetheless, Lacazzette and Co will hope to revive their fortunes as quickly as possible and climb up the ladder so that they do not need to bother about the relegation battle. They travel to Marseille on Wednesday for their next Ligue 1 fixture.

Jenni Hermoso has dedicated Spain’s Nations League triumph to herself after enduring a testing few months in the wake of a World Cup kissing scandal.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Caught in a storm after World Cup winLooking to move on from scandalHas another trophy for the collectionGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 33-year-old forward found herself at the centre of a sporting storm following a non-consensual clinch with former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales during the medal ceremony which accompanied the capturing of a global crown in Australia.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With a legal and social battle now over, Hermoso – who currently plies her club trade in Mexico for Tigres – is free to focus on her football once more. She has another major honour for the collection, with Spain seeing off France 2-0 in the final of the inaugural UEFA Women’s Nations League.

Getty ImagesWHAT HERMOSO SAID

Hermoso told after that contest when asked who she would like to dedicate the title to: “I'm going to be very honest. It has been difficult for me to stay strong all this time and I continue to improve myself. Of course I remember my mother, my brother… but I have fought a lot and I am going to dedicate this victory to myself no matter what. Because I think I deserve it.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

DID YOU KNOW?

Hermoso added on the long-running Rubiales saga that she hopes will deliver positive change in Spanish football: “It has been a long process but the most important thing is that the player knows that she comes only to enjoy football.”

Mark Stoneman’s England Test opportunities might have resulted in disappointment but when will England’s selectors take a serious look at Rory Burns?

George Dobell09-Jun-2018
ScorecardThe streaker is not – thankfully – a common sight in Championship cricket. It’s not just that the atmosphere of the game hardly warrantsit – it’s a bit like crowd surfing in a library – but, with the schedule pushing matches to the margins of the season, it’s not very warm, either. And the cold is neither comfortable or flattering.So it was hard to imagine why anyone would strip off and run around the Ageas Bowl pitch in light drizzle towards the end of the first dayof this match. Insanity was one theory. Stolen trousers another. Or could it be Rory Burns in a desperate attempt to be noticed?The answer to that we should make very clear – we live in litigious times, you know – is a resounding no. But if Burns were driven to such measures it might, to a point, be understandable. After all, he keeps churning out runs. But it doesn’t seem to make any difference.But Burns is becoming, for the best of reasons, hard to ignore. After finishing the 2017 season as the third-highest run-scorer in DivisionOne, he is now the second-highest run scorer in the division this season.Here, against an attack boasting 623 Test wickets (Sean Ervine, who hardly bowls these days, is not included in that tally), he made hissecond century of the campaign. Only Hashim Amla has scored more runs in Division One this year, no England-qualified batsman has morecenturies and nobody in either division has faced more deliveries.At a time when it appears just about every opening batsman with a pulse and bladder control has been considered by England, it is puzzling that Burns – with a career average of 42.51 in first-class cricket – has not had as much as a Lions call. Indeed, to talk to those who know him at Surrey, it seems he has not had as much as a phone call from the selectors or England management.That will surely be rectified soon. The Lions play India A at New Road from July 16 and it would be bizarre if Burns does not win an opportunity to impress. While England may feel they have settled upon an opening pair for the India series, it remains possible that Burnscould slot in at No. 3, thereby allowing Joe Root to revert to what appears to be his favoured No. 4 position. He may be just the thing anEngland side crying out for stability requires.One of the arguments against Burns is that he scores his runs – or many of them, at least – on relatively flat tracks at The Oval. And there is some truth in that. But developing a game on those surfaces also builds confidence and technique. So, unlike some openers, who have adapted to testing conditions in the county game by attempting to smash their way to runs as fast as possible in the hope they can score a few before an unplayable delivery arrives, Burns has the confidence to build an innings. He leaves well, he drives sweetly – some of hiscover drives in this innings were a thing of beauty – and he is good off his legs.He is not especially pleasing on the eye – not in his stance, anyway, crouching with his bottom stuck out far behind him and his head turning at the last moment as if the square-leg fielder has just said something appalling about his mother – but this should not put off the selectors. Alastair Cook’s batting is hardly pretty, after all, and he has done rather well.And there is no ignoring runs against this attack. With Dale Steyn (419 Test wickets) keen to prove his fitness ahead of a potential return to Test cricket bowling, forming a formidable opening pair alongside Fidel Edwards (165 Test wickets) with Kyle Abbott (39 Test wickets) and the vastly underrated Gareth Berg in support, this innings cannot, in any way, be dismissed as soft. While it is true this sluggish surface meant he was hardly tested by the short ball in this innings, there was lateral movement and he coped with it admirably.”It’s an outstanding attack,” Surrey coach Michael Di Venuto said afterwards. “There aren’t too many better in Championship cricket.”That was a terrific innings from a fantastic player. Hopefully he gets recognition and higher honours soon. He just scores runs and that’s the name of the game for a batsman.”Surrey were grateful for Burns’ resistance. They were two down after the first over after Mark Stoneman was caught in the slips and ScottBorthwick attempted a sharp single only to be run-out by Brad Taylor’s direct hit from cover.Stoneman’s poor luck continues. After a horrid second-innings dismissal at Lord’s – the ball keeping low – ended his Test career fornow, here he was victim of a fine piece of bowling. With Edwards – the pick of the bowlers – generally moving the ball back into the left-hander, Stoneman was obliged to play the delivery just outside off stump. But this time it was angled across him and caught the edgeon its way.With Mason Crane – who has worryingly experienced a recurrence of pain in his back – and Liam Dawson – finger – injured, Hampshire wereobliged to give an opportunity to the off-spin of Taylor. And, while he ended Ryan Patel’s promising stay – the batsman simply missed onehe had attempted to turn into the leg side – Ben Foakes, in particular, took a bit of a shine to him. At one stage he was plundered for three boundaries in an over.Foakes endured some nervous moments at the start of his innings. Edwards beat him a couple of times outside off stump and Burns mayhave survived an edge in between the keeper and first slip off Abbott when he had 74, but generally the pair were sound and resourceful inadding an unbroken 133 for the fourth-wicket.Edwards, who will shortly depart to represent Winnipeg Hawks in the Canada Cricket League – a somewhat surprising turn of events – was the pick of the bowlers. Steyn, being the class act he is, was tidy and, in his first couple of spells, occasionally dangerous. But, playinghis first first-class came since the first week of January, he is still feeling his way back to full pace and was not helped by a pitchon which, once the hardness of the new ball has gone, is slow. He later announced himself happy to simply be out on the pitch. There’smore to come from him.There’s more to come from Burns, too. Not only will Surrey be keen for him to add substantially to his overnight score, but it seems hisopportunity – at Lions level, at least – must be imminent. His is a hot streak that cannot be ignored.

The batsman said the sweep had been a key weapon during his innings of 101 in the second Test at the SSC

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC23-Jul-2018For most of this series, it appeared as if no South Africa batsman would bat for 100 balls in an innings, let alone score a century. Even getting to triple figures as a team seemed difficult enough. On the last day of the series, though, two relatively new batsmen saved some face for the visitors. Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma put on 123 together – South Africa’s best partnership of the series by a distance.De Bruyn then went on to score his maiden Test hundred, in his sixth Test, in a series in which much more senior men had failed dramatically. He had had a feeling he just might manage a breakthrough in Sri Lanka, after having made only modest scores in his five previous Tests.”It’s been quite a journey – it’s been tough. My international career didn’t start the way I wanted it to,” he said. “But I just had a bit of calmness landing in the airport here in Sri Lanka. As we drove to the hotel, I looked at the ocean and said to myself: ‘Yep, there could be something special.’ As a team, it wasn’t special, but for me it was special.”De Bruyn was especially effective square of the wicket against the spinners, employing the sweep, which he said he had learned in South Africa’s spin camps. He batted 232 balls all up, which made his the longest innings of the series, even if it wasn’t the biggest in terms of runs.”Back home you don’t need the sweep, because we play on bouncier wickets and you can play spinners down the ground,” he said. “But here, you know they’re bowling in good areas, and the wickets don’t bounce as much. The sweep is a better option.”For me, it was important to get the fielders out on the boundary, early on – especially with the new ball. If you’re just defending, it can be difficult. So if you put the bowlers slightly under pressure, you can get the fielders out. I didn’t know it was going to take that long to get a hundred. They just don’t let you go. They keep on bowling very accurately. It’s Test cricket. It’s not easy.”Bavuma was the more positive partner during their long partnership, making 63 off 98 balls before a spitting Rangana Herath delivery took the outside edge. Bavuma’s was the only other fifty-plus score for South Africa in this series.”Temba actually came in and played quite comfortably,” de Bruyn said. “He scored runs all the way through his innings and could start ticking over the strike. I think we almost had the same game plan – to sweep a lot and reverse sweep, and hit your ones over the legside. I think we both learned a lot over the last few hours, playing against the Sri Lankan spinners on this wicket.”De Bruyn had batted lower down the order in his earlier jaunts in Test cricket but said he felt more comfortable at No. 3, where he bats in domestic cricket.”For me, it does make a difference batting at No. 3. I’ve batted there my whole career, even as a youngster. The waiting game when you’re batting at six and seven mentally drains you – I don’t know, I’m not used to it. But I wanted to do really well batting at No. 3. It’s a place I really cherish and I’d like to make it my own one day if I get more opportunities.”

A rejuvenated Chelsea showed more signs of improvement in their performance against Arsenal, racing into a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge before the Gunners battled back late on to salvage a point.

The Blues will have been bitterly disappointed to have dropped two points from a strong position, however, the result did see them avoid a record fourth-straight Premier League loss at home to their North London rivals.

It also saw plenty of their stars rise up to the occasion and put in a sublime performance on Saturday evening.

Who were Chelsea's standout performers v Arsenal?

A revived Mykhaylo Mudryk sent out a huge statement on his return to the starting XI and put in a complete performance.

The 22-year-old earned the spot kick which Cole Palmer dispatched before getting the name on the scoresheet himself as his suspected cross looped into the net over goalkeeper David Raya.

It's been an underwhelming start to his career in West London but the Ukraine international, who was described by those close to him as a "sleeping superstar" in the Chelsea squad, as per TEAMtalk, has certainly showcased those star-like qualities against Arsenal, lighting up the crowd with his pace and trickery while helping his side out in a defensive capacity.

In his 66 minutes on the pitch, Mudryk's all-action performance saw him attempt two crosses, record a shot on target and draw two fouls, but also track back for his team, winning two of his four ground duels, blocking one shot and making one interception, as per SofaScore.

He wasn't the only player to shine in the defensive third for the Blues as Mauricio Pochettino lavished praise on left-back Marc Cucurella for his impressive display against the Gunners.

The Argentine said: “He is training really well, that is why he playing like today, against a very good player like Saka."

Indeed, Cucurella limited one of the most dangerous wingers on the planet through his tough tackling and tenacious defensive work, recording the most tackles in the match (5), winning seven of his 13 ground duels, making two clearances, and blocking one shot, as per Sofascore.

After impressive performances against Fulham and Burnley, in which he completed at least 90% of his attempted passes, it was his best display against Arsenal that has begun to show why he deserves more respect and certainly a place in the starting XI.

How has Marc Cucurella performed this season?

Pochettino has significantly improved Conor Gallagher but it is the form of Cucurella, who turned down the chance to move to Newcastle United and Manchester United in the summer, that has caught the eye.

The 25-year-old ace has flourished while playing as a right or left back and Chelsea are yet to lose a game that the Spaniard has started this season, shutting out the noise that came from his £62m price tag and reminding many why the Blues and Manchester City were neck on neck to sign him after his sensational performances for Brighton.

With first-choice left-back Ben Chilwell sidelined till December, Cucurella has taken his opportunity to impress Pochettino while the manner of his performance against Bukayo Saka, who failed to get any loose change out of his opponent, has accentuated that point further.

Described by Pochettino as "super professional", Cucurella's transformation from being on the brink to leaving the club as a flop to now one of Chelsea's most influential players is a testament to the dedication and perseverance that the Spaniard has shown.

During his renaissance at Stamford Bridge, the £175k per-week dynamo has been outperforming Chilwell in a defensive capacity, averaging more balls recovered than the Englishman (7.0/3.0), tackles (3.7/0.8), interceptions (1/3/0.5) and clearances (3.0/0.5) per game at league level this term, as per Sofascore.

Although Chilwell has been deployed in a more advanced role under Pochettino, it is no coincidence that Chelsea have performed significantly better in a defensive capacity since throwing Cucurella into battle with the Spanish international now undroppable due to his impressive displays.

Sussex threatened to pull off victory but Ashton Agar’s three wickets derailed their chase as Australia began their post ball-tampering life

Andrew McGlashan at Hove07-Jun-2018
ScorecardThere was the occasional mention of recent controversies from a sell-out crowd of 6000 as Hove – “If you like sandpaper clap your hands,” was the tune of choice for some – but the toughest welcome for Australia as they returned to the field for the first time since leaving South Africa disgraced came in the middle as Sussex threatened to turn them over.In the end, Australia’s attack came through – with help from some poor shot selection by Sussex – to secure a 57-run victory, a margin that flattered them somewhat. Marcus Stoinis’ hundred, batting at No. 3, was the highlight for the Australians but their innings faltered badly from 167 for 1 after 30 overs while their pace attack looked thin as the lack of caps would suggest.”It’s good to start a tour like that [with a hundred], but more importantly it’s just fun to be out there with our mates,” Stoinis said. “It was a tough wicket to bat on through the middle, as we saw with Sussex, but I think you just need to absorb a bit of pressure and accept it’s a bit difficult. It’s been a bit of a pattern of something so something we’ll probably try and fix. Not feel the pressure of a few dot balls, just bat your way through it.”Their catching was off the mark as well. Phil Salt, dropped twice by D’arcy Short at square leg before he had scored, plundered 62 off 49 balls but when he was yorked by Kane Richardson the middle order couldn’t retain their composure. Ben Brown was later dropped at long leg by Andrew Tye but that did not prove costly.”These things happen,” Stoinis said of the drops. “First game back and all that, no stress, and it might have worked as a bit of a blessing in disguise as it made the bowlers work a little harder for the win and put them under pressure. So you take the good with the bad.”Ashton Agar recovered from an expensive start when he bowled inside the first 10 overs – Salt took him for consecutive sixes to his fifty – to claim three wickets, his third a nice piece of bowling to spin one past Laurie Evans’ edge for a stumping when his half-century was keeping Sussex’s hopes alive.For many reasons, this is a very different Australia side than the one involved in South Africa – bans, injuries and a change of format leaving to a revolving door of personnel. There are just three survivors from that Test series in the squad (Tim Paine, Nathan Lyon and Shaun Marsh) and only Paine was in the XI for the opening match of this tour.One thing that hasn’t changed is that Australia’s 50-over cricket needs a lot of work. That was evident when they were beaten 4-1 by England earlier this year and post-Ashes weariness notwithstanding that was a with a team that included the big guns.Having been put into bat, Australia raced out of the blocks before Short, who is in line for an ODI debut next week, was trapped lbw on the back foot by Danny Briggs. Stoinis and Aaron Finch took them to 167 for 1, but the final 20 brought just 110 runs as Sussex’s spinners – Briggs and Luke Wells – bowled their 20 overs for 86 runs.Finch, as he often does, cantered along at more than a run-a-ball early in his innings and was 45 off 33 balls before slowing up considerably. His fifty came off 54 balls and the last 33 runs of his stay took 64 deliveries before he edged a pull at Jofra Archer. Archer’s opening five-over spell was inconsistent and cost 34 runs, but he came back well to finish with 3 for 62 plus effected a sharp run out of his own bowling to remove Agar.Stoinis’ innings was a big tick for Australia. He was promoted to No. 3 for the final ODI against England in Perth and scored 87 before Tom Curran secured victory and here made 110 off 112 balls, hitting strongly down the ground with all four of his sixes coming the ‘V’ from long-off to long on. As part of Australia’s rebuilding of the one-day side, it appears Stoinis is set for a run at the No. 3 position that was Smith’s before a reshuffle during that previous series against EnglandThe rest of the batting was less impressive. Glenn Maxwell drove to mid-off, Travis Head was lbw and Tim Paine prodded a return catch and for a moment it appeared they may be bowled out. They will hope for better against Middlesex at Lord’s on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel heaped praise on veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and called him "one in 20 million".

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Tuchel hails 'world class' NeuerPraised the player staging epic comebackExperienced skiing injury in 2022WHAT HAPPENED?

The Bayern Munich manager hailed the German goalkeeper for staging a remarkable comeback after his injury setback in 2022. Right after Germany's exit from the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Neuer experienced a freak skiing accident that kept him out of action for 10 months.

AdvertisementWHAT THOMAS TUCHEL SAID

Speaking to reporters, Tuchel said, "A comeback like Neuer's after his broken leg can only be achieved by one in 20,000, one in 20 million players. It's a great gift to be able to experience him like that. Neuer (37) is absolutely world-class in all areas and his comeback cannot be valued highly enough – even in view of all the setbacks he had to suffer on the way back. To be so clear, so open to the whole journey and never to lose conviction… I'm certainly one of the 19,999 who wouldn't have been able to do that. That's just great."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 37-year-old returned to action in October last year and since then has appeared in 17 Bundesliga matches thus far where he managed to keep seven clean sheets. On Friday, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann named the custodian in the national team squad as they are set to face France and Netherlands in international friendlies later this month.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

The Bavarian club will play their final game before the international break on Saturday against Darmstadt in the Bundesliga. Interestingly, it was the same opponent against whom Neuer had played his first game for the club since returning from injury on October 28.

There was only one team in it in the second-half, but the Reds' woeful finishing let them down against the reigning champions

Liverpool will be left wondering 'what if?' after missing a plethora of chances that forced them to settle for a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in a match that has huge implications for the Premier League title race. After falling behind in the first half, Alexis Mac Allister converted a penalty early in the second as the home team took control of matters against last season's treble winners, but woeful finishing from the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai proved their undoing.

It was a frenetic start to the game for Jurgen Klopp's side in the German coach's final Premier League game against Pep Guardiola. Liverpool found it tough to make combinations high up early on as the City defence doubled up on the forwards. The Reds grew into the game after the first quarter of an hour, though, utilising the movement of Nunez and Harvey Elliott, finding a way to bring Conor Bradley and Diaz into play from the wings and allowing Szoboszlai to drift forward through the centre.

Although the home team managed to work the ball into dangerous areas, they simply couldn't hit the target in the first 45 minutes, and fell behind when an intelligent Kevin De Bruyne corner found John Stones free at the front post to ensure City were ahead at half-time.

Klopp's team needed to come out fighting in the second half and were given a break two minutes in when Nunez pounced on a terrible pass back from Nathan Ake and was clattered into by Ederson, allowing Mac Allister to equalise from the resultant penalty. The injury Ederson suffered in the process prevented City from getting any momentum going and Liverpool stayed dominant throughout the half, but their atrocious finishing haunted them as Nunez and Diaz both scuppered great opportunities.

Despite having 19 shots – 12 in the second half – to City's 10, the hosts were forced to settle for a draw, leaving them level on points with Arsenal at the top and Guardiola's team just one behind them, setting all three up for an incredible run-in.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (7/10):

Kept out City's long-range shots but was beaten from close-range for the opener.

Conor Bradley (7/10):

Showed glimpses of his youth in a frantic start with heavy touches and dodgy movement, but settled in and became an asset defensively and in the build-up.

Jarell Quansah (7/10):

Didn't give much away and read the game fairly well, but most passes went backwards.

Virgil van Dijk (8/10):

His leadership qualities were on show and he was a rock at the back with vital clearances and tackles.

Joe Gomez (6/10):

Had a difficult time on the left side as City always seemed to find a way past him.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

A bit too casual defensively but made some invasive runs to find holes in the City defence before he went off at the hour mark.

Wataru Endo (7/10):

Fought hard to win the ball and his quick passes helped get things going from midfield.

Alexis Mac Allister (8/10):

Put in a great shift battling for the ball and pinging quick passes around to cut through City. Did a great job converting the penalty.

Getty ImagesAttack

Harvey Elliott (4/10):

Chased the ball up and down the field like a dog but it seemed to just slide past him most of the time.

Darwin Nunez (6/10):

Gave the ball away, was offside far too often and did nothing to track Stones for the first goal. Won the penalty and was better in the second half.

Luis Diaz (5/10):

Went on some great runs but wanted too much time on the ball against a City defence that swarmed him to nullify the threat. His finishing was terrible.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Mohamed Salah (6/10):

Came on at the hour mark for Szoboszlai and quickly sent Diaz through with a great pass. Livened up the Reds' attack and had a few shots at goal.

Andy Robertson (6/10):

Sent some dangerous balls in from the left wing but Nunez failed to finish.

Cody Gakpo (5/10):

On for the last 15 minutes but could hardly get involved.

Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

His team recovered from a shaky start to take control of the game, but simply couldn't add the finishing touch to their many promising attacks throughout the final 45 minutes.