Showdown at the Etihad

Last updated: January 3, 2019 8:38 am

By Emmanuel Ebimoh - Journalist

3 Min Read

By Emmanuel Ebimoh

For many, this would arguably be the battle that decides who is crowned champions by May. Tonight, the city of Manchester stands on its feet as the undisputed challenger for the title visits the champions in a make or mar encounter. There will be no love in the sky, neither will there be time for unnecessary pleasantries, because by the time Manchester City lock horns with Liverpool in an English Premier League battle tonight, victory for either side will be the only anthem.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been ruthless and undefeated this season, with an attacking trio of Salah, Mane, and Firmino they have scored 48 goals and conceding just 8. Coming into the match tonight as the undisputed title challenger after an emphatic 5-1 victory over Arsenal last weekend, Liverpool will be playing with full confidence as they hope to take one big giant step in their ambition to lift the EPL trophy. If Liverpool wins tonight they’ll be 10 points ahead of their rivals, Manchester City at the top of the table. Well, maybe then Anfield can start cleaning their long-standing bottles of champagne.

For Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City team, the opportunity to prove that they are worthy champions couldn’t have come any better. Despite a slight dip in form in December that saw Liverpool leap over them to the top of the table, Manchester City will have all to play for tonight, knowing fully well that a loss or draw will conclusively put a big dent on their hopes to retain the title.

For both teams, it’ll be hard to put the importance of this battle into perfect words, especially for Liverpool that have been waiting for a league title for more than 20 years. No doubt, at the end of the game tonight, one team will bask in many smiles, while the other will walk down the tunnel in doubts.

In other EPL games played yesterday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued his revolution at Manchester United as they picked their 4^th win in a row with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford were enough to seal victory. Elsewhere, Chelsea played a barren draw at home to Southampton, while the game between Bournemouth and Watford ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.