The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 705  The Second Half Battle for Supremacy

As the second half kicked off, Anfield was bustling with anticipation, but there was an underlying tension in the air.

Liverpool had taken a 2-0 lead in the first half, a scoreline that sent the Kop into delirium. But Manchester City—dangerous, relentless, and fresh off Pep Guardiola's halftime tirade—were not out of the game yet.

Guardiola's words had echoed in the City dressing room, firing up his players for what was bound to be an intense 45 minutes.

As City pushed forward, Liverpool braced for the inevitable surge. The visitors had something to prove, and if there was any team capable of clawing back from two goals down at Anfield, it was Manchester City.

The intensity with which City started the second half was immediately apparent. Their pressing was sharper, their movement quicker, and their intent clear: get back into the game as fast as possible.

Kevin De Bruyne, now playing higher up the pitch, was dictating the tempo, pulling the strings in midfield as he shifted the ball between the lines.

In the 61st minute, City's persistence paid off. The build-up to the goal was quintessential Guardiola—patient, probing, and calculated.

City started the attack deep in their own half, with Ederson playing a short ball to Fernandinho, who quickly moved it out wide to Aymeric Laporte. The Frenchman, under pressure from Salah, calmly found De Bruyne in midfield. The Belgian maestro turned swiftly, evading Jordan Henderson's pressing with a deft touch, and drove forward with purpose.

De Bruyne spotted Riyad Mahrez making a diagonal run from the right flank, cutting inside and past Andrew Robertson. With surgical precision, De Bruyne sliced a pass through the Liverpool defense, splitting Robertson and Van Dijk, and finding Mahrez in space just outside the box.

Mahrez didn't hesitate—he quickly cut back onto his left foot, drawing Van Dijk toward him, before lofting a delicate cross into the area.

Sergio Agüero, lurking near the penalty spot, timed his run perfectly. The Argentine striker anticipated the flight of the ball, ghosting in between Joe Gomez and Robertson.

As the cross floated in, Agüero leapt into the air, contorting his body to meet the ball with the outside of his right foot. The connection was perfect—a flashing strike that rocketed past Alisson and into the top corner.

"GOAL!" roared the commentator as the ball hit the back of the net. "Sergio Agüero does it again! City are back in this at 2-1, and you just knew Agüero wouldn't miss from there!"

The City fans erupted, their voices finally piercing the atmosphere at Anfield. Agüero ran toward the corner flag, arms outstretched in celebration as his teammates swarmed around him. Guardiola, on the touchline, pumped his fist with a mix of relief and determination. The deficit had been halved, and City now had a lifeline.

As for Liverpool, the pressure was mounting. The Kop, usually a bastion of confidence, quieted slightly, realizing that the game was far from over.

The game continued after the celebrations, and with the score now 2-1, Manchester City's hunger for an equalizer grew even more intense.

Guardiola's men swarmed forward like a pack of wolves, sensing vulnerability in Liverpool's defense. City's fluid passing and quick transitions began to stretch the Reds, who were struggling to regain the composure they had shown in the first half.

Kevin De Bruyne continued to be the orchestrator, pulling Liverpool's midfield out of shape with his clever movement and visionary passing. Every time he touched the ball, danger loomed.

Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sané, now playing on opposite wings, pinned Liverpool's full-backs deep, preventing them from joining the attack.

Seeing the shift in momentum, Jürgen Klopp knew he needed to act. In the 65th minute, he called for a substitution, bringing off Roberto Firmino and replacing him with Daniel Sturridge.

Klopp's thinking was clear: Firmino, who had worked tirelessly pressing from the front, was beginning to tire, and Sturridge's fresh legs would help maintain the high press and disrupt City's build-up from the back.

But even with Sturridge's introduction, City continued to dominate possession, moving the ball with dizzying speed. Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva harassed Zachary Bemba every time he tried to receive the ball, denying him the space to dictate Liverpool's attacks. Liverpool were being pinned back, forced to absorb wave after wave of pressure.

Time passed, and in the 72nd minute, City came agonizingly close to leveling the score. After a slick passing move, Sané found himself in space on the left wing. He swung in a teasing cross, and Gabriel Jesus, who had come on to replace Agüero, rose to meet it. His header was powerful, but it flashed inches wide of the post. Anfield held its breath.

Klopp, pacing furiously on the sidelines, knew his side was hanging on. Every time City advanced, the crowd grew more anxious. Liverpool's defensive line was holding firm, but the pressure was relentless.

The game continued following the same script, and as the 79th minute approached, City's persistence finally paid off.

It started, once again, with Kevin De Bruyne. Picking up the ball in midfield, De Bruyne spotted a gap in Liverpool's defensive shape. With a quick glance up, he threaded a perfectly timed pass into the path of Riyad Mahrez, who had peeled away from Robertson on the right flank.

Mahrez took the ball in stride, his first touch immaculate as he drove toward the byline. Robertson tried to close him down, but Mahrez was too quick, cutting inside onto his stronger left foot. With a quick glance up, Mahrez whipped in a vicious cross toward the penalty area, aiming for Gabriel Jesus.

Van Dijk, ever the commanding presence, rose above Jesus and powered the ball clear with a thundering header. But the clearance only went as far as Leroy Sané, who had ghosted into space on the edge of the box.

Sané didn't hesitate. The German winger took one touch to set himself before unleashing a venomous strike from a tight angle.

The ball flew through a sea of bodies, arrowing toward the bottom corner. Alisson, despite his best efforts, couldn't get down fast enough.

"GOAL! Leroy Sané!" the commentator screamed as the ball hit the back of the net. "City have their equalizer, and it's game on at Anfield!"

Anfield was stunned. Sané's strike was a hammer blow to Liverpool's hopes of a comfortable win, and the City players celebrated wildly. Guardiola clenched his fists, shouting encouragement to his players as they rushed to restart the game.

At 2-2, the momentum was firmly with Manchester City. Liverpool, who had looked so comfortable in the first half, were now on the back foot. City's dominance in midfield was suffocating, and their control of the game was becoming more evident with each passing minute.

With the score tied at 2-2 and just over 10 minutes remaining, it looked like the match was destined to end in a draw. Both teams were battling for control, but neither side could find a breakthrough. The tension was really intense as the game entered its final stages.

But just as the match seemed to be heading for a stalemate, an opportunity presented itself—one that Liverpool could not pass up.

It was the 92nd minute, deep into stoppage time, when Manchester City launched what they thought would be their final attack.

De Bruyne, once again at the heart of it, played a clever ball to Sané, who darted down the left flank. The German winger crossed the ball into the box, aiming for Jesus, but Alisson came out to claim it confidently. With a quick throw, Alisson set Liverpool off on a counterattack that would define the game.

The ball found its way to Sturridge, who flicked it on to Sadio Mane. Mane, using his blistering pace, charged up the right wing, carrying Liverpool's hopes with him. Mohamed Salah sprinted alongside him, while Zachary Bemba surged forward through the center, knowing this was their moment.

Mane threaded a pass to Salah, who exchanged a quick one-two with Zachary to break through City's tiring defense.

The fluidity of the movement was breathtaking—City's players could barely keep up as the Reds tore through them with lightning speed.

The pace of the counterattack was beyond measure, and as Zachary received the return pass from Salah, he found himself just outside the box, with Ederson rushing out to close him down.

But instead of shooting, Zachary looked up and spotted Sturridge in space, running towards the far post. With a simple, composed pass, Zachary played the ball across and square to his teammates.

Sturridge, completely unmarked, made no mistake. With one touch, he fired the ball into the bottom corner, sending Anfield into absolute chaos.

"GOAL! Daniel Sturridge!" screamed

 the commentator. "Liverpool have won it in the 93rd minute! It's 3-2 to the Reds, and Anfield is erupting!"

The Liverpool players piled on top of Sturridge, the crowd in frenzy as the Kop roared in celebration. Klopp, fists pumping the air, sprinted down the touchline, his jubilation clear for all to see.

City, who had worked so hard to claw their way back into the game, were now shell-shocked. They had thrown everything at Liverpool, only to be undone by a devastating counterattack in the dying moments.