'Title race may not be formality most are expecting'

Trent Alexander-Arnold scored his first goal of the season which put an end to Manchester City's 23 consecutive winning streak at Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City and Liverpool have regularly provided exciting football matches ever since they emerged as the top contenders in the Premier League. This has been possible due to the guidance provided by their respective managers, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.

This game felt like a mundane and routine match for both teams, which could have been due to their early start, feeling exhausted from playing internationally or simply because football players are also humans. It lacked the usual excitement and intensity that we have come to expect from these two teams.

Despite the presence of many people inside the Etihad Stadium, it appeared that they were not enthusiastic about the match. Manchester City's manager, Guardiola, even resorted to asking the fans to make more noise during the second half. It was an unusual situation where the atmosphere lacked its usual liveliness.

The City team has a big challenge ahead of them after their exceptional success winning the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup last season, alongside the Uefa Super Cup this season. However, they didn't forget about their extraordinary accomplishments and made a statement to their fans and Liverpool with four banners placed on the field before the game.

There was a lot of anticipation leading up to what is now considered the most well-known match in the Premier League.

Despite the remarkable achievement of Erling Haaland, who became the fastest player to score 50 Premier League goals in just 48 games, the overall energy of the game felt quite subdued. The match only saw a burst of excitement towards the end when City attempted to regain the lead, but unfortunately for them, Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a late goal to level the game.

The City team outperformed Liverpool and deserved to win, however, this could be a sign that the Premier League may not be predictable this season, despite many people thinking it would be. Nonetheless, the logical choice is still to bet on Guardiola's team, particularly when Kevin de Bruyne returns.

The writer mentioned that the players of City still have a strong desire to win, and they are an outstanding team in Europe. They brought in Jeremy Doku, who is an exciting player due to his speed and direct playing style. Unfortunately, they faced a setback when they had to let go of Jack Grealish due to illness.

Other teams can take solace in their performance, like the defeat at Arsenal and the ties against Chelsea and Liverpool while playing at home.

People who want to dethrone City will require maximum assistance because City has finally failed to triumph at home after 24 games.

Liverpool is among the teams that look forward to taking advantage of any slip-ups City may make. However, they are actually a team that's undergoing transition and are trying to adapt new players into the team. Their start of the season may have come as a surprise even to them.

Liverpool under Klopp are facing some tough challenges lately. They have been struggling to prevent their opponents from scoring first in their last six away Premier League games, something that hasn't happened since 2006. Additionally, this season marks the first time since 2004-05 that Liverpool has failed to achieve a clean sheet in their first seven away Premier League games.

There is no doubt that Klopp's squad, dubbed the "Liverpool reloaded," has a lot of personality. Despite not performing to their fullest potential, they always have an intimidating presence that can be risky to overlook. Manchester City learned this lesson the hard way.

Despite facing the unyielding Doku, they persevered, demonstrated endurance, and ultimately reaped the benefits. Alexander-Arnold redeemed himself after a challenging defensive performance by exhibiting remarkable skill for the equalizing goal.

Alisson, the goalkeeper for Liverpool, caused a lot of issues due to his poor kicking, but he still managed to make some crucial saves. However, Manchester City had a chance to win the game at the very end, but unfortunately, Haaland's header missed the far post by only a few inches.

Although there were some impressive moments, notably when City masterfully pieced together their passes to create opportunities and when Doku consistently probed for weaknesses, it's unrealistic to anticipate that every encounter between them will be exceptional.

The city displays an attitude of superiority so strong that any contenders will grasp at even the slightest opportunity. Despite it being weak, earning two consecutive draws may be the best possible outcome for them.