Live Commentary: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City

Good evening and welcome to Nigerianeye's live text coverage of the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield.


The hosts come into this match sitting second in the Premier League table and knowing that victory would open up a four-point gap to their third-placed opponents.

City, meanwhile, would leapfrog the Reds into second with a win here as they look to make it four victories on the bounce.

Make sure you don't miss a moment of the action from the final Premier League game of 2016 courtesy of our minute-by-minute updates below.

OFFICIAL LINE-UPS

LIVERPOOL: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Can; Lallana, Mane, Firmino


LIVERPOOL SUBS: Karius, Moreno, Lucas, Alexander-Arnold, Ejaria, Origi, Sturridge

MANCHESTER CITY: Bravo; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling; Aguero

MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Caballero, Clichy, Sagna, Fernando, A Garcia, Iheanacho, Navas









Referee Craig Pawson blows his final whistle, and Anfield erupts in jubilation as Liverpool end the year on a high with victory over Manchester City. Georginio Wijnaldum scored the only goal of the game after just eight minutes, thumping a header past Bravo from Lallana's cross. The Reds close the gap on leaders Chelsea back to six points, and also move four points clear of Man City in third. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the match!


90+6 min FULL TIME: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City

90+5 min There is a brief stoppage here as a steward removes a flare that was thrown onto the pitch by Man City fans.

90+3 min YELLOW CARD! Otamendi goes into the book late on for a handball deep in his own corner.

90+1 min There will be four minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match.

89 min LIVERPOOL SUB: The hosts respond with a change of their own, with Lucas Leiva replacing Mane for what could well be his last appearance for the club if reports are to be believed.

89 min MAN CITY SUB: Another change for the visitors as Kelechi Iheanacho comes on in place of Toure.

88 min City want a free kick in a dangerous position as Lallana just leans in to Silva after Aguero had let the ball run through. Craig Pawson says no, though.

86 min MAN CITY SUB: Pep Guardiola finally makes his first change of the evening as Jesus Navas replaces Zabaleta.

85 min Again, Liverpool almost get into a good scoring position as the ball breaks for Clyne inside the area, but it is nicked off his toe just before the full-back can pull the trigger.

83 min Almost a chance for Liverpool from a corner as Mane finds a bit of space, but can't get enough on his header at the front post. Lovren almost gets to the ball at the back post, but a City defender makes an important interception first.

81 min Better from the hosts as Lallana gets in down the left flank before cutting back on himself and giving the ball to Firmino. The Brazilian then ducks and dives past two blue shirts but gives the ball away as the attack breaks down.

79 min Liverpool are in for a nervy final 10 minutes here if this continues. City are looking more and more dangerous and Liverpool will do well to withstand this pressure. A second goal may be Liverpool's best chance of claiming all three points here.

77 min It is so frantic at the moment. The Liverpool fans are urging their side to get forward but City are keeping the pressure on the home side, who have their backs to the wall at the moment.

75 min YELLOW CARD! Can goes into the book for a lunge on Sterling. No complaints there.

74 min It has been a scrappy second half in many ways so far. Neither team has been able to keep the ball as well as they did in the first half.

72 min Bravo channels his inner Mignolet with a take-on of his own, skipping past Mane as the Liverpool striker chased him down. Risky stuff from the City keeper, but it came off.

70 min City are very much on top at the moment - they have enjoyed 89% possession in the last five minutes. Liverpool are struggling to keep hold of the ball, while City are looking more dangerous with the possession they do have.

68 min There is a frantic feel to this game at the moment, and I would be surprised if we had seen the last of the goals in this game. It hasn't been as action-packed as I expected, but this one still feels like there is more drama to come.

66 min Liverpool have a good chance to break here as they pour forward in numbers. Mane knocks it out wide to Firmino, who has Origi in the middle, but the Brazilian tries to trick his way past Kolarov and goes down, only for Craig Pawson to wave his claims away.

64 min LIVERPOOL SUB: Henderson will not be able to continue here, so on comes Divock Origi in his place.

63 min Henderson needs a bit of treatment here, which could turn into a good thing for Liverpool as it has slowed things down a bit just as City were beginning to get into their stride.

61 min This has been much better from Man City in the last six or seven minutes - by far their best spell of the game. De Bruyne has a chance to create something as the ball arrives to him inside the box, but his cross is blocked by Wijnaldum. City's momentum is really growing now.

59 min SAVE! Another save for Mignolet to make, but it is another simple one. A corner is played directly out to Kolarov on the edge of the area and he tries a first-time volley which deflects into the arms of Mignolet. It would have gone a long way wide had it not taken a deflection on the way through.

57 min CHANCE! Half a chance for City again here as Toure pings a beauty of a diagonal pass over to Sterling, who makes a good run in behind the defence. The winger is at full stretch, though, and can only turn the ball into the side-netting.

55 min CLOSE! City's threat is finally beginning to grow here. Silva is the man to finally get his foot on the ball this time as he ducks inside onto his left foot and shoots from the edge of the box, but it goes narrowly wide of the far post.

54 min SAVE! City finally have their first shot on target, but it is an easy one for Mignolet. Aguero finds shooting space for the first time tonight and has a snapshot from 25 yards, but it is straight at the Liverpool keeper.

52 min Man City just can't seem to get on the ball at the moment, particularly in a dangerous position. If Guardiola read them the riot act at half time then they don't seem to have responded.

50 min Liverpool have made a good, bright start to this second half. They are seeing more of the ball than City and look capable of creating something when they come forward too.

48 min Craig Pawson comes over to have a chat with Lallana and Zabaleta, just calming things down following a brief and minor flare-up between the two.

46 min CHANCE! Almost a chance in the opening minute of the second half as Lallana breaks forward before giving the ball to Firmino. A cross eventually finds its way to Clyne inside the area, but the ball doesn't sit up for him to shoot and the chance goes begging.

46 min KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half at Anfield as they look to close the gap on leaders Chelsea back to six points.


The first half comes to an end at Anfield, then, and it is Liverpool who go into the break with a deserved lead over Manchester City. Clear cut chances have been few and far between at either end of the pitch, but it is Liverpool who have enjoyed the greater control over the game for the most part.


45+2 min HALF TIME: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City

45 min There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

44 min Almost a huge chance for Liverpool to get a second! Toure gives the ball away and Firmino and Lallana immediately pounce. Firmino pokes it through to Lallana, who looks to be clean through on goal, but the linesman's flag is correctly raised. A big opportunity goes begging for the hosts.

42 min City's brightest attacking moment so far comes as Firmino gifts possession to De Bruyne in a good position. The Belgian immediately drives to the edge of the box, ghosting past Klavan in the process, but the Liverpool defender recovers to get a block on the eventual shot.

41 min It has been a little better from City in the last few minutes here. They have gained more control over the match but are still yet to trouble Mignolet in the Liverpool goal.

39 min Silva does get on the ball in a promising position here, floating a pass over to the left side of the area where Kolarov is waiting. The full-back volleys a first-time effort back across the area, but it is behind all of the blue shirts.

37 min Liverpool have done a good job of preventing City's match-winners from getting on the ball so far. We have seen very little of De Bruyne, Aguero or Silva in an attacking sense so far.

35 min Really good pressing from Liverpool as they force City back all the way to Bravo. There just doesn't seem to be any route forward for the visitors at the moment.

33 min City have not been able to come up with anything of note in an attacking sense in this game, particularly since Liverpool took the lead. The visitors have seen more of the ball, but it is Liverpool who are in control of this game.

31 min Nervy moments for Liverpool as Mignolet comes a long way off his line to mop up a ball over the top. Aguero is chasing him down, but Mignolet lifts the ball over the Argentine's head before passing it over another City player out to Milner.

30 min SHOT! Liverpool are beginning to see more sights of goal here. Can is the latest to have a go, cutting onto his right foot on the edge of the box before firing an effort just too high and wide when looking for the top corner.

28 min Very nearly a chance for Liverpool again as Milner lifts a brilliant pass into the path of Firmino, but his control just lets him down. He would have been one on one with the keeper had he taken that in his stride!

26 min SHOT! Good football again from Liverpool as they force City into a mistake and immediately look to pounce. Firmino and Mane combine to find Wijnaldum, but this time the midfielder's effort is high and wide of the target.

24 min Craig Pawson has a word with Fernandinho following a foul on Lallana, with the crowd baying for a yellow card. The referee keeps his cards in his pocket this time, but that looks like a final warning for Fernandinho.

22 min City try a long ball over the top of the Liverpool defence which Aguero takes down brilliantly inside the area, but before he can finish it the linesman's flag is correctly raised.

20 min Nothing delights this Anfield crowd quite as much as Sterling trying something and it not coming off. One of the biggest cheers of the night greets a cross from the winger which sails straight over the bar.

19 min City have enjoyed almost 60% possession in this match so far, but the majority of it has come on the halfway line with the two centre-backs. City are yet to really trouble Mignolet for all of their possession today.

17 min Lallana's assist for that opening goal means that no midfielder in Europe's top five leagues has been directly involved in more goals this season. His seven assists is also his best haul for a single campaign, and we're not even halfway through the season!

15 min I questioned in the build-up to this match how City would be able to cope with Liverpool's pressing style, but the hosts aren't playing like that at the moment. They are keeping their shape and sitting back challenging City to break them down.

13 min Liverpool seem fairly content to let City have the majority of the ball at the moment, focusing instead on hitting the visitors on the counter. That is how their goal came, and they can afford to just sit back and draw City out a bit more now.

11 min Aguero looks to provide that quick response by slaloming into a decent shooting position just outside the area, but his attempt with the outside of his boot goes comfortably wide.

10 min That goal should really settle Liverpool down after what had been a relatively slow start to the game from the home side. City, meanwhile, will want a response quickly.

8 min One chance, one goal for Liverpool! They draw first blood at Anfield through a bullet header from Wijnaldum! Lallana is given too much space on the left flank and he hangs a cross into the middle that Wijnaldum attacks really well. He meets it perfectly and steers his header into the bottom corner.

8 min GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City (Georginio Wijnaldum)

7 min YELLOW CARD! Klavan picks up an early yellow card here for a foul on Aguero.

6 min Man City have seen the better of the opening exchanges here, with Liverpool yet to really get into any attacking rhythm.

4 min Sterling has seen a lot of the ball in these opening exchanges, and it is notable that the Liverpool players are quick to pounce on him - perhaps fired up by the boisterous crowd.

2 min Man City have an early chance from a free kick in a good position, which was won by the pantomime villain Sterling. Kolarov lines it up, but slams it straight into the wall.

1 min KICKOFF: Here we go! The final Premier League match of 2016 gets underway, and it is a huge one for both sides. Manchester City kick us off!