Liverpool emerged from the Etihad Stadium without the bitter taste of defeat, with Jurgen Klopp's side battling hard to fight back and secure a point against Manchester City through Trent Alexander-Arnold's incisive equaliser.
The result in the Premier League means that the Reds remain just one point behind Pep Guardiola's outfit, though Arsenal have now taken pole position after defeating Brentford on Saturday.
While snapping the Citizen's 23-match winning run on home soil was galvanising and a massive step forward, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that Liverpool rode their luck at times and endured an erroneous affair at times.
However, Alexander-Arnold's goal was a product of the Anfield side's resilience and ruthlessness, two yardsticks of Liverpool's success under Klopp.
However, Darwin Nunez did not embody such values on the pitch and endured one of his tougher matches of the campaign, having performed so well for the most part after a testing 2022/23 term.
Darwin Nunez's performance vs Manchester City
Liverpool's £85m club-record signing arrived with great expectation last season after plundering 34 goals from 41 appearances during his final campaign in Portugal with Benfica.
The 24-year-old scored 15 times across all competitions but missed 20 big chances in the Premier League alone, with Klopp forced to stress that the Uruguayan's success on Merseyside is a "long-term project".
Well, he's certainly raised his game since the summer and has landed a direct goal contribution every 80 minutes this season, but against Manchester City, the £140k-per-week forward failed to grasp his opportunities – handed a poor 4/10 match rating via GOAL after the contest.
Nunez was lively against the treble winners and did take four shots, but he failed to inspire with any meaningful efforts, took just 25 touches and lost both of his contested ground duels, as per Sofascore.
He will need to build on his better displays this season and prove himself as the ruthless figure up front that Klopp can rely on to finish off the lightning-quick breaks that have become a trademark over the past several years.
It was always going to be one of the trickier contests of the calendar, however, and there is plenty of cause for optimism given the discernible improvements since the summer.
The bigger quandary that Klopp and co will now be wrestling with will be working out the perfect partner for Dominik Szoboszlai in the midfield, with Curtis Jones also enduring an ineffective afternoon in Manchester.
Curtis Jones' game vs Manchester City in numbers
Jones has been one of Liverpool's unsung heroes in 2023, emerging as a centrepiece of the side's resurgence in the later phase of the 2022/23 season and starting all 11 of the Reds' culminating league fixtures, leading one analyst & scout to remark at his "complete" skill set.
He'd been crucial in the current campaign's early phase for a contentious dismissal against Tottenham Hotspur in September, with The Athletic's James Pearce noting the "flying" start that had yielded a 93% pass success rate in the Premier League, as per Sofascore.
But, on his return against City, the 22-year-old did not enjoy his finest hour and was indeed hooked after just 54 minutes, having taken just 34 touches, made just one tackle and failed to create a single key pass.
Nunez might have been branded with a 4/10 score but the Englishman was handed a lowly 3/10 match rating by GOAL, with Tom Maston writing: 'Gave the ball away on far too many occasions as City's midfield looked to swarm him and force him into mistakes. Replaced by Gravenberch early in the second half.'
Jones is a composed, intelligent midfielder and will play a key part for his outfit over the coming months, but when considering the impact that Ryan Gravenberch made off the bench, it's hard to argue against the Dutchman's claims for a regular starting berth.
Ryan Gravenberch must start for Liverpool
Liverpool completed the £34m transfer of Gravenberch from German giants Bayern Munich in August to complete Klopp's midfield overhaul this summer, and he has since been hailed as “unbelievable” by former Reds midfielder Didi Hamann, who spoke with incredulity over Die Roten's failure to bring out his best attributes.
The £150k-per-week midfielder only earned three Bundesliga starts and clinched just one goal and one assist, though, since his move to Merseyside, he has already bagged four direct contributions, dubbed a "special player" by Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders.
#
Player
Club
1
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
2
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
3
Khephren Thuram
OGC Nice
4
Conor Gallagher
Chelsea
5
Joelinton
Newcastle
*Sourced via FBref
Very much the all-encompassing midfielder, Gravenberch ranks within the top 20% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, shot-creating actions, pass completion, progressive passes, progressive carries, successful take-ons, interceptions and blocks per 90, as per FBref.
Brought into the action in the second half (for Jones), the 11-cap Netherlands international played an important part in Liverpool's equaliser after gliding up the pitch into the danger area, forcing the hosts into a defensive structure that was swiftly breached.
In his second-half cameo, Gravenberch made a key pass and impressed with his positivity, with Maston writing that he made 'some good defensive interventions from the Netherlands international after coming on for Jones', which showcases the multi-functionality of this dynamic ace.
Described as a "Rolls-Royce" by journalist Declan Carr, the 6 foot 2 whiz looks increasingly influential in the engine room and is willing to carry the ball forward with penetrative effectiveness to ensure the Reds have a steady, reliable offensive threat from deep, complementing the likes of Mohamed Salah and Nunez in the final third.
The very fact that Klopp now boasts multiple options in the centre of the park will be most pleasing after last year's struggles; indeed, Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara have been plagued with injury all season and will hope to make an impact after the new year.
But Gravenberch is staking a claim for a prominent position to rival the most cemented stars in the squad, and after returning to action in style at the Etihad, Gravenberch must now be unleashed from the outset over the crucial coming matches in the Premier League.
