Manchester City registers dramatic 3-2 win against Liverpool in thriller League Cup match

• Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez scored for the Premier League champions.
• Jurgen Klopp’s side responded with goals from Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Saleh.
• Ake’s header from a precise cross by De Bruyne put City ahead.

Thursday night’s dramatic 3-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium was decided by a header from Nathan Ake, as Manchester City eliminated League Cup champions, Liverpool.

This round-of-16 match represented the return to competitive action of two English football powerhouses following the World Cup, and it was a high-octane battle.

Premier League champions City took the lead twice through Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez, but Liverpool responded quickly with goals from Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Saleh.

After Ake scored to make the score 3-2 just before the hour mark, the visitors were unable to get a third equalizer.

Pep Guardiola named six World Cup participants to his starting lineup.

Ake, Manuel Akanji, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, and Ilkay Gundogan all participated from the opening whistle.

Jurgen Klopp, whose side defeated Chelsea 11-10 in a long penalty shootout at Wembley in February as the Reds won a record eighth League Cup, has also picked a strong team.

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Salah, making his first appearance in the League Cup outside the finals since October 2020, was part of the German’s attacking line alongside Darwin Nunez and Carvalho.

The Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, was included on the substitutes’ bench, although Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk were both omitted following their World Cup participation.

Haaland and Cole Palmer squandered opportunities to score early on, but it didn’t take long for the Norway star to make apologies.

Haaland scored his 24th goal of the season in the 10th minute by converting De Bruyne’s near-post cross after going in front of Joe Gomez against the Liverpool defense.

Carvalho scored from a James Milner cross after the former City player was granted too much space in the penalty box. Liverpool drew level inside 10 minutes.

At halftime, the visitors substituted Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for rookie midfielder Stefan Bajcetic and Carvalho.

Before either of the two substitutes was able to enter the game, Liverpool fell behind again.

76 seconds into the second half, Mahrez scored off a Rodri cross from the right side of the penalty box.

However, City’s lead evaporated less than a minute later as Nunez outran Laporte down the left flank and Salah converted a poor cross to draw Liverpool level at 2-2.

In the 58th minute, after a quickly taken corner kick, Ake smashed in a header from a magnificent precision cross by the excellent De Bruyne to put City up for the third time.

Oxlade-Chamberlain went down in the penalty area after colliding with Ake in the 69th minute, but David Coote denied the Reds a penalty kick and the referee’s judgment held since VAR was not used.

Liverpool had a great opportunity to tie the game as a brilliant pass from Naby Keita released Nunez down the right sideline while onside.

After running past the City defense, Nunez, albeit from an acute angle, missed the far post with his shot.

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