- Wijnaldum opens scoring
- Chances at a premium
- Reds only shot on target
The last Premier League match of 2016 happened to be one of the most anticipated one of the campaign.
It also happened to be a bit of a dud.
Georginio Wijnaldum scored one of three total shots on target between Liverpool and Manchester City as Reds boss Jurgen Klopp won his initial Premier League encounter with Pep Guardiola.
Anfield won’t care much for how it looked, as Liverpool stays within six points of Chelsea for the Premier League lead. Man City is now 10 points back of the leaders, four behind Liverpool, and just three ahead of sixth place Manchester United.
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Wijnaldum scored on Liverpool’s first real threat, rising over Aleksandar Kolarov to head Adam Lallana’s cross home for a 1-0 lead.
It was a rare moment of first half excitement in this much-anticipated duel, and Man City in particular struggled to assert itself in the match.
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7 - Adam Lallana has made seven assists in the Premier League this season (in 17 apps); his most ever in a single campaign. Revitalised.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 31, 2016
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The Reds continued their control of the match in the second half, though action remained choppy and chippy.
David Silva put a pair of electric moments together as the match began to take a blue turn in the 53rd minute. Kolarov hit a volleyed corner at Mignolet six minutes later.