Liverpool beat Man City, defending second place

Georginio Wijnaldum's eighth-minute header gave Jurgen Klopp's side a 1-0 home win.

The final Premier League match of 2016 was a thrilling affair with both teams playing out a tight contest. Former Newcastle midfielder Wijnaldum scored a vital goal to help Liverpool secure three vital points to keep up with Chelsea and shake off the clutches of Man City.

Wijnaldum's goal was a simple cross and header from Adam Lallana. However, it was a classic counter-attack from the home side. It only took three passes to open the City net. First, Roberto Firmino's long pass from home to Lallana. Then, the England midfielder's precise pass for Wijnaldum to head into the far corner.

Wijnaldum's precious goal helped Liverpool win. Photo: Reuters.

After the loss, Man City struggled to control the game slowly. They had a lot of possession but rarely troubled goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The most dangerous move Man City created was David Silva's dribble and left-footed shot that went wide of the post in the 56th minute.

Liverpool were a little quicker and more compact than Man City, especially in the first half. In the 28th minute, James Milner made an excellent pass to Firmino but the Brazilian striker failed to control the ball with only goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in front of him. Two minutes later, Emre Can curled the ball from outside the box and it went just wide of the goal.

Yaya Toure has recently been trusted by Pep Guardiola again, but in this match, he was like a cumbersome machine, in contrast to the speed and flexibility of Wijnaldum, Can, Lallana. In this match, Man City's attacking stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, who just returned from suspension, David Silva, and Raheem Sterling were all disappointing.

Man City's attacking stars were disappointing in this match. Photo: Reuters.

This is the first match between Guardiola and Klopp in the Premier League. In the past 15 months working at Anfield, Klopp has created a lively atmosphere, evoking emotions from the fans. During his time in charge, Liverpool has only lost to Man Utd once in the confrontations with strong teams such as Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal or Tottenham. The German coach makes Liverpool fans continue to dream of the prospect of their team lifting the English Championship Cup for the first time since 1990.

This victory helps Liverpool narrow the gap with the top team Chelsea to six points. As for Man City, they face the risk of being overtaken by Arsenal in the fourth position if the "Gunners" beat Crystal Palace in the late match of round 19 of the Premier League.

According to VNE