Liverpool beat Man City, securing second place in the table.

Georginio Wijnaldum's header in the eighth minute secured a 1-0 home victory for Jurgen Klopp's side.

The final Premier League match of 2016 was a thrilling affair with a balanced game between the two teams. Former Newcastle midfielder Wijnaldum scored a crucial goal to give Liverpool three important points, allowing them to continue chasing Chelsea and pull away from Manchester City.

Wijnaldum's goal came from a simple cross and header, originating from a pass by Adam Lallana. However, this was a textbook counter-attack by the home team. They only needed three touches to find the back of the net against Man City. First, Roberto Firmino delivered a long pass from his own half to Lallana. Then, the England midfielder made an accurate pass for Wijnaldum to head the ball into the far corner of the net.

Wijnaldum's precious goal secured the victory for Liverpool. Photo: Reuters.

After conceding a goal, Man City tried to control the game slowly. They held possession but rarely troubled goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The most dangerous chance created by Man City was David Silva's left-footed shot in the 56th minute, which went just wide of the post.

Liverpool appeared slightly faster and more clinical than Man City, particularly in the first half. In the 28th minute, James Milner delivered an excellent pass to Firmino, but the Brazilian striker miscontrolled the ball with only goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in front of him. Two minutes later, Emre Can curled a shot from outside the box just wide of the goal.

Yaya Toure has recently been given a chance again by Pep Guardiola, but in this match he was nothing more than a cumbersome machine, a stark contrast to the speed and agility of Wijnaldum, Can, and Lallana. In this game, Man City's attacking stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero (returning from suspension), David Silva, and Raheem Sterling all disappointed.

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

This was the first Premier League clash between Guardiola and Klopp. In his 15 months at Anfield, Klopp had created a vibrant atmosphere, evoking strong emotions from the fans. During his tenure, Liverpool only lost once to Manchester United in matches against strong teams like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham. The German coach kept Liverpool fans dreaming of their team lifting the English league title for the first time since 1990.

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

According to VNE