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City, Liverpool share spoils as Kane joins 150 club

November 9, 2020 02:51 AM


Kevin De Bruyne missed a penalty as Manchester City squandered the chance to close the gap on Liverpool on Sunday while Tottenham's Harry Kane celebrated joining the Premier League's 150 club.

A win at the Etihad would have taken the Reds to the summit but the battle between the two dominant powers of recent seasons ended 1-1.

That meant Leicester clung onto top spot after leapfrogging Spurs with a 1-0 win at home to Wolves.

Jurgen Klopp's champions made an aggressive start against City, with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota all in a fearsome-looking starting line-up.

The visitors went ahead in the 13th minute when Salah converted a penalty after Kyle Walker clipped Mane in the box but City drew level just after the half-hour mark through Gabriel Jesus.

The home side were awarded a penalty themselves just before the interval after a VAR check but De Bruyne skewed wide. 

The draw left Liverpool in third place on 17 points after eight games, one point behind Leicester and five clear of City, who have a game in hand.

"Super football game to be honest," Klopp told Sky Sports. "Two top teams ready for a massive fight -- energy levels of both teams incredible."

"We were really good and dangerous," he added. "We were ready to make little passes -- there were moments we played too many long balls. Time to time we just wanted to get rid of the ball."

City boss Pep Guardiola said his side had struggled to cope in the early stages of the match with Liverpool's marauding front four.

"The way they played and the way we behaved in response was incredible," he said. "I'm so proud of my players. The difference today was they got a penalty and we missed a penalty."

Kane hits 150 mark 

Earlier, Kane headed in a late winner in a 1-0 victory against struggling West Brom to briefly lift Jose Mourinho's side to the top of the table after their fourth win in five league games.

Only Alan Shearer and Sergio Aguero have scored 150 Premier League goals in fewer appearances than Kane, who reached the landmark in his 218th match.

Mourinho was effusive in his praise for his star striker, who also has 10 assists in all competitions this season.

"Harry Kane, you have to say has this many goals, this many assists, this number of balls recovered, this number of duels won, this number of balls that he saved his team in a defensive set-piece," he said.

"This is Harry Kane. It's goals plus this and this and this and that."

The landmark effort for Kane, who scored his 200th Tottenham goal in all competitions against Ludogorets on Thursday, was perfectly timed after they had laboured to break down stubborn Albion.

Mourinho started with Kane, Gareth Bale and Son Heung-min in his front three for the first time, and while the latter two were quiet, Kane was on hand to clinch Tottenham's third successive league victory.

But Spurs' stay at the top of the Premier League table was short-lived as Jamie Vardy netted his eighth Premier League goal of the season for Leicester.

Vardy scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 15th minute -- following a VAR check -- after Wolves' Max Kilman handled Dennis Praet's cross in the area.

He blew a chance to make it 2-0 from the spot when he was denied by Rui Patricio late in the first half but Brendan Rodgers' team held on to take all three points.

"We couldn't have asked for a better start," said Rodgers, whose side travel to Liverpool after the international break

"I have always said failure is learning and if anyone says us not getting into the Champions League last season was failing then, OK. For us it was about learning and developing."

Arsenal host Aston Villa in the late kick-off.



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