Manchester City and Liverpool have today played out a 1-1 draw in a frenetic encounter at Anfield in the Premier League.
City got off to a great start when Kevin De Bruyne’s corner was turned in by John Stones after good play by Nathan Ake to shield Alexis Mac Allister.
But Liverpool hit back through Mac Allister from the penalty spot in the second-half, after some very poor play from Ake who sold Ederson short with a back pass.
There was a very surprising moment in the second-half when Pep Guardiola decided to change things up.
Julian Alvarez came off for Jeremy Doku, but Kevin De Bruyne also went off with Mateo Kovacic replacing him.
This change came as a real surprise given De Bruyne’s stature and quality, and Nevin reacted on BBC Sport…
Pat Nevin reacts to Kevin De Bruyne substitution for Manchester City against Liverpool
De Bruyne’s corner for City’s goal was superb.
But aside from that, the Belgian did not have a particularly impactful game today against Liverpool.
that said, the sight of him being replaced was still a real surprise, and the player clearly felt that way too, with camera showing him having an animated conversation with Pep Guardiola.
Analysing the moment for BBC Sport, Pat Nevin said: “It’s really strange that [Kevin de Bruyne’s reaction to coming off].
“The obvious one to take off would have been Silva. De Bruyne has not had a great half but Silva, he’s injured and he has not had a great impact on the game so far. He might have been saying ‘Why not take him off?’.
“But it was very odd – very un-De-Bruyne-like.”
A strange call
De Bruyne’s change was seemingly tactical given the way he was reacting to being taken off.
It was certainly a very bold call from Pep, as we all know what De Bruyne is capable of, even when he isn’t playing that well.
He’d already assisted in the game, and there was always a chance he could have made another impact in the match
Having said that, it was a move that got Phil Foden central, where he’s been brilliant this season, and Kovacic did well when he came on to his credit. But it was still a very interesting call from the manager.
