The crucial factor set to decide Man City and Liverpool’s latest title battle

The league’s top goalscorer, who plays for the champions, netted one goal. Not much of a surprise there. Perhaps there was marginally more surprise in the name of the other, Trent Alexander-Arnold getting his first of the season, but given his ability in the final third and his increasing involvement there, the Liverpool vice-captain having a telling impact as a whole certainly isn’t a shock.

Nor could the game’s other impressive performers be listed as surprises: Rodri shone for Manchester City, Virgil van Dijk did for the visitors, Manuel Akanji, Joel Matip, Jeremy Doku and Mohamed Salah all had moments where they showed why they are regulars and are in such good form. All of them played their part in a 1-1 draw between the clubs at the Etihad on Saturday.

None of this will surprise either manager, none of it is particualrly noteworthy – they’re all first-team players, most of them near-guaranteed starters and each will play a big role in both teams’ campaigns and attempts to land trophies this season. But in terms of who wins those pieces of silverware, which edges out the other over 38 matches or across knockout games, it’s perhaps to the names who played no part or failed to impact much at all that we must instead look, in time, to determine who wins what.

Liverpool made five substitutions during the encounter, the first pair just a few minutes into the second half; the last pair heading towards stoppage time. Pep Guardiola opted to make none whatsoever. In part that was because he had no real option to. City named just six outfield players on the bench, only four of whom we might call established, senior players. And with regards to Kalvin Phillips in particular, perhaps even that is stretching the truth somewhat.

It’s not as though a horde of internationals sat watching on from the sidelines, either. Jack Grealish, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were absent, as was of course Kevin De Bruyne. But that’s largely it. Despite the sums spent it looks rather thin, particularly regarding attacking alternatives for Guardiola.

City have a deep squad, for sure, but it’s not vast. What they instead have is a closer collection of quality; selecting between any of five or six defensive options, for example, does not necessarily make City better or worse by an enormous amount. Other clubs have greater numbers, but also a far greater variance of ability throughout those squads.

Guardiola is keen to rely on intelligence and versatility to make up for any potential numerical shortfall for now, with John Stones on the bench against Liverpool and almost ready for action and Rico Lewis a certain starter in midweek. “[Stones] feels good but we want to give him one or two weeks to have proper strength training sessions, he is so important for us, I like him playing when he’s completely ready,” the City boss said after the Etihad draw.

“Rico is ready, he can play five positions and we are going to use him on Tuesday. I don’t complain. You see the team, how aggressive they are. We need them [injured players back].”

Whether that will change, in the January market or just with the progression of the campaign and a chosen starting group of 14 or so emerging, remains to be seen. De Bruyne’s return will be an obvious and incredible boost, bringing goals and a different type of unpredictability to the team.

Guardiola has opted for a tighter collective, but will certainly need more big performers and match-winners from those around the fringes than he was able to call upon against Liverpool.

For the Merseyside club themselves, it’s a slightly different matter. Jurgen Klopp has numbers and options in some areas, while other parts of the rebuild still look incomplete. But while Salah and Darwin Nunez have been effective, for example, Cody Gakpo is yet to show what level he can reach with any consistency. Diogo Jota has been clinical but erratic, and more than once injured. It appears he is so again, too.

There remain questions of impact and consistency, cohesion and quality over the younger players further back, too: Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch, even Curtis Jones – excellent on their day, but all with improvements to make to seal starting spots, let alone be considered on a par with the undroppable few.

Games between the top teams sometimes enthrall, sometimes feel as though they cancel each other out. The latter can be down to the best players being of a near-equal standing when the stakes are highest. But across the course of the campaign it will, as it often is, be who can call on the rest of the gang most frequently, most reliably, most impactfully, who likely wins out in the race for the title and beyond.