Liverpool vs Man City shows what Super Sunday matches are all about

In the razzmatazz world of the sporting box office, it is often true that the events themselves can fail to live up to the hype.

When a world title boxing match is waived off before barely a punch has been thrown or a first-corner crash renders a Formula One race a procession from lights to flag, fans can sometimes be forgiven for feeling a little short-changed. But surely no one who watched Liverpool vs Manchester City play on Sunday can feel anything other than thoroughly entertained.

This is what these “Super Sunday” matches at the very top of the game are supposed to be about, with the very best that football has to offer squaring off against each other. Sometimes the sheer quality on show means that the entertainment value is overshadowed by the post-match post mortems.

But not this game, as two of the best teams in Europe, helmed by two of the finest managers in the game, went toe to toe and punch for punch in a thrilling contest.

The home side took the lead through Sadio Mane, only for Phil Foden to fire City level almost immediately. That only served to set the stage for Mohamed Salah, however, with the Egyptian scoring one of the finest individual goals the Premier League has seen, to restore Liverpool’s advantage. A goal worthy of winning any game, as the old phrase goes, but not this one as Kevin De Bruyne earned the visitors to Anfield a more than deserved point at the death.

Spoils shared and a title race neatly poised with Chelsea, victors on Saturday, surely well in the hunt too and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United also circling. After the procession of a year ago, it promises to be a far more keenly contested fight this time around, with plenty more twists and turns to comes as the key protagonists face off.

If the games are anything like this most recent one, maybe the fans watching will end up the real winners.

Yours,

Ben Burrows

Sports editor