LONDON: Two defensive howlers cost Liverpool all three points as they drew 2-2 with Premier League champions Manchester City at Anfield yesterday.
The Merseysiders twice went ahead through Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez on manager Brendan Rodgers’ home debut, but failed to hold the lead on both occasions with costly errors at the back gifting Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez goals.
It means Rodgers’ wait for a first Liverpool victory will wait another week after his side lost 3-0 to West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
After a sluggish start, Liverpool began to dominate proceedings and should have taken the lead when Fabio Borini sent a cross from impressive 17-year-old Raheem Stirling just wide.
Carlos Tevez went close at the other end, his shot from an acute angle hitting the post and spinning back into play.
Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany nearly steered the ball into his own net when an attempted clearance from a low Steven Gerrard drive went narrowly over the crossbar.
The hosts got the goal their pressure deserved from the resulting corner however, with Gerrard’s cross being met with an unstoppable header from Skrtel on the edge of the six-meter box on 34 minutes.
City’s equalizer was against the run of play when Toure took advantage of Pepe Reina and Martin Kelly’s failure to clear a Tevez cross, sweeping the ball into the net on 63 minutes.
Liverpool took the lead back barely a minute later when below-par striker Suarez hit a stunning free-kick from 20 meters out, after Jack Rodwell was harshly judged to have handled a Gerrard shot.
City, who came from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 last weekend, again pulled level with Tevez’s 100th goal in English football when Skrtel went from hero to villain, his poor backpass being intercepted by the Argentine who calmly rounded Reina to roll the ball into the empty net on 80 minutes.
In Sunday’s early match, Arsenal and Stoke City played out a 0-0 draw at the Britannia Stadium.
The result means Arsenal are still searching for their first goal of the season after they were held to a scoreless draw by Sunderland last weekend.
Hanover holds Schalke
to 2-2 draw
Champions League side Schalke 04 were held to a 2-2 draw at Hanover 96 yesterday as the hosts came from behind on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga’s 50th season.
The Royal Blues of Gelsenkirchen will discover their group stage opponents in Thursday’s Champions League draw, but threw away a 2-1 lead at Hanover, who have not lost at home for 18 months.
The hosts took the lead after a 43rd-minute header from Brazilian defender Felipe.
But Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the league’s top scorer last season, levelled for Schalke on 52 minutes with a long-range drive, while midfielder Lewis Holtby put the guests ahead 12 minutes later with a superb header.
Hanover’s Swiss midfielder Adrian Nikci, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes, became the hosts’ hero after converting a crisp pass from ex-Germany striker Jan Schlaudraff ten minutes from time to claim a point.
Defending champions Borussia Dortmund kicked off the new campaign with a 2-1 home win over Werder Bremen on Friday night thanks to goals from Germany stars Marco Reus and Mario Goetze.
Bavarian giants Bayern Munich also got their campaign off to a flying start with a 3-0 win at newly-promoted Greuther Fuerth on Saturday as goals from Thomas Mueller, Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben secured the win.
Munich are still smarting after Borussia Dortmund won last season’s Bundesliga title while Munich lost both the German Cup and Champions League finals.
There was drama on Saturday night as VfL Wolfburg claimed a late 1-0 victory over Stuttgart.
After Wolves’ goalkeeper Diego Benaglio saved a penalty from Stuttgart striker Vedad Ibisevic in the 88th minute then Wolfsburg’s 23-year-old Dutch forward Bas Dost headed the 90th-minute winner on his Bundesliga debut.
Promoted Eintracht Frankfurt came from behind for a 2-1 win at home to Bayer Leverkusen thanks to an equalizer from Stefan Aigner and a late header from Martin Lanig.
Borussia Moenchengladbach responded after their home defeat by Dynamo Kiev in Tuesday’s Champions League play-off first leg with a 2-1 victory at home to Hoffenheim.
Striker Mike Hanke headed home on 33 minutes, only for Hoffenheim’s Roberto Firmino to equalize with a header on 66 minutes.
Gladbach’s Venezuela midfielder Juan Arango then unleashed a spectacular free-kick on 79 minutes to claim the points.
City earns draw after Liverpool defensive errors
