Gomez looks for Henderson down the right flank, but the midfielder moves a fraction too early and is caught offside.
90' +1
Keita tries to thread a pass through to Nunez, but the ball is just too far ahead of the forward and Ortega gathers.
90'
There will be four minutes of added time.
88'
Bernardo Silva enters the game and replaces İ. Gündoğan.
Gundogan is down with cramp and now makes way for Silva for the closing stages.
86'
City are trying to work the ball around the pitch to take time off the clock. Liverpool have to be aggressive now.
83'
N. Keïta gets yellow.
Keita is late on Lewis in the middle of the park and goes into the book.
81'
Rodri attempts to attack a cross from the right flank from De Bruyne, but he fouls Kelleher in the process to give away a free-kick.
79'
Rodri gets yellow.
Fabinho gets yellow.
Rodri goes into the book for his reaction as he shoved Fabinho.
Fabinho goes into the book for his part in the melee with Rodri. His rough challenge started the scuffle.
78'
Rodri and Fabinho collide in the middle of the park after a challenge by the Brazilian. Both men have to be separated.
Minute
Description
75'
Grealish has room to run at Gomez down the left flank, but the defender uses his body well to fend off the winger to win his team a goal-kick.
73'
P. Foden enters the game and replaces E. Haaland.
J. Grealish enters the game and replaces C. Palmer.
Palmer was influential in the first half, but he makes way now for Grealish on the left flank.
Haaland makes way for the home side after a quiet second half. Foden enters the action.
70'
N. Keïta enters the game and replaces Thiago Alcântara.
Keita enters the action for Liverpool after a period out with injury. He replaces Thiago in the midfield.
68'
Oxlade-Chamberlain goes down under pressure from Ake in the box and everyone looks to the referee David Coote. The official waves play on, much to the relief of the home side.
65'
OVER! Robertson gets excited at the back post as a loose ball falls his way and blazes his strike over the bar. Not the best strike from the Scot.
64'
Matip plays a throughball to release Gomez down the right flank. The defender has space to whip in a cross, but sends his delivery straight at Ake, who clears the danger.
62'
Kelleher has to scramble to prevent Haaland from pouncing on a loose ball in the Liverpool box, smothering the ball at the feet of the forward.
61'
J. Stones enters the game and replaces M. Akanji.
Akanji makes way for the home side and is replaced by Stones.
58'
N. Aké has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by K. De Bruyne.
De Bruyne arcs a brilliant delivery to the back post from the left flank after playing a one-two with Palmer, allowing Ake to score.
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!! AKE HEADS HOME!!!!!!!! 3-2!!!!!!! Ake missed a header in the first half, but he converts on this occasion to put City ahead for the third time. De Bruyne plays a one-two out from a corner on the left with Palmer and curls a brilliant cross to the back post. Ake arrives late and plants his header away from Kelleher into the back of the net.
57'
J. Henderson enters the game and replaces H. Elliott.
Elliott is withdrawn for the visitors and is replaced by Henderson.
55'
Palmer runs down the left flank and curls a precise delivery into the middle that Phillips heads clear away from Haaland.
54'
WIDE! Palmer has space on the left flank again and angles a strike at goal on his left foot, only to slice his effort wide of the target.
53'
It has been a frenetic start to the second half. The two sides have come out firing with both defences well and truly on the back foot.
51'
Lewis has to race back and put in a covering challenge to prevent Salah bursting through on goal. Lewis had to get the ball there and did.
48'
Mohamed Salah has scored a goal for Liverpool! Assist by D. Núñez.
Nunez produces a great run down the left and unselfishly picks out Salah to score on his left foot.
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! SALAH RESPONDS FOR LIVERPOOL!!!!! 2-2!!!! Liverpool are level within a minute as Salah slots a strike into an empty net. Nunez surges at the City defence down the left flank and outpaces Laporte with ease. He cuts a low ball back to Salah, who does not expect it, but still manages to convert on his left foot.
47'
R. Mahrez has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by Rodri.
Rodri angles a fine ball into the feet of Mahrez, who does the rest with a fine touch and finish.
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! MAHREZ RESTORES CITY'S LEAD!!!!!! 2-1!!!! Mahrez takes a sublime touch before curling a strike beyond the reach of Kelleher. Thiago loses the ball in the middle of the park and it allows Rodri to arc a pass to Mahrez in the inside-right channel. His first touch creates space for a strike and he duly converts with a curling effort on his left foot.
46'
A. Oxlade-Chamberlain enters the game and replaces Fábio Carvalho.
Fabinho enters the game and replaces Stefan Bajčetić.
A surprise as the goalscorer Carvalho is withdrawn for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
We're back under way at the Etihad Stadium.
Fabinho replaces Bajcetic in the Liverpool midfield.
45' +3
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 1-1 LIVERPOOL
45' +1
OVER! Palmer has space to roam in the final third and has De Bruyne in support on his left. He ignores his team-mate and shoots, only to clear the bar with his strike.
45'
Rodri latches on a clearance from Matip and is encouraged to shoot. He curls a right-footed effort towards goal that Kelleher watches comfortably wide of the left post.
There will be two minutes of added time.
43'
Phillips puts in a brilliant challenge in the Liverpool box to stop Haaland in his tracks. The defender had to get that right.
41'
Mahrez tries to bundle his way through the Liverpool defence down the right flank. Robertson and Matip are there and win a goal-kick for the Reds.
38'
N. Phillips enters the game and replaces J. Milner.
Phillips replaces Milner for the Reds, which will see Gomez move out to the right flank.
Milner is down for the visitors and will have to make way. He was struggling with the pace of Palmer.
35'
Stefan Bajčetić gets yellow.
Bajcetic is booked retrospectively after bringing down Palmer on the charge.
34'
City break through Palmer, who gets brought down by Bajcetic on the charge. The referee waves play, but the home side cannot take advantage as Mahrez's pass is cut out by Thiago.
32'
Bajcetic releases Carvalho in the final third, who tries to thread a pass through to Salah. It's a tad ambitious between two defenders and travels through to Ortega.
30'
Elliott manages to squeeze an offload into Salah in the City box, but the forward gets surrounded and cannot get the ball out of his feet amid the pressure from blue shirts.
28'
Kelleher gathers the resulting free-kick from De Bruyne and tries to release Salah with a kick out from the back, only to overhit his offload through to Ortega.
27'
Milner sticks out a leg and brings down Palmer on the left touchline. The Liverpool skipper is not having an easy time of it.
26'
BLOCK! Mahrez works a clever offload to Palmer from a corner on the left flank, but the winger sees his left-footed strike closed down by a wall of red shirts.
24'
Lewis draws a foul from Carvalho down the right flank, but the resulting free-kick from De Bruyne is cleared by the Reds.
23'
CLOSE! Palmer turns Milner inside and out and clips a cross to the near post from the left flank. Mahrez makes a run, but fails to make enough contact on his header and takes it away from Haaland behind him.
22'
Liverpool have needed players to come to the fore to ease the burden on Salah, Carvalho has notched an important strike there to stem the tide.
20'
Fábio Carvalho has scored a goal for Liverpool! Assist by J. Milner.
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!! CARVALHO EQUALISES FOR THE REDS!!!! 1-1!!!! Out of nowhere Liverpool are back in the game as Carvalho sweeps home Milner's cross. Milner is afforded time and space in the inside-right channel and he picks out Carvalho with a low cross. The forward calmly steers his effort away from Ortega into the bottom-left corner with a composed finish.
Milner finds space on the right flank and sends a perfect low cross for Carvalho, who holds his composure to find the back of the net.
17'
City have been on their mettle from the off and are playing through the Liverpool midfield with ease. Guardiola will be very happy with the way his side have started.
13'
Liverpool apply pressure in the final third and Rodri almost turns his way into trouble. He just gets his offload away before Carvalho can put in a challenge.
12'
Palmer twists and turns down the left flank and tries to pick out Haaland in the middle, but Gomez clears the danger.
10'
E. Haaland has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by K. De Bruyne.
De Bruyne puts his disappointing World Cup behind him with an assist 10 minutes into his City return. He angles a perfect cross into the middle for Haaland to react and convert with a neat finish.
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! HAALAND FIRES CITY IN FRONT!!!!! 1-0 CITY!!!!! Haaland is back on the scoresheet for City with a fine finish with an outstretched leg at the near post. De Bruyne collects down the left flank and fires a cross into the box. Haaland makes a good run to get ahead of Gomez and sticks out his boot to steer the ball into the bottom-left corner.
8'
De Bruyne skips past two challenges in the middle of the park and looks for Haaland. However, the ball rebounds off the shin of the forward and ends the City attack.
5'
De Bruyne gathers on the right flank from Gundogan's corner, but his cross fails to beat the first man.
4'
It has been an open start to the game as City find space in the final third again. De Bruyne collects on the right flank, but he sees his cross deflected behind for a corner.
1'
We're under way at the Etihad Stadium.
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the EFL Cup clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
City return to action for the first time since the break for the World Cup. Pep Guardiola has a proud record in the EFL Cup, winning the competition in four of his previous six seasons with the club. City saw a run of four-straight crowns end last season in the fourth round with a defeat to West Ham United and will be determined to push back into the last eight, knocking out a huge rival in the process. Guardiola will want to see a rhythm from his side ahead of their return to Premier League next week.
Liverpool will also be aiming hit the ground running as they aim to defend the trophy they won last season. The Reds were taken to penalties by Derby County in the third round, but managed to overcome the Rams. Jurgen Klopp will have concerns over his side's rhythm, although the majority of his key men were not in too much action in the World Cup. Mohamed Salah will be fresh and ready for an important game tonight to reset the campaign for the Reds.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Stefan Ortega; Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan; Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer.
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Kyle Walker, John Stones, Joao Cancelo, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Sergi Gomez, Scott Carson, Phil Foden, Alex Robertson.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Caoimhin Kelleher; James Milner, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson; Thiago, Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott; Fabio Carvalho, Darwin Nunez, Mohammed Salah.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Fabinho, Naby Keita, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Calvin Ramsey, Nathaniel Phillips, Ben Doak.
Both managers will be satisfied with the performances of their teams considering the break. Jurgen Klopp may have had concerns at the start, but his side responded to adversity and found their rhythm. The second half should be a thriller as neither side will be interested in additional time.
Thanks for joining our commentary. Until next time, goodbye.
City return to Premier League action on December 28 against Leeds on the road. Liverpool face Aston Villa on Boxing Day at Villa Park.
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