Afternoon. Liverpool has given plenty to the world: the Beatles, the most successful team in English football, Brookside, Gregg Roughley , Desperate Scousewives. Now the football team has to give us a title race, even if they're not strictly involved in it. Not since the final day of the 1994-95 season have Manchester United been so reliant on their rivals. If Liverpool lose to Manchester City today, Roberto Mancini's side will be seven points clear of the champions going into December. If they win, it will breathe fresh life into a title race which is threatening to become as one-sided as La Liga. If it's a draw, both sides will be in CRISIS!!! This could be the end to the perfect week for City, the defeat to Napoli in the Champions League meaning they should be free to concentrate on domestic affairs, while Milan are ready to sign up for the full Carlos Tevez Experience.

City were abysmal at Anfield last season. Their wealth has allowed them to achieve many things which most people can only dream of, but few imagined that they could make Andy Carroll look like he was meant to be at Liverpool. Carroll scored twice, once with a booming left footer from range, and then with a looping header, as City failed to deal with the revolutionary tactic of slinging it up to the big man. It's not a tactic which has really brought Liverpool much success since Carroll's arrival from Newcastle in January. Their best football has largely been played with him glued to the bench, allowing Kenny Dalglish to field a team of footballers, forcing them to keep it on the floor and link with the irrepressible Luis Suarez. As was the case against Chelsea last weekend, when Liverpool for the first half at least, passed and move like they were intent on proving the 1996 Cup final song true.

The question for Liverpool is whether they can replicate the form they showed against Chelsea at Anfield. So far this season, they have been poor at home, drawing four times – four draws which could prove costly come May, just as dropping needless points at Anfield before Christmas ruined their title challenge in the 2008-09 season. This is the kind of match which could suit them though, because New City, unlike Slighly Older City (an update on Old City, who were a loveable rabble before the money) are sure to come out to play. That could allow Liverpool to press high up the pitch, break and feed off the atmosphere, which I'm assured will be like one of those famous nights under the lights, only on a Sunday afternoon. Alternatively it could just mean David Silva, Sergio Aguero and all the rest, you know their names by now, do to Liverpool what they did to United - or, perhaps more pertinently, Blackburn, who were tonked 4-0 after City's previous European away defeat.

Team news: Craig Bellamy has withdrawn from the Liverpool squad following the desperately sad news concerning the death of Gary Speed this morning. That means there are changes from the team that beat Chelsea, with Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in for Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez. There's a slightly conservative look to City, who have three little men in attack in the tiny shape of Aguero, Silva and Nasri. There's no place for either Edin Dzeko or Mario Balotelli.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Henderson, Lucas, Adam; Kuyt, Suarez, Downing. Subs: Doni, Carroll, Maxi, Coates, Spearing, Carragher, Kelly.

Manchester City: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Barry, Yaya Toure, Milner, Silva, Aguero, Nasri. Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Dzeko, Johnson, Toure, De Jong, Balotelli.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.

The teams are in the tunnel. Both teams are wearing tracksuit tops over their kits, which has prompted a mild bout of rage in these parts. Mainly from me. It's needlessly flashy. Who do they think they are?

I'm still in a funk over this tracksuit debacle. Who do they think they are?!

Before the game, a sombre moment. A minute's silence for Gary Speed and also for Brad Jones's son, Luca, who died from leukemia last week. It's been a strange day.

1 min: And we're off. City get us going, attacking the Kop in the first half. There's a belting atmosphere inside Anfield this afternoon. City are on the front foot straight away and Skrtel has to be alert to stop Nasri from breaking on to a loose ball inside the area.

2 min: Nothing's happened! Money back, please!

3 min: Here's the first hint of a threat from Luis Suarez, who nips the ball around Barry in the centre circle and charges at the City defence, only for his pass to Downing to force the winger too wide on the left, meaning the attack loses all its momentum. But still, an early indication of the sort of problems Suarez will pose City.

5 min: With both sides having lined up quite defensively and not overly eager to throw caution to the wind, this could be tight in the early stages. Liverpool in particular have started in very cagey fashion, just allowing City to stroke the ball around harmlessly in front of their back four. It's a dangerous game to play, though, with all the attacking options at Mancini's disposal.

6 min: City have started confidently, the defeat against Napoli seemingly out of their system. Clichy bounds down the left and wins a corner off Johnson. Kompany flicks Nasri's corner on at the near post and Aguero does brilliantly to head it back across goal. After a spot of head tennis, the ball eventually falls to Toure, around 10 yards out, but he slashes a left-footed shot over the top. That was a very good chance, although he had to rush it.

8 min: Liverpool haven't got going and are struggling to get support up to Suarez. The absence of Bellamy could well be crucial; Kuyt, Downing and Henderson are not going to provide what he offers.

9 min: City, slowly taking a grip of the game, are doing well to quieten the crowd. This is what they do, they don't really swash or buckle, they just gradually squeeze all hope out of the opposition. Their gigantic midfield is key in that regard.

11 min: Nasri slips a pass through to Richards on the right but it's just ahead of him and Skrtel is able to slide in and even win the goal-kick.

12 min: Liverpool string a few passes together for the first time. Over on the right, Suarez cuts across the ball and drives it to the far post for Downing, but it skips off the surface and out for a goal-kick. "I suspect the thinking behind the tracksuits is the same as behind England's 'anthem jackets', i.e. the latest shameless attempt to claw just a bit more money out of the fans," says Phil Sawyer.

13 min: Now the temperature rises. Suarez, who has been clattered a few times without getting a free-kick, makes a fool out of Kompany, slipping it through his legs, and is rewarded by being dumped to the floor by the Belgian. Kompany is booked. Incidentally if you've been trying to email me, the link at the top was wrong. I'd love to hear from you, I really would.

14 min: This is better from Liverpool. Johnson steams past a non-challenge from Nasri, but then forgets about the long white line marking the end of the pitch and he haplessly runs the ball out for a goal-kick.

16 min: Adam whacks a low ball into the six-yard box from the right, but Lescott is there to clear. Why couldn't they do that against Napoli? "No Balotelli," ponders Kabir Sethi. "Not sure this is worth watching. Guardian needs a feature that will sms me when Balotelli comes on."

17 min: Reina has to scamper out of his area to tackle Aguero after a horrible backpass from Jose Enrique went straight to the City striker. Aguero got there first, but as he tried to push the ball past Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper slid down, although there was a suspicion the ball hit him on the arm. It was ball to hand though. Reina was then up quickly to boot the ball out for a throw-in before Silva could get on to it.

19 min: The match is settling into a pattern now: it's essentially Luis Suarez v Manchester City. "Liverpool also gave us this," says Joshua Davis. Or, um, Vice Magazine gave us this about Liverpool. I'm sure Liverpudlians didn't invent injection tanning, but has anyone else adopted it with such alacrity? A fascinating little piece of what might be described as journalism. Before any readers get mad about me about stereotyping, etc.. 1) I didn't produce it 2) I'm American so all I know about England I learned from MBMs and Monty Pyton reruns."

21 min: Sergio Aguero is so good he's managed to confuse himself here. Liverpool were fuming after Charlie Adam went down under minimal contact from Barry in the middle. Adam was already going down by the time Barry touched him, so it wasn't a foul, and the ball broke to Milner, who instantly set Aguero clear on the left. He ran at Skrtel, turned him inside out and then, as he looked to cut the ball back for Silva or Milner, he just... well, he basically just fell over and the ball went out for a goal-kick. What a clown.

23 min: There's only one team who's going to score here. Silva plays Aguero in on the left, but his cross is just behind Nasri and Jose Enrique this time decides not to pass it straight to Aguero, instead hacking clear. "So, Rio's tackle was a penalty and Reina's handball 20 yards outside the area is legitimate?" says Greg Scully. "Something is seriously wrong in the state of footie officiating. I blame Sepp." But it wasn't handball.

24 min: Silva shanks a dreadful volley high into the Kop. He's useless, I've never rated him. "I can't believe there was a mistake in your email address! I thought there were never any spelling mistakes in the Grauniad..." parps Chris Drew. Liverpool's fans are getting increasingly irate with the referee here, which is mostly down to their side's inability to make much of an impact on the game so far. Everyone's so angry these days. Even Mancini's doing his nut at something or other on the touchline.

27 min: Here's me put in my place. "The tracksuit tops were being being worn as part of DEC's east africa crisis appeal, surely the word famine in big writing on the front was a clue?" says Ranald Baird. That's offensive to people with bad eyesight and who don't look too closely at tracksuits.

29 min: Milner expertly swings a high cross to the left of the area, precisely where no City player was, the ball going out for a goal-kick. I assume he meant that anyway.

GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Manchester City (Kompany, 31 min): Maybe City have learnt something from Napoli and Edinson Cavani then. From the right, Silva whips a corner into the near post, where Kompany gets a run on Kuyt and expertly sends the ball high into the far corner off his shoulder. That goal had been coming.

GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (Lescott own goal, 33 min): What a ridiculous goal this is. Kuyt pokes the ball to Adam, who's 30 yards from goal. He lines one up with his left foot, but his shot is heading miles wide of the right post until Lescott, for whatever reason, sticks out his foot, and diverts it past the helpless Hart and into the opposite corner. That was such a soft goal. Lescott could have just let it go out for a goal-kick. This is not the stuff champions are made of.

34 min: Just before the Liverpool goal, Gareth Barry was also booked and will miss City's Carling Cup tie this week.

37 min: What a save from Joe Hart! Suarez slices City open with a glorious pass through to Kuyt. He's clean through but doesn't have the pace to take on Kompany and instead goes away from goal, shielding the ball from the defender. However he does well to turn and with Hart having come out to close the angle, Kuyt knocks the ball back to Adam, who clips a low right-footer towards the bottom-left corner from the edge of the area only for Hart, who was going the wrong way, to stick out a foot and save it! From the resulting corner, Adam sends it all the way to the right side of the area where Suarez, completely unmarked, slices a volley over.

39 min: This match was a disgrace until City opened the scoring and now look. Liverpool have enjoyed a huge slice of luck, but City now look a little rattled. "Any comment on Mario's dye job?" asks Jim Bach. It's an El-Hadji Diouf.

41 min: Yaya Toure has a pop from distance but it's not troubling the goal, let alone Reina. "Damn you, Steinberg!" says Phil Sawyer. "I never even saw the tracksuits. I was going off your description. In a surprising turn of events, it looks like the MBM has misinformed me. Now I look like I hate Africa. Which I don't. Obviously." How was I to know that were doing charidee?

43 min: Johnson tees up Henderson for a shot which Lescott heads away, managing not to send it into his own goal. Well done Joleon! "I'm having a Xmas rehearsal dinner with friends, but half the people who are supposed to be here are at the match. So it's now just evertonians and (strange) people who don't like football," says David Jones. "Please provide us with news of Liverpool's impending capitulation, so we can laugh at the jonny-come-lately's expense." Hang on. Who needs a rehearsal dinner for Christmas? Surely you know what to do by now? Turkey, presents, argument, in whatever order you fancy. (I was going to say surely you've got it nailed down by now, but then I realised that could be construed as inappropriate, given the subject matter.)

45 min+1: City very nearly regain the lead on the stroke of half time. Aguero cuts in from the left and plays a one-two with Silva, before bursting into the area and hitting a low shot that Reina does well to block. With that, the half time whistle goes. Liverpool will be the happier of the two sides.

Half time: Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City. One goal came off Kompany's shoulder, the other was a superb own goal from Joleon Lescott. Suddenly it's not hard to see why the English sides are struggling in the Champions League.

Half time emails:

"As an Everton fan, and former sceptic about your man Bellamy, can I pass on my condolences to him, and thank him for today's gesture?" says Mark Power. "I'm not suggesting that any of today's games should have been postponed, but Bellamy's withdrawal speaks volumes about him, and about Gary Speed."

"I was hoping that after Babak Rafati's suicide attempt, fans, players and managers would direct a little less abuse towards referees, but that certainly hasn't been the case," says Kári Tulinius. "The scorn heaped on the linesman who raised his flag for a penalty in the Manchester United - Newcastle game has been far beyond what should be acceptable."

Sky have really upped their game this season. In the studio, Graeme Souness is saying that Lescott was right to try to block Adam's shot as there could have been someone behind him. Gary Neville disagrees. "Was it not going too fast for someone to get on to?" asks Ed Chamberlain. "Yes," growls Neville. "No!" exclaims Souness.

46 min: Liverpool, now attacking the Kop, get us going again. They take all of four seconds to lose the ball and Clichy bounds down the left flank, before turning the ball inside to Nasri, who turns on the edge of the area and tries to bend one into the far corner. His effort skews a few yards wide though.

47 min: Aguero ultimately couldn't do anything with it, but Silva just found him with an absolutely stunning volleyed pass, a near replica of the one that set up Dzeko at Old Trafford. This one was arguably harder though, as it had to be judged so it could spin behind Jose Enrique. What a brilliant footballer.

48 min: A half-clearance comes to Henderson on the edge of the area. His first touch is beautiful, as he lobs it up into the air, but then he gets too excited and starts juggling the ball instead of volleying it goalwards. He gets closed down and it comes back to Adam. He takes the opposite approach, going for the shot from 25 yards out. It takes another deflection and spins to the right for Suarez, whose cross is deflected behind. The corner comes to nothing.

50 min: City do sometimes lack of a presence up front, with Aguero occasionally isolated. If only they had Andy Carroll However they do have Balotelli and Dzeko to throw on from the bench.

52 min: Toure could shoot from 20 yards but tries to set up Aguero instead. The flag goes up for offside. It's very difficult to determine which way this game's going to go.

53 min: Another deflection nearly gives Liverpool their second goal. Downing slaloms down the left flank and does well to whip in a cross. Kompany sticks out a leg and his half-clearance takes it to Kuyt at the far post, but he couldn't readjust himself in time and he heads it down into the ground and past the far post from eight yards out.

55 min: Richards is down after a coming together with Adam, while Aguero has a sore face after being inadvertently struck by Agger's arm. Both players are off, so City are momentarily down to nine men.

56 min: And it was only momentarily. Liverpool muster one inconsequential attack, before Richards, who's limping, and Aguero come back on.

57 min: Kuyt takes advantage of City's high line by releasing Henderson. It would have been an excellent idea if Henderson wasn't six yards offside.

59 min: Clichy curls in a wonderful, undefendable cross into the six yard box which takes out both Reina and Liverpool's centre-backs. It comes to the far post but fortunately for Liverpool, Jose Enrique is there to turn it past his own post with Aguero lurking menacingly behind him. Reina convincingly punches the ball away.

60 min: Downing is having a fine game, possibly his best in a Liverpool shirt. He dashes inside and plays a one-two with Suarez, forcing Lescott to concede a corner. However, as ever, it's utterly pointless.

61 min: If your interest in this match is dwindling, it looks like Balotelli is about to come on. "Are there seriously any Reds fans left alive who still cling to the notion of Liverpool as a great passing side?" says Alix Sharkey. "I've lost count of the rubbish passes by Downing alone, and that's without counting the rest of this shower." You have to remember that they're playing the best side in the country; they were very good against Chelsea last week.

62 min: Reina goes on a mad dash off his line, like a malfunctioning goalkeeper on a computer game, as he tries to collect a harmless ball over the top. He runs out too far and is aghast to see it skip past him, allowing Aguero to run past him and reach the ball - this could have been Reina's very own Dudek moment, but luckily for him, Aguero was forced away from goal, and the goalkeeper made up for his error by knocking it out for a throw-in.

64 min: Hart, who did this a few times against Napoli, comes flying out of his goal to palm away a Downing cross with no Liverpool players really around him.

65 min: Mario Balotelli comes on for Samir Nasri. What's he got in store for us? Also is it too early to start talking about Nasri being a waste of money? City seem to play better when he's on the bench. "Surely the best way to settle a Souness v Neviller dispute is to have a facial hair face-off?" says Ryan Dunne. "I imagine that Gary has to cope with lots of non-football fans asking him if he's looking forward to the end of Movember, and getting to shave off that silly pubic-hair-and-pritstick affair. Here in Scotland, SuperAlly McCoist of the Glorious Glasgow Rangers has given facial hair the ol' college try: it would be cool if the league made observing Movember compulsory ( I know A Villas-Boas is a dashing type, but I can't be the only one curious as to whether a ginger moustache is as much of an offence against God, taste and nature as one might imagine)."

67 min: Adam and Suarez work a short corner between themselves on the left, before Suarez turns and pings a pass to Downing on the edge of the area. He doesn't catch his volley cleanly but it bounces up off the turf and brings the best out of Hart, who leaps to his left to tip it over. That was a good - if relatively simple - save. "Balotelli's head topiary," begins Joe Pearson. "That hair preparation is a thing of beauty! It looks like a flowery
wallpaper border. Now that's imaginative head topiary!"

70 min: A lull.

71 min: Read this entry while listening to this music. Skrtel slips as he tries to cut out a pass to Balotelli on the left. Sensing an opportunity to break through on goal, Balotelli tries to take it quickly in his stride, but his feet don't work as quickly as his brain and instead he falls over like a chopped tree, landing flat on his face. A worry, given his grass allergy.

74 min: Maybe Lescott should just put a Liverpool shirt on. On the left, Suarez somehow wriggles past Clichy and slaps a low cross into the six-yard box. Lescott tries to clear but only succeeds in knocking his clearance into Kuyt's chest and is exceedingly grateful to see the ball rebound past the left post with Hart stranded.

75 min: Reina's having a very odd game as well. Again he's off his line to try to cut out a long pass but he doesn't get his timing right, and Milner, who never, ever gives up, manages to tackle him. With the goal empty though, the ball spun off to the right and Milner was eventually hustled out of it.

76 min: Jose Enrique storms into the City area but from a tight angle, the blood rushes to his head and he slams a shot high and wide from a silly angle. Moments later, Balotelli is booked for bringing down Johnson.

77 min: Adam swings in the free-kick from the right and for a moment it looked like a deflection would take it to Agger, who was standing unmarked three yards from goal, but City breathe as a sigh of relief as it goes back to Hart, who dives on the ball gratefully.

78 min: Liverpool are piling on the pressure, with City increasingly forced to hang on. Henderson clips a delightful ball to the far post where Downing whacks a volley across the face of goal, the ball zipping agonisingly beyond the onrushing Kuyt. Downing probably should have got it on target.

80 min: Suarez scoots into the area and goes down, but Martin Atkinson is unmoved. This is one-way traffic. "I would say it's too early to talk about Nasri being a waste because last year he was great for the first half of the season and a total waste the second half," says Scott Stricker. "Perhaps this is just his useless period and he will turn it on in the spring when City are out of Europe, have already wrapped up the league and have nothing meaningful to play for."

82 min: Sergio Aguero is replaced by Edin Dzeko, who stunk the place out in Napoli.

83 min: Mario Balotelli is sent off! He's only been on for 18 minutes. It's a bit harsh though - but probably deserved - as he clumsily wafts an arm in the general direction of Martin Skrtel and catches him in the face. Atkinson flourishes a second yellow and then a red in his face. As far as Balotelli escapades go, this one's not up there.

84 min: Liverpool smell blood now. Andy Carroll comes on for Dirk Kuyt. Balotelli will probably make the headlines, mostly because not much else has happened.

86 min: Milner is booked. I missed why. So sue me! City have tired badly as the game's gone on, their European exertions seemingly taking it out of them.

88 min: Hart makes another fine stop to deny Luis Suarez! Neat interplay between Suarez, Henderson and Lucas gets the Brazilian into the area and he sets up Suarez, whose touch sits up invitingly for the volley, which he thwacks towards the near post from 15 yards out. Hart palms it behind.

89 min: Pepe Reina does magnificently to stop Silva from snatching it for City. With Liverpool pouring men forward, City broke and Dzeko had acres of space to exploit down the left flank, with Silva in the middle. Dzeko found him and although he was completely clear, Reina blocked him off, giving him no real sight of goal. Silva turned this way and that and after an age he got his shot away, but three Liverpool defenders had got back to cover and it was cleared off the line by Skrtel.

90 min: Carroll's first contribution is to lose the ball, scythe through Kompany and get booked. £35m! Kolo Toure comes on for David Silva.

90 min+2: What a save from Joe Hart, who leaps to his left to get a strong palm on a bullet header from Carroll, who was so nearly the hero! The rebound comes out to Suarez and he tries to turn it back into the six-yard box, only for Hart to recover and get a leg in the way. The ball comes back out to Downing on the edge of the area, but he's under pressure and slashes it well over the bar.

Peep! Peep! Peep! The full time whistle blows and City escape with a point that keeps them five points clear of Manchester United. That was just the second time they've dropped points this season, and they're still unbeaten. City weren't at their best today, but the fact they still didn't lose, despite Liverpool being the better team in the second half, speaks volumes. Joe Hart was undoubtedly the man of the match, Mario Balotelli's efforts notwithstanding. Thanks for reading. Bye.