Liverpool were held in a pulsating draw with title rivals Manchester City.

John Stones broke the deadlock for the visitors midway through the first half by turning home a Kevin De Bruyne corner at Caoimhin Kelleher’s near post.

But the Reds drew level within minutes of the interval through Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty after Ederson took Darwin Nunez clean out in the area.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have dropped to second in the Premier League table owing to Arsenal’s superior goal difference with both teams on 64 points.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

A fitting end to an incredible era

This may not be Liverpool and Manchester City’s last meeting this season.

But if the FA Cup does not offer a follow-up encounter, this final showdown between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola lived up to its lofty expectations.

For the last eight years, the pair’s jousting forged one of the greatest modern duels in English football’s storied history, let alone the Premier League era.

The Reds’ outgoing manager may not have welcomed the end result but the conditions were perfectly suited to what he had once termed ‘fighting football’.

A rain-lashed afternoon, a raucous atmosphere and two teams matching each other pound for pound; Liverpool-City delivered yet another spectacle.

Those privileged enough to witness it first-hand were left craving more after 100-plus minutes of ebb and flow saw the title rivals remaining deadlocked.

Guardiola’s reigning champions may have had the stronger line-up on paper but Liverpool’s walking wounded proved again to be more than their equals.

A contentious stoppage-time penalty call after Jeremy Doku’s high-footed challenge on Alexis Mac Allister added another layer to the pulsating contest.

This game really did have everything and if it proves to be how it all ends between Klopp and Guardiola, for now at least, it was a perfect finale.

Diaz is another code to crack

If Darwin Nunez remains Anfield’s Enigma Code, Luis Diaz is not far behind.

The Colombian is often an agent of chaos in attach but the goals do not always flow. He veers, to borrow a cliche, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

It was more of the same against the reigning Premier League champions, who were breathing multiple sighs of relief during the second half alone.

Diaz practically had the visitors’ defence on strings after the half-time interval yet offered them several reprieves with close-range finishes that fell short.

In the same game, however, the forward continued to lead City a merry dance with quick-footed trickery that had the Anfield crowd purring with sheer delight.

Representing Liverpool’s most creative attacking threat is no mean feat in a forward line which also boasted Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo later on.

There is a school of thought that Diaz’s fancy footwork will soon dovetail with a rediscovered Midas touch in front of goal but this was an opportunity missed.

Injury-hit Reds exude confidence

With key absences in five starting positions, Liverpool may have been forgiven for exercising caution when coming up against the City juggernaut.

Defensively, a safety-first approach makes sense when Virgil van Dijk is the sole member of the backline that could be considered an automatic choice.

Playing out from the back in a fixture of this magnitude is risky at the best of times and even more so when contending with a mounting injury headache.

Yet Klopp’s side never allowed the constant threat posed by Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and co. to faze them at any stage of proceedings in this clash.

Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez and Caoimhin Kelleher were all trusted to build forward rather than teammates taking so-called easier options downfield.

All three rewarded that faith by again displaying supreme confidence in possession, with Kelleher’s distribution with his feet particularly impressive.

It is no real surprise after repeated composed accounts but a willingness to expect the same standards as their peers typifies the growth in the ranks.