A familiar face set the tone for Manchester City against Liverpool

Anfield, a ground where Manchester City have so often stumbled, witnessed a statement victory yesterday as Pep Guardiola’s side overturned a late deficit to defeat Liverpool 2-1 and reignite their Premier League ambitions. The comeback was authored by many, but the narrative belonged to one man: Bernardo Silva, the Portuguese midfielder whose fingerprints were on every decisive moment.

Silva had been an injury doubt all week after tightening a hamstring, yet when the teamsheet dropped he was inked in alongside Rodri and company. From the opening whistle he justified the gamble, dropping between centre-backs to evade Liverpool’s trademark press and knitting together City’s smoothest 45 minutes of the campaign. His constant availability turned potential turnovers into controlled possession, allowing City to dictate tempo and pin the hosts deep.

The second half brought a different test. Liverpool surged, and when Dominik Szoboszlai whipped a 74th-minute free-kick beyond Ederson the Kop sensed a familiar plot. Instead, Silva rallied the response. He combined with Rodri and substitute Marc Guehi to break up wave after wave of red attacks, then provided the flash of ingenuity City desperately needed. In the 84th minute he ghosted into the six-yard box to steer home Erling Haaland’s clever flick-on, restoring parity and belief.

Three minutes later Silva’s awareness decided the contest. Spotting Matheus Nunes darting beyond the line, he threaded a defence-splitting pass that invited the foul from goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Haaland converted the resultant penalty, completing a turnaround that felt both stunning and inevitable given Silva’s omnipresence.

Guardiola, effusive in his praise, anointed his captain as the guiding force. “We follow him. I follow him too,” the manager said. “He puts the team in front of himself. He does things through his own example.”

The win vaults City into serious contention and, perhaps more importantly, exorcises the psychological hold Anfield has enjoyed. On a day that demanded character, Bernardo Silva supplied it in abundance, underlining why he remains the heartbeat of this City squad.