Liverpool and Manchester City continue their ongoing rivalry in the Premier League on Sunday with the two clubs going head-to-head in the latest instalment of one of England’s biggest fixtures in recent years.
Both clubs have got the better of the other on several occasions over the past five years but City have had the greater success in the Premier League era, winning four titles to Liverpool‘s one.
Pep Guardiola‘s side have been stuck in a rut over the past month though and are without a win in six games while Arne Slot‘s Reds have gone from strength to strength, losing just once all season.
Sunday’s clash promises to be another entertaining spectacle with plenty on the line for both sides – but what does recent history tell us about the previous meetings between the two giants?
It bodes well for Liverpool with Guardiola’s team having only won once at Anfield since 2019, although equally, the Reds have only picked up two victories themselves in that time.
Flashscore looks at Liverpool and Manchester City’s head-to-head record over the past five years:
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City – 10/11/2019
Starting in the 2019/20 season, Jurgen Klopp‘s Liverpool had been gradually developing into a powerhouse with several star players making up what is now an iconic team on Merseyside, including the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Both the wingers scored in a 3-1 victory in November of 2019 as Klopp’s side laid down a marker for the season to come – a campaign they would go on to win with 99 points.
Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool – 02/07/2020
At first glance, it seems strange that the two teams met in a league fixture in July, but 2020 was a strange time altogether due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a major disruption to sporting events.
Liverpool had more or less wrapped up the league long before any lockdowns came into place but hit a stumbling block once football returned with no crowds – highlighted by a 4-0 thrashing at the Etihad.
Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were among the goalscorers that day in a result that surprised many but ultimately had no impact on the title race.
Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool – 08/11/2020
Fast-forward a few months and the two clubs met again in another November fixture at the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
City had struggled at the beginning of the season with three wins from their opening six games, including a 5-2 loss at home against Leicester.
After riding the high of a first Premier League title win, the Reds began the term with three straight wins before an infamous 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa – although they would follow that with a run of 12 games unbeaten, including a 1-1 draw at the Etihad.
Salah scored again that day before Gabriel Jesus equalised, only for De Bruyne to miss from the penalty spot as City failed to capitalise on a golden opportunity to build some momentum.
Liverpool 1-4 Manchester City – 07/02/2021
The Premier League landscape changed rapidly following the turn of the year in 2021, with Liverpool hitting a slump in form while City went on a run of 15-straight wins that would ultimately see them comfortably win the Premier League.
Part of that 15-game run was a statement victory at Anfield – the only one of the last five years – where Guardiola’s side came out 4-1 victors.
Every goal came in the second half of what was a finely poised match with Salah once again finding the net to cancel out Ilkay Gundogan‘s opener, only for the visitors to then score three times in 10 minutes to seal a dramatic win.
Gundogan, Foden and Bernardo Silva were on hand to – in hindsight – end Liverpool’s title hopes that year.
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City – 03/10/2021
An October clash followed from City winning the league just five months prior with both clubs once again the two favourites for silverware in 2021/22.
Liverpool started fast again that season and looked to continue their strong run against a City side that had equally begun the campaign with a solid set of results.
The Reds twice took the lead at Anfield on that day with Mane and – you guessed it – Salah scoring, only to be pegged back by former player Raheem Sterling and then the mercurial De Bruyne.
Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool – 10/04/2022
The reverse fixture that season saw the exact same result as both clubs continued to push neck-and-neck for the title.
This time, though, it was City who took the lead on two separate occasions only for Liverpool to work their way back into the match.
De Bruyne opened the scoring before Diogo Jota equalised, followed by a goal for Jesus and then another equaliser from Mane as the points were shared at the Etihad.
That campaign went down to the final day, with City taking the title after a dramatic 3-2 comeback against Aston Villa.
Manchester City 2-3 Liverpool – 16/04/2022 (FA Cup)
The two sides met again less than a week later in the FA Cup semi-finals, with Liverpool coming out on top at Wembley.
On paper, it might not look as bad for City who only lost by one goal – but the Reds had actually been 3-0 up by half-time thanks to Ibrahim Konate‘s opener and a Mane brace.
Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva grabbed a goal each in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to seal a spot in the final, which Liverpool would go on to win.
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City – 30/07/2022 (Community Shield)
The year 2022 saw a lot of meetings between the two English giants, with the third coming in the 2022/23 season-opening Community Shield.
While essentially a glorified friendly, it did represent another chance for Liverpool to get one over on City and they did just that with a resounding 3-1 win.
It was also a first match for both Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland, with the former netting on his debut while the latter memorably missed a sitter during the second half – causing plenty of ridicule on day one of his career in England.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City – 16/10/2022
The Mancunians again struggled in the Premier League encounter that followed three months later, suffering their first loss of the league season at Anfield.
City had started the campaign strongly and looked to be going head-to-head with Liverpool for the title once more but failed to get one over on their rivals and were handed a disappointing 1-0 defeat.
Once again, Salah proved to be the difference with a late second-half winner while Klopp was sent off in the dying moments of the match – though it’s perhaps best remembered for Alisson’s incredible assist.
Manchester City 3-2 Liverpool – 22/12/2022 (EFL Cup)
Guardiola’s side finally got revenge in that season’s EFL Cup with a narrow 3-2 win, their first in the last three meetings between the two clubs.
Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake all found the net on a chilly festive evening at the Etihad while, of course, Salah also scored.
The result ultimately ended Liverpool’s chances of retaining the competition having won it the season prior.
Manchester City 4-1 Liverpool – 01/04/2023
Things can change very quickly in football and a prime example came when City pulled off a resounding 4-1 win against their title rivals in April of 2023.
Just months earlier, Guardiola’s side had been struggling to get the better of their opponents and hadn’t pulled off a genuinely convincing victory against Liverpool in almost two years.
That changed on April Fools Day 2023, though, with Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish and Julian Alvarez all finding the net (if you’re wondering, yes, Salah did score for Liverpool) as the hosts stormed to a landmark victory.
City went on to win the treble that season, something few would have predicted following their dismal Community Shield showing at the beginning of the campaign.
Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool – 25/11/2023
The 2023/24 campaign saw both clubs again pushing for the Premier League title with Arsenal also challenging, although the goals between City and Liverpool died down a considerable amount on the two occasions they met.
A 1-1 draw was played out in their first meeting after goals from Haaland and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Supporters didn’t know it at the time, but it would also prove to be Klopp’s final appearance at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City – 10/03/2024
Finally, the two teams met once again in March of 2024 for the legendary Klopp’s final clash with his counterpart Guardiola, bringing an all-time classic rivalry to an end with a 1-1 draw.
John Stones opened the scoring at Anfield that day before Alexis Mac Allister converted from the penalty spot to ensure the points were shared.
It was the final encounter between two iconic managers, but now a new story is set to begin as Guardiola goes toe-to-toe with Slot this Sunday in what promises to be a must-watch occasion – and quite possibly an early decider in City’s title fate for the current season.