A Beautiful Dance Before the Penalty Area

The cheers above the Etihad Stadium never stopped.

Perhaps because both sides had such fast players, the pace of the match was blistering from start to finish.

The attacks went back and forth, setting the blood racing.

With the pace so high, the physical battles on the pitch intensified, and the players' adrenaline surged with them.

After conceding, Klopp waved broadly from the touchline. Rodri and Keita both pushed higher, and the two flanks pressed forward again.

The ball began to find its way to Chen Anno's feet more often.

That was Liverpool's tactic: give that damned ball to the number ten.

In the 22nd minute.

Chen Anno dropped back to receive the ball in midfield. Fernandinho and De Bruyne closed in from either side, about to trap him between them.

Instead, Chen Anno deliberately slowed down. He dragged the ball back with his left foot before they could close him off.

Then he cut the ball left with his right foot and flicked it on with his left. As though fitted with a spring, the ball bounced twice between his legs.

At the same time, he slipped past De Bruyne on his left.

"Hey! What a beautiful La Croqueta!"

"Chen Anno just put on a show right in front of De Bruyne!"

On the touchline, Guardiola's face turned green.

What he feared most was Chen Anno pulling tricks like that through the middle.

Unfortunately, Perisic's final shot was blasted into the stands.

Three minutes later, Manchester City attacked.

The ball came down the left, where Neymar faced Robertson with the ball.

Liverpool's left-back lowered his center of gravity and sealed off the inside route.

Neymar looked completely relaxed. He performed a stepover, circling the ball with his right foot.

When Robertson did not move, he followed it with another