Man City 3-2 Liverpool: Four things learned as Haaland comes back strong in Nunez horror show

Manchester City and Liverpool concluded midweek fixtures in club football's return with a bang on Thursday, playing a five-goal thriller in the Carabao Cup last 16. Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland were in song as Man City dropped the starters in a Christmas cracker at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland opened the scoring by latching on to a precise cross from De Bruyne before Fabio Carvalho headed home to level the score before half-time. Riyad Mahrez fired the hosts minutes after the restart before Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah combined brilliantly to equalize again instantly from kick-off.

But there was no response to Nathan Ake's header winner on the hour mark, provided by another impressive display from De Bruyne. Express Sport reviews four things learned as Man City once again progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Haaland? Rust? Ha

The 22-year-old made his much-anticipated return after a month-long hiatus due to Norway's absence from the 2022 World Cup. It took him just 10 minutes to score his 24th goal in his 19th Man City appearance, reminding anyone who saw action in Qatar of his prowess.

Haaland has what it takes to stand alongside Kylian Mbappe as the world's top two forces for the next decade. And while the Frenchman will likely dominate the individual awards due to his country's superiority, City's relentless trophy sweep will continue while he's at the club.

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Salah stings, Nunez sulks

Salah continued his scoring streak against Man City and has now scored more goals against no other team than the 10 in 18 he scored against the Citizens. The Egyptian winger, like Haaland, will have been chomping at the bit for the World Cup to end and scored against City in the Community Shield, Premier League and Carabao Cup this season alone.

Despite setting up Salah, it was a familiar story of frustration for Nunez. He endured a horror show in front of goal and could have, and perhaps should have, scored a hat-trick. The Uruguayan missed two glaring chances and wasted another chance which he would have been disappointed not to miss.

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De Bruyne puts World Cup misfortune aside

De Bruyne cut a depressed figure in Qatar as Belgium fell short of expectations and suffered group stage elimination. But he was back to his best in club colours, producing two spectacular assists to inspire City to victory.

He has now registered 14 assists in 20 appearances this season and hopes to continue in the same vein when the Premier League returns next week. If City are to beat Arsenal for the title, he will be an important factor. Again.

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