3 key battles that decided the Manchester City vs Liverpool UEFA Champions League 2nd leg encounter

Manchester City slumped to their 3rd successive defeat in all competitions, as they suffered an unexpected 1-2 loss at home against Liverpool in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League to crash out of the competition and relinquish all hopes of a treble.

Manchester City could not have started the game better after scoring the opening goal in 3 minutes, but from there on everything went downhill for the home team.

Mohamed Salah continued his excellent form for the Reds as he scored the equalising goal, and Roberto Firmino finished things off with a composed finish.

As usual, there were a few individual battles that went a long way in deciding the course of the game. Here's a look at 3 such battles that had a say in the outcome of the fixture.

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#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Leroy Sane

Alexander-Arnold yet again managed to keep Leroy Sane ineffective

Continuing from where the pair left off in the first leg, the second leg saw Alexander-Arnold and Leroy Sane battle it out down the right flank.

Leroy Sane was kept mostly quiet in the previous fixture by Trent's positioning, but this time around he played the saboteur himself. It was one of his worst games in the City shirt, as everything he touched either came off poor or he was adjudged offside.

In his defence, he did score a goal that was wrongly disallowed - the final touch came off Milner and Sane wasn't even offside - but barring that, Sane was instrumental in thwarting the home side at most turns.

So impressed with Trent Alexander-Arnold. A teenager playing with an assuredness and maturity way beyond his years.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) April 10, 2018

Alexander-Arnold used this to concentrate on marking other players - such as David Silva - as and when required. More often than not, City were forced to distribute the ball from the right to the center thanks to Trent's solid efforts at the back.

#2 Kevin De Bruyne vs the Liverpool midfield

De Bruyne was City's best player on the night - the whole match, to be honest

Kevin De Bruyne has been Manchester City's star performer throughout the season, and the Belgian proved just why with a big performance in a big game, and was unlucky to end up on the losing side.

City ended up dominating the midfield for the entire first half, and it was mainly because of De Bruyne. For someone who doesn't look very strong, his physicality on the ball is immense and he used it to both protect the ball from Liverpool and launch attacks.

Alexander Oxlade-Chamberlain could not replace his heroics in the first leg and was kept off the ball ably by both Fernandinho and De Bruyne. Milner and Wijnaldum, both defensive midfielders, went even deeper to help out the team in defense owing to City's pressure on the ball.

But De Bruyne's best feature of the night was his distribution, where he served as the link between the left and right wings as the anchor in the middle. Though City's energy faded away in the second half, the few chances they produced still came through his feet.

With the world cup coming up, Belgium will depend a lot on their midfield to dismantle the opposition and at the heart of it will undoubtedly be Kevin De Bruyne.

#3 Roberto Firmino vs Nicolas Otamendi

There is no one left for Firmino to silence after an incredible season for the Reds

Liverpool's favorite Brazilian was the one to hit the final nail on City's coffin, and no one can argue that it wasn't fitting.

Firmino has gone under the radar this season, largely due to Mohamed Salah's incredible season but has still been one of their best players.

Unlike most #9s who depend on the ball delivered on a silver platter to them for scoring, Firmino is someone who is capable of defending aswell as scoring.

It was evident on the night as he came back deep to pressure the City players on the ball and put in important tackles, only to burst forward with marauding runs into the box when Liverpool got hold of the ball.

Nicolas Otamendi has had a mixed season at the back with several goals and mistakes and this was one of his error-prone nights. His mistake led to Liverpool's second goal, where he gave away the ball cheaply to Firmino and the Brazilian kept his head and calmly knocked the ball into the far bottom corner.

Jurgen Klopp has repeatedly emphasised that he is in no mood to let go of Roberto Firmino, and performances like this will only further enhance his confidence in his striker.