How Darwin Nunez & Virgil van Dijk are making the difference to Liverpool’s title bid

I know from my own experiences as a Liverpool player that, when you are losing at Anfield then equalise straight after half-time, it does more than give you momentum – it can change the whole feel of a game.

Their work ethic, tenacity and intensity in the second half was incredible and It was Darwin Nunez who helped instigate that, firstly by winning the penalty for their equaliser.

Yes, it was a mistake by Nathan Ake, whose poor backpass let him in, but Nunez was switched on and ready for it – and he did not stop there.

Lots of Liverpool players did well after the break but Nunez was the one who really made the difference when they were on top. Like so many other teams this season, City struggled to cope with his physicality and all-round play.

I really do believe his display was as good as any I’ve seen from him since he joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022, which is a strange thing to say about a striker who didn’t score.

I loved his energy and his willingness to run without the ball, hassling City’s backline and stretching their defence, but he also showed great quality with it too. He slipped Luis Diaz in for one of his big chances and was involved in almost all of them in some way.

Nunez was unselfish with so much of his play but he was also unlucky not to get a goal himself when he got a toe to Andy Robertson’s cross. City keeper Stefan Ortega made a great save and, on another day, that goes in.

‘Van Dijk is the one player Liverpool cannot afford to lose’

You don’t get anything against City without defending well too, and I was also really impressed by that side of Liverpool’s performance.

I expect a lot of Reds fans were nervous when they saw the teamsheet before the game, because out of their first-choice back five – including goalkeeper Alisson – only Virgil van Dijk faced the defending champions.

Ibrahima Konate’s injury this week meant the whole right side of Liverpool’s defence was very young, with Jarell Quansah next to Conor Bradley. Jurgen Klopp again showed his faith in the kids by playing them, and they both did really well in what was arguably the biggest game of their careers.

It was another example of the brilliant togetherness and belief that has got Liverpool so far this season, and kept them in this title race, and in with a chance of winning four competitions despite being affected by so many injuries.

By that I mean, when the chips are down and some big players are not around for the big games, they do not falter or feel sorry for themselves.

They also don’t sit back, whoever they are playing. One of the big strengths of this team is they don’t change they way they play even when some star names are missing – and still look to play on the front foot.

At the heart of it all, though, is Van Dijk. Some of his passing against City was phenomenal, as always, but on top of that, his last-ditch defending was outstanding.

There was the one-on-one with Erling Haaland where he stayed calm and in control, a crucial far-post header from a Bernardo Silva cross and an important block to deny Phil Foden.

It was a monumental performance, exactly when it was needed, by a guy who was surrounded by several players who had not played in an occasion like this before, and one that some people viewed as a title decider.

Van Dijk has been terrific all season, of course, but this particular game showed the importance of his presence.

Konate could miss a couple of games and Liverpool will be fine. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have been out for several weeks already, and the biggest compliment I can pay to Caoimhin Kelleher is that he never looks like a back-up goalkeeper when he replaces Alisson.

Klopp has also got the numbers to rotate in midfield and all the front players have had injuries at some point this season. But, at the moment, Van Dijk is the one player they cannot afford to lose.

That’s how important he is to their title hopes, and where their whole season goes from here.

Why the run-in will be a rollercoaster ride

Sunday’s game was a brilliant watch, with such quality on show from both sides.

If Diaz had taken one of his chances then, with the Anfield crowd and the momentum Liverpool had at that stage, I feel like they would have probably seen City off.

Credit to City, though, because they hung in there and had a couple of excellent chances in the second half themselves.

Jeremy Doku hit the post after Kelleher had denied Phil Foden at a really crucial time and, for all the opportunities Liverpool created, they could still have been beaten.

When the dust settles, I think they will be content with the result – they have now played and drawn with City twice in the Premier League, and they are still a point ahead of them with 10 games to go.

Liverpool could soon be in an even stronger position, because City play Arsenal in their next league game, on 31 March. At least one of their title rivals will drop points then, but it would be naïve to think that game will decide anything.

We have got three brilliant teams in this title race, who have all got great strength in depth. But I am not convinced any of them will go on from here and win every game in the run-in, which Liverpool and City have both done in previous seasons, because they have all appeared a bit vulnerable at times.

Look at Arsenal – they have been on this amazing goalscoring run but they still needed Aaron Ramsdale to make a couple of great saves in their win over Brentford on Saturday, and had to wait to score a late winner.

There were some nerves involved in their performance, inevitably, and there are plenty more of those to come.

The one team you would not expect to suffer in that way, emotionally, are City because of what they have been doing for so many seasons now. But I still expect it to be a rollercoaster ride for all three teams and it would not surprise me if they are all still involved with a couple of games to go.

It is going to be fascinating to watch it unfold, whoever you support. Even if you have a fondness for one of the teams, every football fan loves watching close competition with jeopardy involved.

So how can you not enjoy this run-in? It’s what we all want to see.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.