Liverpool and Manchester City are playing in a Premier League match with title implications on Thursday. In the game's first real scoring chance, Manchester City miraculously avoided going down in the 18th minute.
After a gorgeous Mohamed Salah entry pass to Sadio Mane, the Liverpool forward missed his chance off the post. Manchester City then tried to clear the ball, but goalkeeper Ederson Moraes dived and blocked it back toward his own net. The ball then nearly crossed for a Liverpool goal but it was somehow cleared just before it went over the line.
The play is every bit as silly as it sounds.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 3, 2019
Watch #MCILIV on NBCSN or stream: https://t.co/vlU3YdmQDh pic.twitter.com/9W4xek2W9b
How close did this ball come to going over? Take a look.
That close... pic.twitter.com/AUYHbzghfp
— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) January 3, 2019
OFFICIAL: Premier League confirm *that* Liverpool chance was only 1.12cm away from fully crossing the line.
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) January 3, 2019
Less than half an inch. 📏 pic.twitter.com/fTrSVunmCI
It was an insane sequence befitting a matchup of two Premier League titans, but Manchester City deserves a lot of credit for staying with the play. As for Moraes, he owes someone a drink after all of that. It's understandable that he just wanted to cover that ball up, but there was a clear miscommunication that almost led to an early deficit.