Liverpool kept themselves firmly in the Premier League title race by holding Manchester City to a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

If the Reds had lost at the Etihad Stadium, City would have moved four points clear at the top of the table.

But Liverpool remain just one point behind the champions after Sadio Mane's equaliser early in the second half.

City went in at the break 2-1 ahead thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus either side of a strike from Diogo Jota.

Pep Guardiola's side just couldn't find a precious third in the second period, although they certainly had their chances.

Riyad Mahrez missed a golden opportunity in the final minute of stoppage-time, while Jesus inexplicably fired into the side netting instead of squaring the ball to De Bruyne for an easy finish from the penalty spot.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 10: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City speaks with Gabriel Jesus during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on April 10, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Raheem Sterling had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR for offside in the second half and the Englishman was also involved in another big incident after the interval.

The former Liverpool man was part of a sweeping counterattack by City and looked to be through on goal following a smart pass from De Bruyne.

But Virgil van Dijk stepped in to clear the danger and the way he dealt with Sterling was quite extraordinary.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 10: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City is challenged by Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on April 10, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Van Dijk matched the City winger for pace and was then able to win the ball for his team while keeping Sterling at bay like a naughty school child.

Take a look at footage of the 1v1 battle here...

Video: Van Dijk vs Sterling - there was only one winner...

Fan reaction

Trying to get the better of Van Dijk looks fun, doesn't it?

In truth, Sunday wasn't the former Southampton man's finest outing and he even picked up a rare yellow card late on.

But he was far from poor at the Etihad and still managed to make Sterling - one of the world's best players - look like a Sunday League footballer for a brief period of time.

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Not bad for a slightly off day, Virgil.

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