Pep Guardiola says Man City let Liverpool off the hook as Reds get off canvas to draw heavyweight title slugfest

PEP GUARDIOLA claimed Manchester City let rivals Liverpool off the hook in their title slugfest.

Kop boss Jurgen Klopp said yesterday’s showdown was just like a ‘heavyweight boxing bout’ — but City failed to land the crucial knockout blow in a thriller.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s sides put on another sublime football showGetty

AFPThe two teams had to settle for a point apiece to keep the title race alive[/caption]

The champions stay a point ahead with just seven games left and Klopp said: “We can describe it like a heavyweight boxing fight. Put both arms down for a second and you get a massive knock.

“You can shake a bit, then the next knock is coming from the other team.

“What a game. Wild. The intensity of the game was just crazy.

“It was such a great game and a result we have to live with — and can live with.”

Kevin De Bruyne gave City a fifth-minute lead that Diogo Jota cancelled out eight minutes later.

Gabriel Jesus restored the home side’s advantage — but Kop birthday boy Sadio Mane levelled less than a minute after the restart.

When told rival Klopp had compared the match to boxing, City boss Guardiola said: “Quite similar. He likes that. He likes his punching games.

“I felt that we let them have a life — it was a missed opportunity.

“I was watching the punches, we attack. They attack with our weapons and it’s good for football.

“When you do many good things the sadness is there, but I just said, ‘Forget it.’

“We have performed incredibly well and, unfortunately, could not win.

“It was a good advert for the Premier League. It was a fantastic game and both teams tried to win.

“Liverpool are such a joy to watch, I know the threats they have and how good they are.

“But we performed really well and I’m so proud of my team.”

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Former Liverpool ace Raheem Sterling thought he had won it at the Etihad — only to be denied by the tightest of VAR offside calls.

And Klopp admitted: “We were lucky. It was offside but I heard it was a tiny margin.”

The Reds chief warned his team will have to be almost perfect if they are to win the title from here.

He added: “Yeah, I think that’s probably right. We knew in January if we wanted to win that we had to win 18 games.

“If there was one we can draw — it’s today.

“There’s now seven games to go and we will not stop chasing.”

Guardiola added: “One game dropped and we won’t be champions.

“Now we know in all competitions if we drop, we will miss something.

“But they must win all their games, too. This is not over. I’d say the same with defeat or victory.

“We know what we have to do. I don’t know what is going to happen.”

City scorer De Bruyne said: “I felt we had the upper hand but didn’t win.

“This is how we have to play our games until the end of the season.”