John Stones clearance defies logic as Liverpool miss out on goal by millimetres
They don’t come much closer than this.
The destination of the Premier League title is often decided by fine margins, and John Stones’ clearance off the line against Liverpool might just be the dictionary definition.
The Reds had the chance to go 10 points clear of last season’s champions with a win, and they looked like they might take the lead when Sadio Mane raced through on goal in the first half.
After Mane’s shot hit the post a mix-up between Stones and Ederson followed, with the ball looping back towards the goal only for the defender to make a heroic clearance.
For those watching at the ground or on television it looked mighty close to being a goal, but the technology confirmed the reality.
Manchester City went on to win the game 2-1 after goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane.
It really was quite moment for England defender Stones, who will have been glad to see the ball booted clear just seconds after his error.
Meanwhile, others noticed just how close Mohamed Salah was to scoring from Stones’ clearance, the ball bouncing under his legs and away from the goal.
But without goal-line technology, Stones’ work might have counted for nothing.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s late scarf-throwing routine prompted a hilarious reworking of the earlier goal-line incident.
City now trail the Reds by just four points – could Stones’ clearance be the springboard for their title challenge?
