Mahrez penalty miss costs City victory at Liverpool

Riyad Mahrez missed an 85th-minute penalty as Manchester City wasted a chance to move clear of Premier League title rival Liverpool following a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Sunday.

The two teams started the highly anticipated encounter locked together at the top of the standings and City looked set to beat Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool when Mahrez ballooned his spot kick way over the crossbar, after substitute Leroy Sane had been brought down by Virgil van Dijk.

The two unbeaten sides are now on the same 20-point mark as Chelsea, which coasted to a 3-0 win at Southampton earlier in the day.

Liverpool and City appeared reluctant to commit to all-out attack and only succeeded in canceling each other out.

Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy, front, and Liverpool's Joe Gomez vie for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira

Pep Guardiola’s City was denied a penalty claim in the 20th minute when Sergio Aguero was fouled by Dejan Lovren but, that incident apart, there was little to get the crowd excited in the first half.

Mahrez let slip a good chance on the hour when he shot wide when well placed in the penalty box.

Mohamed Salah, who failed to score in a league match at Anfield for only the second time since Dec. 26, then fired over the crossbar at the other end nine minutes later.

The draw means Liverpool has now gone four matches without a win in all competitions.