Sergio Aguero keeps Manchester City hopes alive

This was the game that had everything except a winner unless a beaming Manchester United and an enthralled television audience are included. It had some brilliant goals, notably from Steven Gerrard and Sergio Aguero, and sustained, end-to-end entertainment. It also had simulation, a goalkeeping aberration, tactical switches and a reminder always to play to the whistle.

It also carried significance to the title race. Trailing United by nine points, Roberto Mancini believes that City need to win all of their final 13 fixtures, which comprise home games against Chelsea, Wigan, Newcastle, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham and Norwich and trips to Southampton, Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester United, Tottenham, Swansea and Reading.

The itinerary looks daunting for City, particularly if they slip up at Old Trafford on April 6. With Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney in prolific form, City's mission to retain their crown looks increasingly improbable. Bigger margins have been clawed back but it is hard to see United throwing away points. Sir Alex Ferguson wants that trophy back.

Yet as Aguero tweeted after the match, "we'll fight to the end".

This was also the game that showed how Liverpool are developing into a sleek attacking unit under Brendan Rodgers, particularly through the burgeoning understanding between Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez.

Jamie Carragher excelled in defence while Rodgers' captain, Gerrard, completed another 90 minutes, being the only midfielder or forward to have played every Premier League minute this season.

Gerrard also scored one of his trademark strikes from range, a goal similar to his drive just before half-time against Germany in 2001. As in Munich, Gerrard made it 2-1 yesterday, following first-half goals from Edin Dzeko and Sturridge, but a wonderful game saved the best until last.

Aguero 's equaliser was astonishing, partly because of a terrible piece of decision-making by Pepe Reina, who chased the City attacker rashly across the box, but also because of the Argentine's response. Having continued out of the area, Aguero turned and calmly swept the ball back in from a narrow angle. Aguero really is a special player, a model professional on and off the field.

Pablo Zabaleta and James Milner were not far behind Aguero in influence for City. Zabaleta was again a resolute leader. Milner created the first for Dzeko, and ran tirelessly throughout in support of his team-mates.

The England manager, Roy Hodgson, was otherwise engaged, watching Spurs at the Hawthorns before heading off to the Football Association's England Awards night at St George's Park. When he receives a report and DVD of this game, he will learn that Milner is in good form and that Sturridge matures by the match, showing stealthy movement as well as an eye for goal, although sadly the striker will be forced to withdraw from the squad to face Brazil with a thigh injury.

The 23 year-old seemed to be moving freely enough before being taken off in injury time. "Club versus country'' came the cry from the conspiracy theorists. Sturridge has played six games in four weeks for Liverpool after eight weeks without kicking a ball in anger at Chelsea. Clearly, there are concerns at Liverpool over managing his rise to full fitness.

As he recuperates at Melwood, preparing himself for Liverpool's next game, against West Brom on Feb 11, Sturridge should actually be feeling quite rueful. With Jermain Defoe injured, Sturridge could easily have lined up against famous guests at Wembley this week.

Sturridge was immediately impressive on his old stamping ground. He left here in fairly acrimonious circumstances in 2009, and was greeted with a few chants of "there's only one greedy b------", and almost scored early on. After Reina had tipped over a David Silva shot, Liverpool attacked through Glen Johnson, whose cross was angled towards Sturridge. Hart was indecisive, allowing Sturridge to control the ball but Zabaleta anticipated well.

City responded, taking the lead after 23 minutes with a goal full of pace and style. From a throw-in, City attacked quickly, the ball transferred elegantly by Silva to the energetic Milner, who rushed down the inside-left corridor towards the byline. Milner's cross was low and firm, the space opened up by Daniel Agger who was too deep, playing Dzeko onside. The Bosnian met Milner's cross emphatically.

If that goal was against the run of play, City felt Liverpool's equaliser was against the spirit of the game. Dzeko went down under a challenge from Agger, and lay there in Liverpool's half as the visitors disappeared upfield. City fans bayed for Anthony Taylor to blow up for a foul and for Liverpool to put the ball out but Gerrard, Johnson and others kept the move going. It was not a head injury, Taylor did not deem Agger's challenge a foul and the referee clearly felt Dzeko was not injured. The painful lesson to City was simple: play to the whistle.

As City players fumed, Sturridge drove the ball past Hart from 25 yards for his fourth goal in six Liverpool games and then refused to celebrate a fine goal against his old team. Down the other end, Dzeko climbed to his feet while Milner had a few choice words for the assistant referee, Andy Halliday.

City seemed distracted by the equaliser and the manner in which it was scored. Zabaleta almost conceded an own goal in a terrible mix-up with Hart.

As Taylor and his assistants left the field at the break, some City fans booed the officials. During the interval, the Etihad DJ played Higher State of Consciousness, but it was a higher state of concentration that the home side required. They looked unconvincing without the injured Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure, who was away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sturridge was then cautioned for tumbling under an innocuous challenge from Joleon Lescott. Carragher followed Sturridge into the book after a man-and-ball challenge on Aguero. Liverpool were imposing themselves in every sense, particularly Gerrard from 25 yards out with 17 minutes left. Yet Mancini's switch to 3-5-2 helped City regain the initiative.

Within five minutes of Gerrard's ace, Aguero trumped it with an even better goal given the angle. Liverpool were left to reflect on the need to eradicate mistakes like Reina's and Agger's but this point was a pointer to a more promising future. City need Kompany and Toure back and United to suffer an unlikely slide.